7.3 Prema - Vrindavan - Spiritual Parental Relationship

This kind of divine love relationship exists only in Goloka Vṛndāvana and is attained only through the practice of Rāgānuga Sādhana Bhakti.

Rāmānanda Rāya said: divine parental love - rāya kahe vatsalya-prema
is the essence of all the purposes of life - sara sarva-sadhya.

Ṭīkā: The fact that Rāmānanda Rāya has entered Vṛndāvana by remembering the friendly love of children simply playing with Krișna there, makes Śrī Caitanya say that finally this statement about the purpose of life is very good. And yet He is not entirely satisfied. Therefore He asks Ramananda Raya to speak further.

As a result Ramananda Raya declares vatsalya-prema is sarva-sadhya-sara.

To exemplify the glory of parental love, Rāmānanda Rāya gives quotes from Bhagavat Puran 10.8.46 in which Maharaja Parikșit asks Śukadev Gosvāmī:

śrī-rājovāca
nandaḥ kim akarod brahman śreya evaḿ mahodayam
yaśodā ca mahā-bhāgā papau yasyāḥ stanaḿ hariḥ (CC 2.8.77)

The king said, Oh brahman - śrī-rājovāca brahman
what kind of auspicious activities were performed by Nanda (Krișna's father) - kim śreya akarod nandaḥ
so that (he attained) the great perfection - evaḿ mahodayam
and Yașoda (Krișna's Mother) (she got) the great bliss - as yaśodā mahā-bhāgāā
that the Supreme Lord sucked (milk) from her breast - hariḥ papau stanaḿ yasyāḥ

Then he quotes Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.9.20) to show that Mother Yaśoda's parental love is so exalted that she can control Krișna, although He is the Controller of all.

This is the level at which the Devotee controls the Object of Devotion - the Transzendental Lord - Kṛṣṇa. Mother Yaśodā thus binds Krysna to the wooden grinding mortar.

nemaḿ viriñco na bhavo na śrīr apy ańga-saḿśrayā
prasādaḿ lebhire gopī yat tat prāpa vimuktidāt (CC 2.8.78)

Neither Brahmā nor Śiva nor even Śrī (Goddess of Bliss), who is very close (to the Transcendental Lord) -nemaḿ viriñco na bhavo na śrīr apy ańga-saḿśrayā
have obtained the mercy granted to this gopī (Yașoda) - prāpa imam prasādaḿ lebhire tat gopī
by the Giver of deliverance (from the material world - the Trancendental Lord Krișna). - vimukti-dāt