230 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Kurujangala, Kanka, Matsya, Paficala, Kunti, Madhu, Kekaya, Kosala and
Arna, and thus all the citizens of these places, both men and women,
could see Lord Krsna eye to eye. In this way they enjoyed celestial
happiness, with open hearts full of love and affection for the Lord, and
when they saw the face of the Lord, it seemed to them that they were
drinking nectar through their eyes. When they saw Krsna, all the ignorant
misconceptions of their lives dissipated. When the Lord passed through the
various countries and the people came to visit Him, simply by glancing
over them the Lord would bestow all good fortune upon them and liberate
them from all kinds of ignorance. In some places, the demigods also
would join with the human beings, and their glorification of the Lord
would cleanse all directions of ail inauspicious things. In this way, Lord
Krsna slowly and gradually reached the kingdom of Videha.

When the news of the Lord’s arrival was received by the citizens, they
all felt unlimited happiness and came to welcome Him, taking gifts in
their hands to offer. As soon as they saw Lord Krsna, their hearts imme-
diately blossomed in transcendental bliss, just as a lotus flower blooms on
the rising of the sun. Previously they had simply heard the names of the
great sages, but had never seen them. Now, by the mercy of Lord Krsna,
they had the opportunity of seeing both the great sages and the Lord
Himself.

King Bahulagva, as well as the brahmana, Srutadeva, knowing well that
the Lord had come there just to grace them with favor, immediately fell at
the Lord’s lotus feet and offered their respects. With folded hands, the
King and the braéhmana each simultaneously invited Lord Krsna and all
the sages to his home. In order to please both of them, Lord Krsna ex-
panded Himself into two and went to the houses of each one of them; yet
neither the King nor the brahmana could understand that the Lord had
gone to the house of the other. Both thought that the Lord had gone only
to his own house. That He and His companions were present in both
houses, although both the brahmana and the King thought He was present
in his house only, is another opulence of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. This opulence is described in the revealed scriptures as vaibhava-
prakasa. Similarly, when Lord Krsna married sixteen thousand wives, He
also expanded Himself into sixteen thousand forms, each one of them as
powerful as He Himself. Similarly, in Vrndavana, when Brahmi stole away
Krsna’s cows, calves and cowherd boys, Krsna expanded Himself into
many new cows, calves and cowherd boys.

Bahulagva, the King of Videha, was very intelligent and was a perfect
gentleman. He was astonished that so many great sages, along with the
