38 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

taking daily bath and cleansing the body inside and outside and accepting
the ten kinds of purificatory processes. By austerities, by worship of the
Lord, and by distribution of charity, we can purify the possession of
wealth. We can purify ourselves by studying the Vedas, by striving for
self-realization and by understanding the Supreme Absolute Truth. It is
therefore stated in the Vedic literature that by birth everyone is born a
Sidra, and by accepting the purificatory process one becomes twice-born.
By studies of the Vedas one can become vipra, which is the preliminary
qualification for becoming a brahmana. When one understands the Abso-
lute Truth in perfection, he is called a brahmana. And when the brahmana
reaches further perfection, he becomes a Vaisnava or a devotee.

In that ceremony, all the brahmanas assembled began to chant different
kinds of Vedic mantras to invoke all good fortune for the child. There are
different kinds of chanting known as siita, magadha, vandi, and viru-
davali. Along with this chanting of mantras and songs, bugles and kettle-
drums sounded outside the house. On this occasion, the joyous vibrations
could be heard in all the pasturing grounds and all the houses. Within and
outside of the houses there were varieties of artistic paintings, done with
rice pulp, and scented water was sprinkled everywhere, even on the roads
and streets. Ceilings and roofs were decorated with different kinds of flags,
festoons and green leaves. The gates were made of green leaves and flowers.
All the cows, bulls and calves were smeared with a mixture of oil and
turmeric and painted with minerals like red oxide, yellow clay and man-
ganese. They wore garlands of peacock feathers, and were covered with nice
colored dresses and gold necklaces.

When all the ecstatic cowherd men heard that Nanda Maharaja, father of
Krsna, was celebrating the birth ceremony of his son, they became spon-
taneously joyful. They dressed themselves with very costly garments and
ornamented their bodies with different kinds of earrings and necklaces and
wore great turbans on their heads. After dressing themselves in this gor-
geous way, they took various kinds of presentations and thus approached
the house of Nanda Maharaja.

As soon as they heard that mother Yasoda had given birth to a child, all
the cowherd women became overwhelmed with joy, and they also dressed
themselves with various kinds of costly garments and ornaments and
smeared scented cosmetics on their bodies.

As the dust on the lotus flower exhibits the exquisite beauty of the
flower, all the gopis (cowherd girls) applied the dust of kunkuma on their
lotus-like faces. These beautiful gopis took their different presentations
and very soon reached the house of Maharaja Nanda. Overburdened with
