Quotes from Gopāl Campūḥ

These are some interesting things I read in Śrī Jīva Goswāmī's Gopāla Campūḥ:

Gopāla Campūḥ 20.2 (the story of Varuṇa's agents abducting Nanda Mahārāja)–

eṣa nivāsa-viśeṣaś ca tasya jala-stambha-vidyālambhitāra-bhavān svata eva bhāsvān bhāsvat-kanyā-hrada-stha-vivarasyādhaḥ-pradeśe sadeśa eva rasā-vivara-deśe niveśam āsīdati 

"Varuṇa has a certain mystic power [vidyā] with which he manages to block water [jala-stambha] out of his abode, which is a hole underground under the Yamunā."

Hence pictures that depict Kṛṣṇa visiting Varuṇa under water are not correct.

Gopāla Campūḥ 20.29:

cacāla ca sa tābhyāṁ saha yāvad-vivarābhyāsam | āgamya ca tad-abhyāsaṁ tad-vartma-bhāga-sthita-nīraṁ vibhāgam āgamayya 

"Varuṇa accompanied Kṛṣṇa and Nanda Mahārāja till the gate of the cave in which he dwelled and there made a cleavage in the water so that they could easily return to the surface of the Yamunā."

A piece of adhyātmika vāda in Gopāla Campūḥ 21.20 -

dāma-sudāma-vasudāma-kiṅkiṇi-saṁjñās tasya prajñāhaṅkāra-citta-manasāṁ bahiḥ-prakāśatayā 

"Dāma, Sudāma, Vasudāma, and Kiṅkiṇī - these boys are external manifestations of Kṛṣṇa's wisdom, ego, consciousness and mind."

Gopāla Campūḥ 33.104 -

atha mathurām eva rāmeṇa saha sahacara-yadu-kumāra-vṛtaḥ pratigatya patyabhāvavataḥ puruṣā mleccatas tān mleccha-yodhān nidhanam eva rodhayamānas tad-amāna-dhanāni nija-rājadhānīti dvārakāṁ hārayann api mleccha-paricchadatayā manasi nācchatāṁ maṁsyase 

"After killing them, Kṛṣṇa will take the unlimited booty of mlecchas like Kālayavan to Dwārkā but will not consider it pure since it was used by the mlecchas."

This proves that money from mlecchas is untouchable. It is not that Hindus can enjoy the money and women of mlecchas (western devotees) and not accept their devotional service, as often happens in Indian Sadhu communities. Either one is totally untouchable or totally acceptable.

Gopāla Campūḥ 33.253 -


tad idaṁ guptam api kṛtam ādi-varāha-nāmā bhagavān api sva-purāṇe sākṣitayā lakṣayatīti sarvathātra nānyathā mantavyam | yathā—

dyūta-krīḍā bhagavatā kṛtā gopa-janaiḥ saha |
paṇāvahāra-rūpeṇa jitā gopyo dhanāni ca |
gopair ānīya tatraiva kṛṣṇāya viniveditāḥ || iti |


“Though this subject is concealed, Varāha in his Purana reveals this. You should not consider this false at all. In the Varaha Purana it is said that Kṛṣṇa won the gopīs, along with wealth, in a dice game from the gopas. Brought by the cowherds they were offered to Kṛṣṇa.”

I am curious what the rest of the Varāha Purāṇa-text would say about this.