Krsna in Vrndavana (Volume Two): Na Paraye 'Ham- I Am Unable to Repay You
Title: Krsna in Vrndavana (Volume Two): Na Paraye 'Ham- I Am Unable to Repay You
Author: Sivarama Swami
Publisher: Lal Publishing
Publication Date: 2000
Language: English
Format: Hardback
Pages: 402
The second book in the Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana series presents a three-part meditation on love at its highest pitch. Part One (“Questions about Love”) enters Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.32.16–22, where the gopīs challenge Kṛṣṇa and He replies with the confession behind this title—He cannot repay their spotless devotion. Part Two (“The Debt of Love Repaid”) turns to Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 11): as Gaurāṅga, Kṛṣṇa, embraces Śrī Rādhā’s mood, settles His debt, and opens the floodgates of vraja-bhakti for the world. Part Three presents Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s Prema-sampuṭa (“The Love Box”), a confidential window into Śrī Rādhā’s heart that resolves questions raised on the rāsa-sthalī.
Sweetness is never without siddhānta here. You see why Kṛṣṇa’s apparent distance refines prema rather than denying it; how His reply exalts the gopīs’ exclusive love; and why, in Gaura, He “repays” what Kṛṣṇa could not in Vraja—then freely distributes the means to receive it.
Readers come away with a deepened appreciation of Kṛṣṇa’s confession—na pāraye ’ham—knowing that Kṛṣṇa delights in being obliged by His devotees. The more we serve, the more He longs to “repay,” and the exchange is wondrous and endless.
Overview and Content
This volume focuses on a profound three-part meditation on the highest expressions of transcendental love (prema), centered on the famous verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.32.22 where Kṛṣṇa tells the gopīs: “Na pāraye ’ham” (“I am unable to repay you”).
Structure:
- Part One (“Questions about Love”) — Explores Bhāgavatam 10.32.16–22: the gopīs’ loving challenge to Kṛṣṇa after the rāsa dance and His humble confession of being unable to repay their pure devotion.
- Part Two (“The Debt of Love Repaid”) — Turns to Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā), where Lord Caitanya (Kṛṣṇa in the mood of Rādhārāṇī) repays that debt and distributes vraja-bhakti to the world.
- Part Three — Presents Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s Prema-sampuṭa (“The Love Box”), offering a confidential glimpse into Śrī Rādhā’s heart.
The book beautifully balances deep siddhānta (philosophical conclusions) with devotional sweetness. It explains how Kṛṣṇa’s apparent “inability” to repay actually glorifies the gopīs’ exclusive love, refines prema, and reveals the dynamics of the loving exchange in Vṛndāvana.
Like the rest of the series, it draws heavily from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purports and the commentaries of the previous ācāryas, making elevated topics accessible and safe for serious practitioners. It is prized for its devotional depth, clarity, and ability to evoke longing for Vṛndāvana-līlā.
