Day0124:SB 2.7.33-35:From Lust to Pure Love: Lesson from Shankhacūḍa & Mukti of Kṛṣṇa’s Opponents

1. Introduction
In these verses, Brahmā narrates to Nārada the future pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, particularly:
• The slaying of Shankhacūḍa after the Rāsa dance (SB 2.7.33).
• The liberation of Kṛṣṇa’s enemies and the development of divine qualities in His devotees (SB 2.7.34–35).
These narrations give us profound lessons about the difference between lust and divine love, the danger of material opulence, and the Lord’s supreme mercy.
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2. The Killing of Shankhacūḍa (SB 2.7.33)
The Setting
• After the blissful Rāsa dance in Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, and the gopīs were absorbed in transcendental joy.
• Shankhacūḍa, a demoniac associate of Kuvera, appeared, adorned with a shining jewel on his head, proud of his wealth.
His Arrogance and Lust
• Mistaking Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma for ordinary cowherd boys, he thought the gopīs should belong to him due to his material affluence.
• Overcome by lust, he tried to abduct the gopīs.
The Lord’s Protection
• The frightened gopīs cried out to Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
• The two brothers reassured them and picked up heavy logs from a śāla tree to confront the demon.
• Seeing them powerful, Shankhacūḍa fled, but Kṛṣṇa pursued him, struck him down, and removed the jewel, gifting it to Balarāma.
Lesson: Wealth, if not engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service, becomes a curse. Like fire, it can burn when misused.
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3. Lust vs. Love: The Inner Principle
• The gopīs’ attraction to Kṛṣṇa was pure love (prema), the soul’s natural state.
• Shankhacūḍa’s feeling was kāma—selfish lust arising from the mode of passion.
Bhagavad-gītā (3.37–39):
“It is lust only, born of passion, later transformed into anger, the all-devouring enemy of the world.”
When pure love becomes distorted, it manifests as lust and drags the soul into bondage. Only through Kṛṣṇa consciousness can lust be re-spiritualized into love.
Examples:
• Hanumān used his anger in Kṛṣṇa’s service by burning Laṅkā.
• Arjuna was instructed to fight for dharma, not personal gain.
Similarly, our desires can be sanctified by engaging them in Kṛṣṇa’s service—“the desire to know Him, to serve Him, to love Him.”
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4. The Fate of Kṛṣṇa’s Enemies (SB 2.7.34–35)
Brahmā lists demons like Pralamba, Dhenuka, Bakāsura, Keśī, Kaṁsa, Śiśupāla, Pauṇḍraka, Śālva, Dantavakra, and Rukmī.
• Though they opposed the Lord, dying at His hands or His associates’ hands granted them liberation.
• Liberation is of two types:
1. Vaikuṇṭha entry – for those who recognized the Lord’s personality.
2. Brahma-jyoti merging – for those who only saw Him as powerful but impersonal.
Even hostility to Kṛṣṇa brings transcendental benefit, but loving devotion is infinitely higher.
Śrīla Prabhupāda humorously said:
“If you must fight, fight with Kṛṣṇa—you’ll either merge into His effulgence or go to Vaikuṇṭha! But don’t fight against Him in ignorance.”
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5. Cultivating Divine Qualities
• Kṛṣṇa’s devotees develop daivī-sampat (divine qualities) listed in Bhagavad-gītā 16.1–3: fearlessness, purity, compassion, control of mind and senses, nonviolence, truthfulness, forgiveness, steadiness, humility, etc.
• These qualities elevate the soul beyond material bondage.
Association is crucial: by keeping company with devotees, we inherit their qualities. By associating with the demoniac (via TV, ungodly music, gossip, or toxic entertainment), we imbibe their nature.
Śrīla Prabhupāda noted that devotees leave behind drinking, immorality, and vulgar media because they relish a higher taste in service to Kṛṣṇa.
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6. Protecting Children from Modern Lust
• Children should be trained early in devotional service—visiting the temple, hearing kīrtana, rendering small services.
• Gadgets like mobile phones, video games, and unrestricted internet are like “loaded guns,” destroying their natural inclination for devotion.
• Parents must ensure their children’s love for Kṛṣṇa is not diverted into material lust.
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7. Conclusion
The killing of Shankhacūḍa and the liberation of Kṛṣṇa’s enemies teach us:
1. Kāma (lust) is the soul’s greatest enemy; prema (pure love) is its real nature.
2. Even opposition to the Lord brings liberation, but loving devotion gives entrance to His eternal abode.
3. Use wealth, anger, and desires in Kṛṣṇa’s service—they become purifying instruments.
4. Protect the next generation by nourishing their natural love for Kṛṣṇa.
🌸 Final Takeaway: Let us not be like the demons who opposed the Lord but like the gopīs who surrendered in pure love. By transforming lust into love through bhakti, we attain life’s ultimate success—eternal service at the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Hare Kṛṣṇa! All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!