Fraternal Devotion
327
in the  Bhagavad-gītā , His uncommon genius in all fields of endeavor, His exhibition of expert knowledge, His mercy, His chivalry, His behavior as a conjugal lover, His intelligence, His forgiveness, His attraction for all kinds of men, His opulence and His happiness—all provoke fraternal love.
The impetus to fraternal love upon seeing the associates of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana is also very natural, for their personal bodily features, their qualities and dress are all equal to Kṛṣṇa’s. These associates are always happy in their service to Kṛṣṇa, and they are generally known as  vayasyas , or friends of the same age. These  vayasyas  are fully confident of protection by Kṛṣṇa. Devotees sometimes pray: “Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto the  vayasyas  of Kṛṣṇa, who are firmly convinced of Kṛṣṇa’s friendship and protection and whose devotion to Kṛṣṇa is ever-fixed. They are fearless, and on a level equal with Kṛṣṇa they discharge their transcendental loving devotional service.” Such eternal  vayasyas  are also found beyond the jurisdiction of Vṛndāvana, in places such as Dvārakā and Hastināpura. Except for Vṛndāvana, all the places of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are called  puras  (towns). Mathurā and Hastināpura, the capital of the Kurus, are both  puras . Personalities like Arjuna, Bhīma, Draupadī and Śrīdāmā Brāhmaṇa are counted amongst Kṛṣṇa’s fraternal devotees in the  puras .
How the sons of Pāṇḍu, the Pāṇḍavas, enjoy Kṛṣṇa’s association is described as follows: “When Śrī Kṛṣṇa arrived in Indraprastha, the capital of the Kurus, Mahārāj Yudhiṣṭhira immediately came out to smell the flavor of Kṛṣṇa’s head.” It is the Vedic custom that superiors smell the heads of their subordinates when the subordinates offer respect to the superior by touching his feet. Similarly, Arjuna and Bhīma embraced Kṛṣṇa with great jubilation, and the two younger brothers, namely Nakula and Sahadeva, touched the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa with tears in their eyes and offered their respects. In this way all the five Pāṇḍava brothers enjoyed the fraternal friendship of Kṛṣṇa in transcendental mellow. Of the five Pāṇḍavas, Arjuna is the most intimately connected with Kṛṣṇa. He has a nice bow in his hand which is called Gāṇḍīva. His thighs are compared with the trunks of elephants, and his eyes are always reddish. When Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are together on a chariot, they become celestial beauties, pleasing to