Section
76
The
Lord's Associates are Like the Lord
Çré Çuka said (6.9.29):
"The Lord's eyes were blooming like the lotus petals in the autumn season. He was being worshiped by his sixteen personal attendants, who were exactly like Him, except they did not have the mark of Çrévatsa nor the Kaustubha jewel."
"By sixteen" (ñoòaçabhiù) means the Lord's associates like Sunanda.
Purport
In the previous anuccheda Çréla Jéva Gosvämé explained that the associates of the Lord are transcendental like Him. Now he explains that some of the Lord's intimate associates have the same bodily features as the Lord, which means they have särupya mukti. This increases the beauty of the Lord as when people having the same bodily features walk together, it appears elegant. The verse says they are ätma-tulya, or similar or equal to the Lord. According to logic similarity is defined as that which has many of the qualities of another object, yet is still different from it (tadbhinnatve sati tadgat bhüyo dharmavattvam). The associates of the Lord are not equal to Him in every sense as no one can be equal to or more than the Lord. Çréla Jéva Gosvämé is not a believer in polytheism. The verse says that the Lord's associates look like Him, but they lack the Çrévatsa mark on their chest and the Kaustubha gem around their neck. These two distinct features of the Lord are not to be found on anyone else. The mark of Çrévatsa is a tuft of golden hair, having a clockwise turn, on the left side of the Lord's chest. Vakñasya suklavarëadakñiëävarta lomävalé (Çabdakalpadruma). This mark represents the consort of the Lord, Çré Lakñamé Devé. The Kaustubha gem represents the living entities (S.B. 3.28.28). Only the Lord holds Lakñamé Devé and the living entities, therefore these two insignias are only found on the Lord. According to Çré Vaàçédhara, a commentator on Çrémad Bhägavatam, the names of the Lord's sixteen associates are as follows: Nanda, Sunanda, Prabala, Udbala, Jaya, Vijaya, Viñvaksena, Garuòa, Çruta-deva, Jayanta, Kumuda, Kumudäkña, Niçaöha, Sätvata, Puñpadanta and Däruka. However, these names are seen differently in different scriptures. Padma Puräëa has different names which were quoted in Text 10 by Çréla Jéva Gosvämé. Çrémad Bhägavatam gives some of the names in the following verse (S.B. 11.27.28):
"One should worship the Lord's associates Nanda and Sunanda, Garuda, Pracaëòa and Caëòa, Mahäbala and Bala, Kumuda and Kumudekñaëa."
This verse describes these associates of the Lord as worshipable along with Lord. This also implies that they are of the same nature as the Lord. In the Çrémad Bhagavatam the Lord made this point Himself when he said this about Uddhava, who is His personal associate (S.B. 3.4.31):
"Uddhava is not inferior to Me in any way because he is never affected by the modes of material nature. Therefore he may remain in this world in order to disseminate specific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead."
Similar descriptions can be found about Lord's other associates in Vraja as well as in Dwärakä. In the following Text Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says that because Lord's associates are like the Lord, their association is the supreme goal to be achieved.