Krishna's birth is transcendental and divine, unlike our material births; returning to Him grants eternal liberation.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.32 — April 24, 1973, Los Angeles 730424SB-LOS ANGELES [42:17 Minutes] SB-01.08.32_730424SB-LOS ANGELES Prabhupāda: [leads singing of Jaya rādhā-mādhava] [05:05] [prema-dhvāṇī prayers] Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. [break] Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] kecid āhur ajaṁ jātaṁ puṇya-ślokasya kīrtaye yadoḥ priyasyānvavāye malayasyeva candanam [SB 1.8.32] [corrects Pradyumna's pronunciation of priyasyānvavāye]
Prabhupāda: Go on. [chanting continues] Ladies now. [ladies chant] That's all. Now, word meaning.
Pradyumna: kecit—someone; āhuḥ—says; ajam—the unborn; jātam—being born; puṇya-ślokasya—of the great pious king; kīrtaye—for glorifying; yadoḥ—of King Yadu; priyasya—of the dear; anvavāye—in the family of; malayasya—Malaya hills; iva—as; candanam—sandalwood. [12:58] Translation: "Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya hills." Prabhupāda: So there are two Malayas: one Malaya hill and one, this Malaya..., Malaysia, now it is known as. Formerly, in this part of the world, Malaysia, they were growing sandalwood in great, large scale.
Because 5,000 years ago, there was good demand for sandalwood. Every person should use the sandal pulp. Because in India, it is tropical country, so this is a good cosmetic. Still, those who can afford, during very warm days of summer season, if you apply pulp of sandalwood on your body, you feel no warm; it is cool.
Yes. So it was the system—still that is going on, but a very small scale—that everyone, after taking bath, he should smear over the body with sandalwood pulp. It will keep the body whole day nice, cool and calm. So that was the cosmetic. Now, in the Kali-yuga...
That is called prasādhanam. Just like, every country, the system is, after taking bath, you dress your hair, add something scented. So in India it was the system that after taking bath, having tilaka, going to the Deity room, offering obeisances, then the prasādam, candana-prasādam, was taken from the Deity room and it was used. This is called prasādhanam.