Yadhavabhyudhaya

 

Story  of Krishna-Part2

 

 

chapter9-The Arrival of Akrura

 

The state of kamsa, on hearing from Narada that the Lord Narayana, who is superior to devas and asuras, having been born as Krishna and growing in Gokula, is described by Desika as vyaThayA peethavishOpamO abhavath.

He became like one who has drunk poison. Thinking how Krishna had destroyed all the asuras sent by him and also hearing about the episode of govarddhanOddhAraNam ,Kamsa started planning what to do next. Desika says,

ithi viprathisAra vihvalaH

svayam utthApitha mrthyuchOdhithaH

prathihanthum iyEsha chakriNam

Salabho dheeptham iva ASu SukshaNim

 

He resented his inability to do what was required with respect to the rise of Krishna, became intent on a plan to destroy Krishna because he was forced  by  fate as his end was nearing. Here Desiks refers to Krishna as chakree, one who wields the disc, meaning He is Sreemannarayana Himself. So the act of Kamsa is compared to that of a moth attacking the burning fire.

 

Kamsa tossed his head with a resolve and he looked like the sun at the end of the day. Fear, anger and surprise all mingled together in his heart and he felt as though his life was hanging on a thread.

 

Then he called Akrura, and told him to go to Gokula and bring Krishna and Balarama to Mathura along with Nanda and others. He told Akrura that he should bring Krishna and Balarama by hook or crook and in order to ward off any suspicion as to is real intention, he said that Nanda and others should also be brought under the pretext of paying their tribute to the king. Desika says that these words of Kamsa was like raising a sword to kill himself, 'svavadhopAttha krpANikopamAm vAcham udheerya.'

 

Even before this order can be executed he wanted to try once more to destroy Krishna and sent Kesi to Brindavan for the purpose. Kesi took the form of a mighty horse. Desika devotes 13 slokas to describe the fearful appearance of Kesi as a horse to show that he was much more frightful than any of the demons sent by Kamsa earlier. His teeth were like vajrayi udha, hoofs were blasting the earth, with his foaming mouth resembling the ocean, his tail raising dust like smoke and spitting fire. He managed to press down the earth with his weight which caused much effort even for Adisesha to lift it up again and his neighing was thunderous and deafening.

 

Seeing such an animal enough to defeat even a lion the gopas in brindavan were frightened and Krishna gave out a laugh loud enough to quell the pride of the asura and to reassure the gopas 'avamathya thurangadhAnavam Samayan gOpagaNasya sAdhvasam prajhAsa hariH.' Then Krishna inserted his arm deep into the mouth of the horse and broken him into two halves  as though cut by a knife into two equal parts. Then the gokula became sanAtha  with the yadhunAtha.

 

In the meanwhile Akrura started from Mathura as per the command of Kamsa which was agreeable to him because it gave him an opportunity to see Krishna. The thoughts that ran in the mind of Akrura on his way to Brindavan  is described beautifully by Desika.

 

The Brindavan was compared by Akrura to the place of Upanishads, as the Supreme Purusha described in the upanishads resided there and he looked forward to see Him and attain the supreme bliss. The place , he thought was purified by the dust of the feet of Krishna, which are the remedy for the woes of samsara.

 

He considered Krishna as the elixir that gives incomparable joy, which destroys all sins of those who come to Him and it was enjoyed ever by the Sridevi and Bhoodevi. He wished that Krishna will put His divine foot on his head and bless him.

 

Krishna's face would be like the moon , thought Akrura, the rays of nectar from which,  together with his speech with the fragrance of the vedas,  removes the fever of samsara. He wondered whether rkrishna would speak to him when he surrenders himself.  At the same time he had trepidation thinking that whether he will get the darsan of Him whom even the yogis try to see with much effort and penance. He yearned for the glance of Krishna which would n be like the waves of the ocean of nectar.

He felt gratified that, inspite of his serving a wicked man like Kamsa he had the good fortune to see Krishna, by which all his sins would be washed off. Even if Krishna would not shower His grace on him , Akrura thought that His darsan itself is enough and there is no wish for anything else.

 

He expressed his hope that Krishna and Balarama will agree to come to Mathura and adorn the city as he wished. He wondered at the good fortune of the residents of Mathura who were going to see Krishna and Balarama from where they were.

 

Akrura  wished that people like him who had charmadhrk, physical eye and not divine eye to know the glory of the Lord, would also see the exploits of Krishna if He would come  to Mathura and destroy Kamsa. Desika says 'ramayA kshamayA cha mAdhavaH ramamANaH prathigamya thAm pureem, returning to Mathura, because that is where He belonged , and enjoy with Sri and Bhoodevi,' meaning that He would become the king. He explicitly mentions this in the next sloka.

avaruddha bhujAntharaH Sriya

vidhaDHAno vasuDhAkaragraham

abhishEkam ul pEyivAn asou

kimu nAthO bhavitha kulasya naH

 

" Would He who has  made His chest the abode of Lakshmi, and who grasps the hand  of Bhoodevi agree to have coronation and to become the Lord of our clan?" Grasping the hand of Bhoodevi means to become the king.

 

But immediately Akrura became afraid of the harm that Kamsa would do to Krishna, m nevertheless assuring himself that Krishna would surely kill Kamsa because nothing is impossible to the glorious. 'na hidhurAsadhamachinthyathEjasaH.'

 

Thinking thus Akrura reached  Brindavan and  alighted from his chariot still riding on the chariot of his wishes, manoratha which had his satthvaguNa as the sArathi.Honoured by Nanda and others, he looked for Krishna here and there and saw HIm coming with the cows after KesivaDha.

 

Then follows the description of Krishna as seen by Akrura.

 

chapter9 continued-Akrura sees Krishna

 

Krishna was returning after killing  Kesi, behind the cows, with a jumping gait,gavAm anuplavam, and Akrura saw Garuda flying overhead warding off the heat of the Sun for Krishna. Garuda perhaps wanted to do service to Krishna and the Lord being in the form of gopala he could not serve as a vehicle and so served as the umbrella, thus taking the place of Adhisesha who  was born as Balarama. This is the idea implied in the description of Desika, who further explicitly refers to the parathva of Krishna by saying 'gathim aprathighAthAdhvayinAm.' Krishna is none else that Narayana who is the goal to be attained by those proceeding along the path devoid of obstacles, meaning the archirAdhimArga,'gathim aprathighAdhvayyinAm.'

 

Narada was seen behind the clouds singing the glory of the Lord by samagana and the cows smelling the feet of Krishna seemed to be the vedas themselves . Krishna was wearing a garment of the colour of the rising Sun and shining with the hue of Thamala flower.

 

To Akrura, Krishna decorated with peacock-feather appeared as the Lord Himself adorned with Lakshmi and kousthubha, who can be seen only by those with vedic perception, devoid of misconceptions. He was equal to the Sun and the Moon in lustre and comparable only to Himself as there is no one like Him, samahAneH upamEyam AthmanA. He is ever new to the vedas which sing His praise.

 

Akrura considered those cowherd boys who sang and danced with Krishna as yogis and the cows and calves were the vedas and their angas. Seeing him thus Akrura was overwhelmed with devotion and started praising Him

 

"I have fallen at your feet tormented by the demons of my sins and bound by the three gunas like ropes .(guna  also meaning rope) Please take me up. You with your limitless glory are the helmsman in the sea of sin and rescues those who surrender to your feet. You are the rajahamsa that enter the manasa lake of the pure hearts of yogis."

 

Desika, speaking through the words of Akrura,says,

athirOdhi asou nidhih SruthEH

animEshavratha dhESinee dhrsOH

thanuthE thanureeSa thAvakee

smaraNam vissmaraNam cha dhuSSakam

 

The meaning of the sloka is as follows:

The Lord is hidden by the vedas like a treasure and hence could not be contemplated. Now that He is visible and has become the object of the eyes that fail to wink, he cannot be forgotten again. Hence there could be neither smarana, remembering nor vismarana, loss of memory. This is one of the many slokas illustrating the chamatkara, the skill of poet Desika.

 

Another beautiful sloka that is full of  devotional fervour comes next.

vyapadhiSya mukundha dhEvakeem

viharanthyA vasudhEvamandhirE

janithOsi nijAnukampayA

jagathee rakshaNajAgarookadheeH

 

"You have made Devaki as a pretext to manifest yourself  and she is in reality your mercy only, which alone is the cause of your incarnation because you are intent to protect the world."

 

Akrura further continues as follows:

"Those who experience the joy of seeing your form on earth, do not want even the attainment of  moksha and those who understand your play on this world, unlike the ego-centric ones who are obsessed with the notion of "I" and "mine,'  never return to this world again"

 

This is as Krishna says in the Gita, 'janmakarma cha mE dhivyam Evam yO vEtthi thatthvathaH; thyakthvA dhEham punarjanama naithi mAmEthi pAndava,(BG-4-9) one who knows my divine  birth and my actions as they are , never are they reborn but attain me after leaving their bodies.'

 

" The sins are destroyed by You like the darkness by the Sun and like the Moon you make the hearts of the yogis blossom like the lilies."

 

Next Desika reiterates the statement made by him earlier in the first chapter that the vedas themselves are not able to describe the glory of the Lord, through the speech of Akrura.(Ibid.1-2)

mahimArNavavarnanOdhyathAh

parimAthum guNamEkam akshamAH

thrapayEva bajanthi aseemani

thvayi vAchamyamatham anuSravAH

 

"The vedas trying to narrate the sea of your glory, unable to finish describing even one attribute fully, became silent as though ashamed."

 

Then Akrura started informing Krishna about the purpose of his visit.

thava viSvavidhO vadhAmi kim

jagadhEkAdhipathEH dhiSAmi kim

krpaNaH paripoorNasampadhaH

kamivAmsSam paripoorayAmyaham

 

 

 

 

This sloka means that to one who knows everything that happens in the world there is nothing to inform, there is nothing to show to one who is the Lord of the Universe and to the one who has all, there is nothing to give. Still he felt he had to carry his orders and told Krishna that it is time for him to return to Mathura and destroy the enemies. Kamsa, he said ,is plotting for his own destruction and is going to die.Thus to Krishna who enquired after the welfare of Mathura and its inhabitants Akrura informed of the intention of Kamsa to call him and Balarama to Mathura. Then the gopas including nanda started for Mathura obeying the orders of Kamsa and Akrura took Krishna and Balaarama in his chariot and started towards Mathura.

 

Next comes the  description of the state of gopis  grieved over the departure of Krishna.

 

Chapter9 continued- Krishna's departure to Mathura and the grief of the gopis

 

Krishna and Balarama started for Mathura and seeing that the gopis ran behind the chariot sounding like the kurari  birds lamenting on the  departure of Krishna, with dishevelled hair and garments, saying that they will stop him even if they have to fall in front of the chariot.

 

They became angry with Akrura for taking Krishna away from them, as though plucking their eyes from them, and said that he did not desrve to be called Akrura ,not cruel while he is really krura. As the most cruel rakshasas deceive the world disguised as good ones Akrura came in a suave form and deceived them.

 

The Lord , they said ,uplifted the earth from the sea in His incarnation as the boar, Varaha, and wondered whether He would now extricate them from the sea of grief.

 

Krishna used to say to them, 'ahamasmi,thave thvamEva va mamadhrshtih, I am yours and you are my eyes,' and now did not seem to care for them and they did not understand how could Krishna forsake them, who, like creepers around the tree, wound themselves around His feet, who is their master enslaving them  by His qualities. He is like the milky ocean , which was the abode of both nectar and poison.They called him kuhaka, a cheat,who made their faces blossom with his sweet words on the banks of Yamuna showing his love which was not true.

 

They accuse him of giving up Gokula, being attracted  by the richness of Mathura and envy the good fortune of Mathura and its inhabitants.They were sure that Krishna was not going to be true to the women of Mathura since he never thought twice about leaving the gopis with whom he played  since his childhood. Nevertheless Krishna , they said, would enchant them by his speech which was even sweeter that the  music from his flute, and they will become mad about him.'yuvathee ayam indhukAnthyEth nagare nandhakumarachandhramAH, this moon, Krishna, would melt the hearts of the city women, like the moonstone.'

 

The reason for this was even the mind-stone manassila, of the gopis were melted by his moonlike smile. ( manassila means mind like sti one and also a kind of red stone found on the mountains. cf.'manssilAyAsthilako gandapArsvwe niveSithah,'-VR-sundarakanda, where Sita tell Hanuman to remind Rama  about his putting the red mark of the manssila on her forehead as a sign of Hanuman meeting Sita.)

 

But Krishna would not be moved by the city -women as he was not, by the gopis, as otherwise he would not have left them  because the moon melts the moonstone and not viceversa. So they entertained some hope that he may return to Gokula and give joy to their eyes and ears but again they became desperate thinking that he might be attracted by the refined beauty, speech  and behaviour of the city-women 'maThuraouramatthakASinee maDHurAlApam,' and may forget them.

 

In the meanwhile the chariot went out of their eyesight and hearing. The gopis wondered that they were still alive even after Krishna who was like their life breath had gone away.

 

Here, Desika says that even this was the mercy of the Lord.

svaguNAnubhavEna subhruvAm

bhavabhogochithapuNya samchayam

virhavyaTHayA thu theevrayA

vrjinAmbhODHim aSoshayath parabhuh.

Their joy due to union with Krishna was the fruit of all their puNya and the sorrow due to separation was the fruit of their all the sins. Hence both the puNya and pApa being spent they attained mukthi. In srimadbhagavatham the Lord says that He takes away everything from those whom He wanted to show His grace. When they pine for Him He makes them attain eternal union with Him, which is beyond the realm of body, mind and intellect.

 

The chapter ends with  brief account of Akrura having entered the waters of Yamuna, seeing Krishna and Balarama as the Lord and the Adhisesha. Having had the darsan of the Lord on His bed of adhisesha he came out and again saw Krishna and Balarama on the chariot and narrated his experience to them.

 

Then they crossed Yamuna, which looked agitated  with the thought that Krishna would never return and with its black hue looked like the sky itself melted,   and reached Mathura.

 

End of chapter 9 of yadhavabhyudhaya.

 

Chapter10-Entry into Mathura and the end of Kamsa

 

 

Krishna and Balarama entered the city of Mathura and seeing them the people thought that they have attained the fruit of all their meritorious deeds and that their eyes have fulfilled their purpose.

 

Desika describes the experience of the people who saw them by 15 slokas.

 

They felt as though the months of chaithra and visakha coming together ,the two sentiments , veera rasa and adbutha rasa combined , sensory experience and renunciation joined together.

 

The two purified the royal highway by their lotus feet, their beauty was enough to melt even stones, hiding their divinity by their simplicity.

 

Their beauty was that of ten thousands of cupids, they were as fragrant as ten thousands of spring seasons, as graceful as ten thousands of moons and shining like ten thousand suns. The ladies looking from the balconies of the mansions were like painted pictures as their mind as well as body became motionless, attracted by the  two youths and the people who followed them running said that good days have started for them.

Desika briefly mentions the washer-man of Kamsa who refused to give the clothes he was carrying for the king and he was overcome by Krishna and Balarama while they accepted the garlands given by the garland maker and graced him and the hunchback girl who gave them  inguents and Krishna made her back straight and she requested him to come to her house.

Then they entered into the building where the bows were kept, which was deep like the nether regions of Mahabali. Krishna saw a bow which was big and mighty  like that of Lord Siva and like the vajra of Indra and as though reminiscent of his previous incarnation he took it and broke it trying to string it. The sound was so loud that the minds of their enemies broke with it as well as the big mansions of Mathura which crumbled.

 

Then Balarama and Krishna killed the guards who attacked them in the place where the bows were kept and came to the entrance of the wrestlers-hall. There the elephant Kuvalayapeetam which was fierce like the god of death advanced towards them and Krishna attacked it and overpowered it and they plucked the tusks of the elephant as though it was their weapon against the wrestlers.

 

When they entered the hall the people assembled there saw them as the personification of dhanurveda. Desika says 'thadhAlokAlAbhEnasAmAjikajanasthadhA;anidhampoorvam AhlAdham apavrktha iva anvabhooth,' the common people felt a joy never experienced so far and it was like that of a realised soul. Anidham poorvam means that which has no beginning, that is eternal and also something which was not experienced before. The first meaning refers to the infinite joy of a released soul and the second applies to the people of Mathura who never had such experience of joy before that time.

 

Krishna saw beautiful women and the kings all looking like celestial beings with their beauty, attire and ornaments. Kamsa was seated on a high throne and Krishna saw him and was pleased that his mission was going to be accomplished. Desika says that Kamsa was like a cluster of darkness and  an assembly of sins, 'thamasAmiva sanghAtham samAharam iva EnasAm.'

 

The wrestlers challenged the brothers and their battle cry seemed like that of jackals compared with the roar of the lions of Yaduvamsa, Balarama and Krishna. Then two well known wrestlers Chanoora and Mushtika came to fight with them and the people were upset that those youths who were unfamiliar with warfare, who had soft limbs,  were set against these seasoned wrestlers, who were like two mountains.

 

At the same time  having heard about the exploits of Krishna like killing Poothana and others they wondered whether they might win and thought that if that happens it would be proved that Krishna was none other than the Lord who killed Madhu and Kaitabha.

 

Krishna smiled hearing their talk challenged the wrestler ChAnoora who advanced towards him by clapping his shoulders, the sound of which struck terror in the followers of Kamsa. Krishna killed Chanoora as he destroyed the demon Madhu and as platfully as he danced on the hoods of kaliya.Balarama also killed the other one, Mushtika.

 

Desika says,

 

rAmarAmAnujAbhyAm thou ravaNEndrajithou iva

namayAmasathuh prthveem nagapAtham nipathithou

 

They, Balarama and Krishna, Rama and Ramanuja , lowered the earth by the weight of the mountain-like wrestlers, as they, (Rama and Ramanuja) have done  in their previous incarnation by killing Ravana and Indrajit. Rama denotes Balaramaa as well as Raghurama and similarly Ramanuja refers to both Krishna, the brother of Rama and Lakshmana.

 

After defeating the others who attacked him Krishna  leaped to where Kamsa was like Garuda flying skyward from the earth.'garuthmAn iva bhoobhAghAth gaganAbhOgam Ayatham;kamsamancham apadhvArAth udhaplavatha kESavah.' Desika says he went by unusual path, apadhvAra, by leaping into the sky and Appayya dishitha commenting on it says ' vaDHArTham Sathrugrham praviSadbhih amArgENa pravEshtavyam ithi prasiddhih.' That is, when one enters the abode of his enemy to kill him he should not go through the normal gate.

 

Desika describes kamsavadha by just one sloka.His work is mainly bhakthi-oriented and he does not dwell upon the evil forces and their destruction at length. He says that Krishna pulled Kamsa by his hair and when he fell down he broke his chest and killed him. Desika describes the kamsavadha in his own way as the vedanthacharya thus:

'mahAmOham ivAkramya mAthulam madhusooDhanah;viveka iva vrtthasTham ugrasEnam  vimochayath.' Madhusudhana, .killed his uncle and released Ugrasena, the father of Kamsa, imprisoned by Kamsa when he usurped the kingdom, like the viveka, discrimination, subdues the great delusion, mahamoha and releases the soul which is on the right path. Appayya dlikshitha gives beautiful explanation for the comparison of Ugrasena with the individual self, jiva. He says that the word sEna means the sense organs and they become ugra, inflamed by mahamoha, the ignorance and hence the name Ugrasena. It follows that the jiva is imprisond by its own ignorance causing sensual desires and discrimination by grace of God frees it from the delusion.

 

Krishna meets his parents

 

After destroying the Kamsa and others Krishna and Balarama went to their parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, who were moved to tears on seeing them. Vasudeva endowed with insight due to the grace of the Lord started praising Krishna knowing Him as the Supreme Being.

 

Gesika reers to Krishna as sAthvathAm pathi. Sathvatham means pancharathram, called vaishnava thanthram  whcihw was told by the Lord Himself. So the word means that Krishna is none other than Narayana Himself.          

 

Desika goes into ecstasy in relating the praise of the Lord by Vasudeva and the glory of Krishna in Mathura.

 

Vasudeva said:

 

"You are the Lord Vishnu, the un-originated, who is the only subject  of  the vedas,from whose navel, which sports the lotus, Brahma originated and the sages learn from the veda that You are ananyAdhAram, self supporting yet supports everything , AdhAram,  the Lord of all but has no one superior, anayESvaram isvaram and  the Master of all but no one rules over Him, ananyADhipathim pathim."

 

"You are the lamp of which Your grace is the wick and Your mercy is the ghee by which it burns bright  showing  everything clearly, that is, induces clear perception destroying darkness( ignorance)"

 

dEvakee dhanujasThooNA dhivuyam DHAma vrajAngaNam

ramA rADHAdhayScha ithi rASibhEdhairna bhidhyasE

 

"You are the same,( na bhidhyasE-do not differ) even when Your place of manifestation differ such as, Devaki or the pillar in the house of Hiranyakasipu, or the courtyard of the mansion of Nanda or when You are in Vaikunta. Your consorts differ, Lakshmi in Vaikunta, Radha or Neela  in gokula etc."

 

This reflects the idea set out in the Nammazvar Pasuram, 'palappalavE AbharaNam pErum palppalavE.' Desika hmself has said in the first chapter, 'natavath bhoomikabhEdhaih nAtha dheevyan prthagviDhaih,' (1.49), "Oh lord You shine with different costumes like an actor on the stage." Here it is shown that the settings and co-actors differ in each play of His but He is the same.

 

The next sloka is also the reflection of the sloka 49 of the first chapter, 'namyasya namathah kshudhrAn---puthraih pithrumathAm kreedA,' Vasudeva says,

 

niyanthA sarvabhoothAnAm niyanthavyairniyamyasE

pithAmahamukhAih puthree mamaputhrOasi mAyayA

 

"Though You are the controller of all You allow Yourself to be controlled by them. From Brahma downwards all are Your chiildren and You appear as my son by Your Maya.

 

mahathA thvadpadhEnaiva mAruthinyAyam ASrithAh

nistharanthi achirAth santhah dhustharam bhavasAgaram

 

"The great men cross the ocean of samsara , which is difficult to cross over, by the power of your feet following the way of Hanuman."

 

The implication here is that Hanuman was able to cross the ocean by resorting to the power of the feet of Rama. So too the wise cross the ocean of samsara with the power of His feet. Appayya Dikshitha explains thvatpadhena  ( the power of) Your feet  by taking it to mean the anguleeyaka of Rama which Hanuman carried with devotion and faith and that is described here as the power of His feet.

 

But Utthamur swami says that the anguleeyaka was only to instill confdence in the mind of Seetha in the words of Hanuman and not the cause of crossing the ocean. He explains the word thvatpadha as Vishnupadha,  that is Akasa, called as such because the Lord in His Thrivikramavathara covered the sky with His foot. But it is common belief that Hanuman av conquered the power to cross the ocean because he was carrying the anguleeyaka of Rama while returning the choodamani of Seetha gave him the power.

 

Thus extolling the glory of the Lord, Vasudeva beseeched Him that he, vasudeva should not revert back into the illusion if considering Krishna as  an ordinary human being which even the yogis who know the real  identity of the Lord could not escape. (The episodes of Brahma hiding the cattle and the gopas and Indra getting angry at the worship of Govardhana are the examples of this fact.) He further said that to kill Kamsa and others was not a great achievement for Krishna who is capable of destroying the wicked by the tip of His fingernails. Hence, he said all the praise he had uttered so far were like one who is praising the invaluable gem without knowing its merit.. That is, the praise of only the person who knows the  value is to be esteemed and not by an ignorant man who does not know its real worth.

 

Krishna , hearing this, treated the speech of vasudeva only as the praise of the son by the father and never showed His real identity.  He replied fittingly to put the mind of Vasudeva at rest.

 

Desika describes Krishna in Mathura thus.

 

Krishna appeared with four arms as he was when he manifested first in prison. But  the common people did not understood his true identity and thought that he was an extraordinary human with four arms. Perhaps in the puranic age  it was common because Ravana and Krthaveerya were described with more than two arms etc.

 

Krishna was behaving as an obedient younger brother to Balarama and Desika says that when he bowed down to Balarama the latter shone as the crown of Krishna and hence retained his state as Sesha. With the pun on the word Sesha, the kireeta is the sesha of the wearer, being an ornament (sesha means one belonging to someone else who is the seshi) and also Balarama is sesha in reality(Adhisesha)

 

Then Desika describes that the ornaments on Krishna which were beautified by his body, the royal umbrella held over him was like the lotus from his navel. his face like lotus flanked on both sides with the chamaras  looked like the reflection of himself as hamsavathara.

 

Krishna made the clan of yadhavas rise in glory like the moon makes the lilies rise up. The brahmins who resorted him were like Brahma himself who has left off his work of creation and came to him. His speeches were pleasing and true and gave joy to his dependents.

 

Krishna, though requested by the elders to become the king, put only Ugrasena on the throne but accepted the status of crowned prince. Krishna with his prowess and glory made Mathura equivalent to his divine abode, vaikunta. He cast off all his previous adornments like peacock feathers  but was wearing only the crown brought to him by Garuda while in Brindavan.(vide-chapter -4-Krishna the cowherd.)

 

Desika continues the thread about the transformation of all that was his while being a cowherd into his royal signalia by saying that the  four vedas which served him earlier in the form of cows, became his four royal horses, named, sainya, sugreeva, meghapushpa and valahaka. Not only that but they took the form of his foot rest and supported his feet which were like lotuses comparable only with those held by Lakshmi. His flute attained its original form of conch and enjoyed the contact with his lips.

 

Desika refers to the episode of bringing back the dead son of his guru Sandheepani very briefly denoting the gurukula vasa of Krishna.

 

The royal hall called sudharma was given to Krishna by Indra and Krishna made Ugrasena the head of the counsel, because he was the king. Ugrasena with the help of Krishna reigned the kingdom well accoring to dharmasasthra. All the supporters of Kamsa were thrown out and filled the court with good and wise. Krishna by conquering all the kings made Ugrasena the sovereign of the land.

 

Desika, proving himself as the kavithArkika kesari, describes the counsel of Ugrasena thus:

 

mAnasamrakshakah thasya manthrah tharka iva Anayah

angapanchakasampatthyA vipakshE dhandathAm yayou

 

It was like tharka. Tharka here means only anumana, one of the valid means of cognition, though the name tharka sasthra is given to the whole science of ascertaining a truth by perception, inference, comparison and verbal testimony.

 

Anumana has five limbs and so was the counsel of Ugrasena , says Desika. The five limbs of the counsel are,  karmaNAm ArambhOpAyah, the plan of action,purushadhravyasampatthih,human and material  resources,dhESa kAla vibhAgah, apportioning of proper time and place, vinipAthapratheekArah,removal of obstacles and kAryasiddhi, success. Manthra or counsel done in this manner  will  be  vipakshadhanda, punishment to the enemy.

 

This is compared to tharka which also has five limbs. Here the valid means of cognition, namely, anumana, inference is referred to. To arrive at anumana that causes vipalsha dhanda, refutation of the opponent there must be five steps of argument. First is vyApthi, that is invariable concomitance. When one wants to infer from smoke coming out of a mountain that the mountain has fire, the vyapti or the invariable connection between fire and smoke has to be established such as 'wherever there is smoke there is fire.' Secondly a sapaksha or a similar instance must be quoted such as. 'as in the case of a kitchen.' Thirdly it is argued that 'this is so'. Next the absence of vyApthi when the sadhya, major term (the object of inference, that is, fire,) absent must be shown such as where there is no fire there is no smoke as in a lake. This is the fourth limb. This is vipaksha. Finally the conclusion that the mountain has fire.

 

Thus Krishna upheld the yadhuvamsa once again which suffered due to the tyranny of Kamsa.

 

Chapter-11- Battle with Jarasandha and  building of Dvaraka

 

Jarasandha, the father- in- law of Kamsa, attacked Mathura eighteen times and was defeated by Krishna and Balarama, who acquired their weapons, the disc, chakra and the plough respectively. Krishna  did not kill Jarasandha because he was destined to be killed by Bhima. Then Mathura was besieged by Kalayavana , who was created by Garga maharshi out of spite for yadhavas who insulted him. Krishna didi not kill him due to respect for the power of the sage Garga but he was destroyed by Muchukunda when he chased Krishna who went inside the cave where Muchukunda was sleeping. These episodes are described in more detailed manner in Srimadbhagavatha but Desika only make s a fleeting mention to it.

 

Then in consideration of the people of Mathura who were constantly troubled by the attacks from enemy kings, Krishna wished to construct a city which would be invincible and decided to leave Mathura. Here it should be noted that he city which is known as Mathura in modern times might have been called Madhura in ancient times because in Srimadbhagavatham it is mentioned as Madhura only. Desika also mentions it  so and says that Krishna left the city of his ancestors as Parasurama left the earth conquered by him and as Rama left  Ayodhya. But the city retained its glory because Krishna manifested there and  his presence in the city became permanent for the devotees. But the city lost its mAdhurya, sweetness and remained as madhura only in a name, 'nAmnaivamAdhuryavathee thadhAseeth'. It became divested of its glamour as all the people and things there were transported to the new city and Desika compares it poetically  to a river devoid of swans and lotuses, 'ahamsapadhmAm iva vAhineem', the night bereft of moon and the stars,'veethEndhuthArAmiva vAsathEyeem' and the place of yajna after the rituals are over, 'samApthakAryAm iva sathra SAlAm.'

 

Srimadbhagavatham says that Krishna transported all in Mathura to Dvaraka in a single night by His yoga maya after creating it in a moment through Visvakarma but Desika describes the travel to the seashore by Krishna with his army elaborately.

 

prAcheem anadhrthya nivAsa bhoomim

 prthyangmukheem paddhathim AdhdhAnA

sTHiram padham prApthum iyEsha senA

satthvAdhikA dheeriva sAthvathAnAm ( Yad.11.15)

 

The army, which was strong, satthvAdhikA, left its residence, nivAsabhoomi, in the east,prAchee, and went towards the west, prathyang, wishing for a permanent residence, sTHiram padham.Desika, the vedanthacharya, compares this to the intellect, DHee of the devotees which filled with satthvaguna, satthvADhika, leave the inferior path of worldliness which is prAchee, followed from time immemorial, and proceeds towards the path of the self, prathyang, meaning prathyagAthma to attain salvation, sThiram padham.

 

The mighty army resembled a sea by its elephants roaming like the crocodiles, the horses galloping like the waves and thus it was apoorva like the sea ( apoorva means west as well as 'unseen before') and the sea itself was agitated as though fearing that it was no river, vAhinee coming to join it but an army. (vAhinee means river as well as an army.. And hence it looked as though two forces were preparing to fight each other. The poetic fervour of Desika  surfaces by the description of the sea. The sound of the waves was subdued by that of the army as though the sea accepted defeat and by the  rising waves, the sea seemed to offer arghya with its hands and welcome the Lord with folded hands who returned to His residence after a long time.

 

Krishna called the king of the sea and commanded him to provide an island resembling the land of the devas and in that island Visvakarma, the celestial architect constructed a city by the order of Brahma and other devas. The city was incomparable and Krishna made all people from Mathura enter the new city. Desika says that it was even superior to Vaikunta. The devas seeing the city on the sea and their own city, Amaravathi in the sky, thought that one is the reflection of the other.

Desika gives a  luxurious description  of the city at length.

 

Description of Dvaraka

 

The fragrance emitted out of the mansions were giving their smell to the  celestial chariots that came near, meaning that the mansions were so high. The devas stood immobile like painted ones admiring the beauty of Dvaraka and its inhabitants as though they were given pranaprathishta.

 

The residents were not affected by the six external and  internal sfflictions.. 'na shadbhirAsan vyasanAni pumsAm yadvAmsinAm eethibhH oormibhih vA,' The external difficulties to life are called eethis and were six in number. They are athvrshti, excess of rains, anAvrshti,drought,SalabhAH,locusts,mooshakAH,rats,SukA, parrots ( these cause damage by eating the crops.) The internal afflicitions  are caused by kama,krodha , lobha .moha . madha and mathsarya, the internal enemies of man. The intellect became firmly established in the Lord without any disciplines like yoga.

 

The city was like a beautiful forest,  fit for the enjoyment of the god of love.The presence of the Lord who could be seen only by men of renunciation was enjoyed by the royal damsels in human form.

The verse comparing the city to the forest is full of pun, using same adjectives for both, with different meanings.

pravALachithreekrthajAlakashreeH

sAlAvrthA sambhrtha pathrajAlA

parishkrthA bhadhramrgAdhibhiryA

 babhou smarasyEva vihAravanya

 

On the part of the city, it abounds in pravALa, corals, jalaka, windows which were chithreekrtha, well decorated and  surrounded with walls,sAla and has vehicles, pathrajala. It has  bhadra, auspiciousness and inhabited by elephants, mrga.

 

On the part of the forest, pravALa, means sprouts, jAlaka is the flower-bud, sAla means the trees and pathrajAla, leaves.bhadhra is a kind of elephant and mrga denotes other animals and birds.

 

The flags were so high that they appeared to pierce the orb of the moon and shower the nectar on the tall mansions. That is, they were always clean and white-washed and looked newly built.. 'soudhaih nithyam naveenairiva nirbabhAse' The word 'soudhaih' is derived from sudhA, which means nectar as well as lime. The sun appeared more luminous being reflected by the gems on the mansions.

 

Having many lotus ponds, pushkara, the yaga done by the detached persons  being prayaga ( the word pra added gives a special meaning- Yagas are usually done with expectations of fulfilment of desire and the word prayaga means the yaga done without it and hence special.) There was prabhAsa great luminance due to the  pious men, and thus Dvaraka was like the combination of all the sacred places. Pushkara, Prayaga and  prabhasa are the dharmakshethras, places of piety.

 

The whols city was like a huge heap of gems of which Krishna was the central gem and Dvaraka was like a gem necklace worn by the sea. Thus the whole city had so many shining qualities but the predominantly praiseworthy feature was the presence of Krishna and Balarama. Desika, makes a comparison saying, 'sathyEva thArAnikare thrilOkee chakshushmathee chandradhivAkarabhyAm,' even though there are numerous stars on the sky only the moon and the sun are said to be the eyes of all the worlds.

 

Desika concludes the description by

'prabhuNA sahasravadhanEna  varnyathAm

dhviguNairamushya nayanairavEkshyathAm

Sruthibhischa thasya bahuDHA nisamyathAm

aDHIkAm thathaH Sriyam avApa sA puree

 

The meaning of the sloka is as follows:

The city of Dvaraka attained more glory than even  Adhisesha with his

thousand faces and mouths can describe,  can see and hear with twice as much eyes and ears.

 

Krishna lived in a palace which was like the mount meru and excelled even that of Indra. Desika briefly mentions the exploits of Balarama in pulling the river Yamuna to his door when he went to Gokula to see his friends, and married Revathi, daughter of Revatha ,a king of Ikshvaku clan.

 

The  episode of Revatha is told in the 9th skandha of Bhagavatha during the description of the kings of Suryavamsa. Revatha  went to Brahmaloka with Revathi looking for a bridegroom for his daughter and spent  sometime  listening to the music of gandharvas during which several yugas were lapsed on earth and Brahma told him to go to the earth where the Lord had incarnated as Balarama at that time and  give his daughter to him in marriage. Ravathi was very tall belonging to the early yuga and Balarama shortened her with the tip of his plough and married her. Desika says the exploits of the Lord as Rama in all the three incarnations in that name have been wonderful.the next chapter deals with the marriage of Krishna with Rukmini.

 

 

Chapter12 - Rukmini

 

thaThAviDHAnandhamahApayODHEH

tharangavrtthyA bajathO avathArAn

aSEsharoopEshvanurooparoopA

dhEvee jagannEthuh anuprajajnE

 

The Lord takes numerous incarnations like the waves of the sea of bliss. Lakshmi also takes many forms accordingly and follows Him in all His incarnations.

 

The upanishad says, 'sa Eko brahmaNa Anandhah,' the bliss is one and of Brahman. That bliss is like an ocean, Anandhalahari, and the waves of the ocean is the avatharas, differing only in the form like the waves which are nothing but the ocean. To Him who is the controller of the Universe, Sridevi becomes His fitting consort in all His incarnations, in some not manifest as in mathsya, koorma, vamana etc. She is like the light of the Sun as Seetha says to Ravana 'ananyA raghavEnAham bhasakareNa yaTHA prabhA,I am non-different from Rama as the light from the Sun (SK-20.15)

 

Sikhandakam nishprathimam SrutheenAm

SrngAraleelOpamavisvakrthyam

aDHeeyathE thanmiThunam svabhAvAth

anyOnyajeevAthum ananya bhOgyam

 

The divine couple, the unparalleled jewel of the vedas, to whom the creation of the universe is like a play of love. The two are mutual elixir to each other and the delight of the devotees who do not seek anything else.

 

The word anyonya jeevathum is explained by Appayya dkshitha as follows:

The meaning of aham, ' I',  ahamarTha , is the Lord , being the real self of all. Sri is the ahamthA, the 'I-ness' being his dharmadharmiNi. That is, His shakthi or power. One who possesses power is called shakthimAn, and he ceases to be so without shakthi.Similarly shakthi, being a dharma cannot stand by itself without a substratum,dharmi, namely the one who has shakthi. So both are mutually dependent for their existence.

 

Desika , the author of Dhayasathaka, describes Sridevi as 'dhayEva nithyam dhayithA thriDHAmnah sarvEshu bhAveshu samAnabhAvA;parAvarANAm jananee prajAnAm.' She is like dhaya, mercy of the Lord , which cannot  be dissociated from Him, because she is His dhaya. She is the mother of all beings great and small and attains equal status in all three abodes of HIs, namely, Srivaikunta,the supreme abode,  Suryamandala, the orb of the Sun, and ksheerAbDHi, the milky ocean.

 

So Sridevi  took the incarnation as Rukmini in the land of Vidharbha.Desika says,

amanyatha EnAm thanayAm sa rAjA

rukmee cha mOhAth anujAm ananyAm

yAm Ekapathneem anaghaScha pumsaH

prajAsrjAm mAtharam Amananthi

 

Bheeshmaka ,the king of Vidharbha thought she was his daughter and his son Rukmi considered her as his sister out of delusion because she is the divine consort of the Lord, the mother of all beings, including Brahma, and birth-less.

 

Almost the whole chapter has been dedicated to the description of Rukmini, since to Desika, a paramavaishnava, thayar, the divine mother, is more praiseworthy than even the Lord Himself, she being the personification of His mercy.

 

All the virtues found an ideal abode in her where they will be uncontaminated by faults and her form looked like the combination of the rays of the sun and the moon or of gold and gems, because her lustre was like a lightning.

 

She grew up more and more beautiful as though wishing to delight Krishna for whom she has taken birth. Her playful activities were  non-cognisable except by the subtlest intellects, says Desika, 'adhrsyabhEdhaih athisookshmabhAvAth jajnE jaganmangalathAm dhaDHAnaih.' and they were conferring blessings on the whole world. The celestial damsels showered flowers on her and thus her desire of playing in the dust, as is usual for children, was fulfilled by the pollen of the flowers which fell on her. Desika says  that being apAmsula, clean and pure, her wish to play in dust,pAmsu vihAra vAncchA, is satisfied only in this manner.

 

Her words were perfect, grammatically and phonetically, equal to the vedas and such that it presented a challenge even to sarasvathi, the goddess of learning.

Rukmini attained her youth which was like the moon free from the  clouds, the natural intellect combined with scriptural knowledge and the unerring and fruitful justice. 'niSena chandhrENa ghanavyapAyE,naisargikee buddhiriva SruthEna;phalena  sa  neethiriva apramAdhA yukthA babhou noothana youvanEna.' She seemed to be a golden lotus that manifested at the time of the appearance of Lakshmi from the milky ocean.

 

Desika, not satisfied by the objects of comparison for her beauty finds comfort in the thought that comparing something which is inferior only extols the glory of the thing compared. Appayya dikshitha commenting on the line  'nidharSanam thairapi nithyadhrshtAm yEshAm nikarshOpi guNo yathaH syAth,' says, 'yEshAm, AkASAdheenAm,yathaH paramAthmAdhEH nikarshO api gunaH SyAth, yaTHA 'AkASavath sarvagathasya nithyaH' ithyAdhi Sruthishu.' Just as the Brahman is compared with Akasa as in the text 'He is eternal and all pervading like the Akasa,' when there is nothing equal to the subject , even comparing with an inferior object is a merit as it denoted the incomparable nature of the subject.

 

But Desika  continues to describe Rukimini kesadhipadhantham as Narayana bhattadhri described the form of Narasimha, after saying that it defies description, in his Narayaneeyam.

 

She reached the marriageable age and her mind has gone to Krishna already. When her friends asked her about the bridegroom she had in her mind she bent her head with shyness as though by looking at herself she indicated that the one in her heart is her counterpart.'asoochayan  noonam anEna thasyAH svalakshaNam Sourim ananya lakshyam.'

 

Desika differs from the account of Srimadbhagavatham where it is mentioned that Rukmini sent a letter to Krishna, in the the famous passage, 'SruthvA guNAn bhuvanasundhara,' etc. in as much as he never refers to it at all. His idea may be that as soon as the devotee thinks of the Lord earnestly He makes His appearance Himself because residing in the heart as the real self He need not be told about the wishes of the devotees.

 

But nevertheless there is a veiled reference to the letter of Rukmini in Bhagavatham as Desika relating the intention of Sisupala to marry her says, 'alipsatha SvA iva haviH thadhA EnAm dhaithyasvabhAvO dhamaghoshajanmA,' the son of Dhamagosha, Sisupala, who had the attributes of an asura, though a human, desired her as a dog wishing to get the offering of the devas. Rukmini says in her letter to Krishna, 'mA veerabhAgam abhimarSathu chaidhya ArAth gOmAyuvath mrgapathEh balim ambujAksha, let not,chaidhya,that is,  Sisupala, carry me away like a jackal stealing the prey of the lion.

 

Andal also says in her Nacchiar thirumozi,'vanidai vazum avvanavarkku maraiyavar vELviyi lvaguttha vavai, kAnidai thirivadhOr nari pugundhu kadappadhum mOppadhum Seivadhoppa,'meaning that to give her in marriage to a human being is like the offering consecrated for the devas by the vedic scholars being smelled and carried away by a fox that roams in the forest.

 

Rukmini was decorated for the marriage with Sisupala, which was  agreed upon by her brother Rukmi, and Desika gives an elaborate description of her adorned beauty by 16 slokas. Rukmini was thinking only of Krishna and the other chaste ladies blessed her for the fulfilment of her desire even without knowing her heart. She was taken to the temple of Indra and she prayed to the goddess for the fulfilment of her desire.( In Bhagavatham Rukmini was mentioned as worshipping goddess Durga bur here Desika says that it was IndhrANi, the goddess of marriage.)

 

Her left thigh and left eye throbbed  to indicate that Krishna has come and the air was  full of the fragrance of Tulasi and she heard the sound of Panchajanya. Thus ends the 12th chapter and the next one describes the marriage of Rukmini.

 

Chapter13- Krishna carries Rukmini off

 

 

 

Rukmini came out of the temple and saw Krishna. Her glances, says Desika, were like the garlands she placed on him as in svayamvara. It was like one made of lotus, lily and indheevara, a flower coloured indigo, because her eyes resembled all the three. He looked as the personification of the rasas, sringara, veera and adhbutha, the sentiments of love,  valour and wonder and at the same time he surpassed all these and shone as something different from all these because he excelled all the rasas.

 

Sa rukmineenethra chakorachandhrah

thA thathpraharshAmbuja poorvasanDhyA

thadhadhbhuthadhvandhvam avekshya sakhyah

yayuh thulAm apsarasAm anoonAm- ( Yad.13-13)

 

The friends of Rukmini seeing the couple resembled the celestial damsels because they were looking without batting their eyelids. Krishna was the moon for the chakora birds, meaning her eyes, and she appeared as the dawn for the lotus of his eyes. Chakora is a mythological bird believed to survive by the light of the moon. The lotuses similarly blossom at the arrival of dawn. Hence the comparison.

 

Krishna came near Rukmini and grasped her hand. Desika poetically describes that his hand looked like a bee desiring for  the lotus of her face and her eyes became the bees for his lotus –face. Desika says that this incarnation of Rukmini excelled the others such as Sita in brilliance because she was going to give birth to the god of love himself as Pradhyumna.

 

The couple, who were bound to each other by their auspicious qualities, gave immense joy to the friends of Rukmini who thought that she was  like a lioness being Haripriya, beloved to Lord Hari, (pun on the word hari which means both lion and Krishna) and hence unapproachable by the other kings who were like elephants in front of the lion, ‘haripriyAm kesariNeem ivainAm dhurAsadhAm anyanrpadvipendhraih.’

 

As Rama freed Sita from the rakshasas and took her in the pushpaka vimana Krishna carried Rukmini in his chariot in front of all the enemy kings. Desika describes Rukmini traveling with Krishna thus:

 

prabhEVa dhEvEna thamopahEna

prathyak dhiSam thena saha prayAhnthee

nithyAnapAyithvam ajAnatheenAm

sathyApayAmAsa nijam prajAnAm

 

Just as the light of the Sun goes with him to the west Rukmini went towards the west to Dvaraka with Krishna who is the dispeller of the darkness of ignorance. Thus she seemed to proclaim her inseparable state with the Lord. Sita says in Sundarakanda ‘ananyA rAghaveNAham bhAskareNa prabha yaThA,’ I am inseparable from Rama as the light from the Sun. Lakshmi always accompanies the Lord as the Azvar puts it ‘agalakillen enru iraiyum alarmEl mangai urai marbA.’

 

Sisupala to whom Rukmini was betrothed ran behind the lion of the yadhavas, carrying Rukmini like his lioness, hollering like a jackal and Rukmi, the brother of Rukmini pursued Krishna with the intention of avenging the insult to his friends. But Krishna vanquished him and carried Rukmini off to Dvaraka. Desika skips the details of fight between Rukmi with Krishna and his humiliation, probably because it is unnecessary for a bhakthikavya.

 

When they entered Dvaraka all the women hastened to see Rukmini and Desika elaborately describes their arrival to the scene. Each one of them was in a different state decorating themselves and hurrying up in the middle of it. The people seeing Rukmini who looked like a golden creeper around the kalpavrksha obtained all the four purusharthas, says Desika.

 

Krshnasya thAm skanDham upaGnayantheem

Suradhrumasyeva suvarNa valleem

Avekshya noonamchathurah pumarTHAn

Ananya labhyAn alabhantha pourAh  (Yad.13-65)

 

The four purusharthas, namely dharma, arTha , kama and moksha was gained simultaneously by the people of Dvaraka which is rare to get otherwise. Dharma due to the rightful union of the two, arTHa  due to the arrival of Rukmini who is none other than Lakshmi, seeing them as a couple satisfied the desire kama and the divine sight is capable of securing moksha.

 

The marriage of Rukmini and Krishna

 

Desika describes the marriage in detail which was not found in Srimadbhagavatham. One can understand all the steps of the ceremony of marriage by reading this chapter. These slokas will be a fitting quotation in a marriage invitation.

 

 

 

Elderly ladies adorned Rukmini with ornaments and it looked as though they have covered her beauty with ornaments thinking that it is too much to be shown in full. The auspicious garlands and the sacred rice grains attained their merit by the association with the divine couple. The sacred thread tied to the hand of Krishna looked like Vasuki on the manthara mountain, as his hands resembled the mountain which was going to churn the sea of his foes.

 

The flames of the fire in the altar when ignited burned round as though doing mangalarathi to the couple. The puffed rice was put in the fire  which is usually done by the bride whose hand is placed on the bridegroom(lajahoma) with the prayer for the  long life of  her husband.(arimugan acchuthan kaimmEl en kai vaitthu porimugam thatta kanAkkandEn –Nacchiar thirumozi)

 

Then the couple chanted the manthra for life-long companionship and took seven steps round the fire.

Anvethu vishnuh svayam ithi udheerya

priyAm parADheena ivAnugacchan

jAyApatheenAm jagadhudhbhavAnAm

bhavyAm dhaSAm bhAvayathi sma nAThah

 

Krishna, the Lord Vishnu Himself, chanted the manthra which means ‘ let Vishnu follow you,’ and went behind Rukmini, like an ordinary mortal. Desika explains the act of Krishna going round the fire as ‘AthmAnameva svayam agniroopamparikramaih paryacharath sa dhevah,’ he went round himself in the form of agni.

 

The reason for this is ‘viSvasya bAhyAntharanithyavrtthyA na karma kartha cha ya eva eshAm,’ since the Lord is everywhere inside and outside, being transcendent and imminent, he can neither be the doer nor the act as nothing else exists other than Him. Agni, the fire-god also sent his flames in a circular motion as though circumambulating the divine couple who are inside him.

 

Then Krishna grasped the feet of Rukmini and placed it on the grinding stone, ammi, which acquired the status of the jewel-stone crowning the Vedas, due to the association of the hand of the Lord and the foot of Sridevi, says Desika.

 

Finally Krishna did the svishtakrth yaga ( must be the seshahoma) which is done as the upasana of agnideva with the implication that even if the steps of the marriage were done in a wrong order agni should rectify it and make it right.

 

Desika says ‘svathejasA bhAvitha viSvathejAhsvAhAsakham dhevam upAstha dhevah,’ meaning , the one with whose light everything else shines ( thameva bhAntham anubhAthi srvam thasya bhasA sarvamidham vibhAthi-up.) propitiated the fire.

 

rAmasya seetheva rameva vishnoh

amushya bhooyAsthvam ihaikapathnee

ithyoochisho yAdhavavrddhadhArAn

preethASayA praikshatha sAsanAThA (Yad.13-95)

 

Rukmini looked at the elderly women of Yadava clan who blessed her she should be the one and only wife to Krishna. Here there could arise a doubt regarding the comparison with Rama and Vishnu by the women, who naturally were not aware of the identity of the divine couple and simply gave the traditional blessing. To say that she should be the ekapathni of Krishna like Seetha to Rama is of course valid but Vishnu is known to have three pathnis, namely, Sridevi, Bhoo devi and Neeladevi. And in krishnavathara also he had many pathnis.

 

 But this should be construed to mean that Rukmini is the pathnee which word is derived as ‘yajne pathyuh samyogah yayA sA’ , that is, the pathni is the one who is in unison with her husband in yajna and other vedic duties. It is always the first wife who is entitled for this. Even in respect to Lord Vishnu Lakshmi is the main consort who being inseparable from Him, takes prominent part in  protecting the devotees. Of course Rukmini being none else that Sridevi herself this blessing is quite appropriate.

 

The ritual of seeing Arundhathi, the wife of Vasisihta was also performed and Desika says Arundhathi became fit to be seen by all with reverence because of this.

 

The sages gave their blessing that Krishna, who married his own wife by his leela as a human being, should prosper in auspiciousness more and more.

 

After doing the proper honouring to both everyone went back to their houses and the whole city of Dvaraka was flourishing in dharma, because both of them, the prime cause of all beings, were there.

 

srivathsasamsThAna jushA prkrthyA

sThAnenachihnena cha lakshaneeyou

dhrshtAvabheeshtam bajathAm dhadhAthe

jagathpathee thAviha dhampathee dhvou

 

That divine couple who were the masters of the universe, bestowed all blessings to the world. Desika says that they ere known to be the Lord Himself and His consort by the srivathsa mark on His chest which is also the place of Lakshmi.

 

Those who were blessed by the sight of the two, who were mutual adornment to each other and beyond the dualities of opposites like heat and cold, were not to be considered either humans or divine being, says Desika.

 

Na the manushyA nacha dhevathAsthe

prAyeNa thAmeva thaTHA bhavanthou

Yairevam anyonya vibhooshitham thath

dvandhvAdhikam dvandhvam avaikshi dhanyaih (Yad.13-107)

 

They are not humans because the divinity is not perceptible by humans and they can neither be devas because they also have their limitations. The  implication is that the divine couple themselves assumed the role of spectators to see themselves as the dvandhva, the pair who are dhvandhvAtheetha, transcendent of the duality. The import of this sloka is the mahavakya thathvamasi, says Utthamur swamin.

 

Desika concludes the chapter by a beautiful sloka as follows.

 

Subhagam upalabimbe SAthakummbhe api rathnam

Kanathi vipinabhAge kAlakante api gangA

vaSika nrpagrhe sA vasudeve api adheepyath

na hi bhavathi viseshah kvApi nithyonnathAnAm

 

The precious gem, either in a stone image or embedded in gold shines the same. Similarly Rukmini shone in all her splendour in the mansion of Vasudeva as well as when she was in the palace of the king of vidarbha which was inferior to her status.

 

 

 

Chapter 14- Krishna marries Sathyabhama, Jambhavathi and five others.

 

Retrieving syamanthakamani and fight with Jambavan

 

Sathrajith, a vassal king on the west coast,   got a gem called syamanthaka from Surya, whom he worshipped and the gem had the capacity to bestow large amount of gold everyday. Krishna asked him to give the gem to Ugrasena  for the benefit of all but he refused and gave it to his younger brother Prasena for safe-keeping.

 

thadhEkamEkena cha labhdham EkathO

rasEna rathnAmisham arThakAnkshiNA

babhoova thath banDhuvirODHam AdhaDhath

kramAth bahoonAm vinipAthakaraNam (Yadh.14-4)

 

The gem , which was an object of enjoyment, rathnAmisham, (the word Amisham means bhogya vasthu, object of enjoyment as well as flesh, mAmsam) given by one (Surya) and obtained by another(Sathrajith), who was desirous of wealth, (arThakankshee) with delight, (rasena). Created  enmity between the relatives, and was the cause of the downfall of many. Desika implies that it was like Amisha, flesh which was juicy (rasa). This is quite fitting to one who threw away the gold rice grains given to him by a devotee as biksha.

 

The implication of the sloka is this:

The  brother of Sathrajith went to forest wearing the gem and was killed by a lion which took the gem. Jambavan, the celebrated bear of Ramayana was living there and he killed the lion and took the gem to decorate the cradle of his son. Sathrajith spread the rumour that Krishna had killed his brother to get the gem. Krishna went in search of it in order to clear his name and met Jambavan and this was the cause of his marrying Jambavathi, daughter of Jamabavan and later Sathyabhama, the daughter of Sathrajith.

 

Desika describes in detail the episode of Krishna meeting Jamabavan and marrying Jambavathi while he narrates the marriage of Krishna with others in brief. This may be due to his intention of extolling the  virtues of  the great devotee Jambavan  and his meeting with Krishna , who was his own object of worship, Rama, in the previous yuga. Jamabavan was blessed with eternal life , chiramjeevithvam and thus he was existing in dvaparayuga also.

 

Krishna saw the gem near the child of Jambavan  and Wanted to take it and Jambavan mistaking him for a robber tried to overcome him by his strength. Desika says that Brahma, seeing the battle between his father and his son, ( Jambavan was the son of Brahma born out of his yawn) did not prevent it because he knew that only something good would come out of it.

Krishna fought with Jambavan by wrestling for twenty one days. Krishna’s body, describes Desika, splattered with the blood of Jambavan, looked like a bed of grass with scattered silk worms. He considered perhaps the fight of the great devotee Jambavan as a form of worship. Gradually Jambavan lost his strength. Krishna did not harm Jambavan but only destroyed the arrogance remembering his assistance during the war with RavaNa in His previous incarnation.

 

Finally Jambavan  realized that his opponent was none other than Srirama Himself in His next incarnation. He said that he was told by siddhapurushas that the Lord who was in the cave of his heart would come to his cave one day. He understood that now and started praising Krishna.

 

Desika narrates the  words of Jambavan in detail by 27 slokas in order to bring out the greatness of his devotion. The gist of the passage is as follows:

 

Jambavan went round the worlds when the Lord incarnated as Thrivikrama in Vamanavathara  with a tumultuous cry ‘jaganthi viSvAni mithAni vishnunA, Lord Vishnu has measured all the three worlds.’ He again served the Lord during his battle with Ravana. He said that he reaped the fruit of his staying behind on earth when Sugriva and others went to Vaikunta by seeing Krishna and felt that he has regained his youth. He foresaw that Krishna was going to lighten the burden of the earth and his leelas shine as the crown of the Vedas.

 

viSuddhamiSraih chathuraSravrtthakaih

aghADhathungaih pramithAmithakramaih

ananyabhAvAn anukampathE bhavAn

achinthyachinthyaiH avathAra nAtakaiH

 

His incarnations are dramas sometimes viSuddha, pure like Rama, sometimes mixed, miSra, like Narasimha and Hayagriva, beautiful and appropriate. They are very deep and lofty, comprehended by some but incomprehensible to others. He shows His grace to those whose mind is concentrated on Him by His incarnations which are beyond mind and intellect.

 

Even though the Lord is beyond action and its results, He restricts Himself to the rules laid down by Himself according to the role he plays  and even the devas along with the asuras could not understand His real nature, being overpowered with the maya consisting of the three gunas.

Jambavan said that the Lord is inside and outside everything, transcendent and imminent, and  the power of all beings including brahma is through His will and hence no one can vanquish Him. Even though he was a devotee right and proper he fought against the Lord without knowing His identity and for that he asked the forgiveness of Krishna. He offered his daughter Jamabavathi who was really the daughter of the ocean( to denote that she is not a bear!) and also the syamanthakamani.

 

In the concluding  slokas Desika  speaks himself in the guise of Jambavan and the slokas are filled with devotion.

 

bhavArNavE karmavipAkavAthyayA

bhavadhbhih AvarthaganaiH paribhraman

krthOparOdhaH krpayA thvadheeyayA

bhavathpadham koolamiva prapadhyathE

 

 One who is thrown into the ocean of samsara, the whirlwinds of the fruits of  past karma toss him about and he goes revolving  without support. Then the mercy of the Lord intervenes and he is stopped by the feet of the Lord which he grasps in anguish.

 

avindhathaH thvAm amithAmrthOdhaDhim

vighADa thrshnA vivaSAntharAthmanH

vigAhaneeyAH prathibhAnthi veechikAH

mareechikAnAm iva bhogasampadhAm

 

Those who do not resort to the Lord who is the ocean of nectar, possessed by avarice and desire, consider the hot winds of the desert in the form of sensual enjoyment as something cool and to be plunged in.

 

Then we see the reflection of the thought expressed by Desika at the outset describing his inability to enumerate the auspicious qualities of the Lord.(vide sloka 2 – chapter1)

 

guNOdhaDhim yaH  pramithapramANayA

girA thvadheeyam parimAthum icchathi

sa pAthum eehEtha samagrachApalaH

payOjanALEna payaH payOnidhim

 

 

 

“You are the ocean of virtues. One who wants to describe You with his limited power of speech is like the one who wishes to drink the milky ocean with the stalk of a lotus.”

 

This is similar to the verse of Kamban who says that his ambition to write Ramayana is like that of a cat who wishes to drink the milky ocean by  licking.

 

“Osai petru uyar pArkadal utru oru poosai mutravumnakkububukkena Asai patri araiyalutrEn kAsil kotratthu irAman kadhai arO.” (KR-Payiram-4)

 

Saying thus Jambavan fell at the feet of Krishna like an uprooted tree. Krishna uplifted him and embraced him.

 

Krishna marries Jambavathi and five others.

 

Desika narrates the marriage of Krishna with Jambavathi in his own inimitable style as the kavitarkika kesari as follows:

 

vanoukasAm pathyuH aheendhrashobinA

vimaThyamAnAth achalena bAhunA

nanandha labdhvA hrdhayangamAm priyAm

maNim cha dhivyam madhukaitabhAnthakaH

 

Krishna, the slayer of Madhu and Kaitabha, accepted the gem along with the girl with pleasure. Here the words used are full of pun as often it is with the poetry of Desika.

 

VanoukasAm pathuH  means  from Jambavan, the word vanoukasam pathi means  both  Jambavan the king of forest animals as well as the ocean, the residence of beings in water, because the word vana has also another meaning as ‘water in general’. Okas means residence.

 

Aheendhra shobinA vimaThyamanAth qualifies Jambavan, who has been hit by the arms of Krishna like the big serpent. Aheendhra also could mean Vasuki  with whom the ocean was churned, vimathyamAna.

 

acalEna bAhunadenotes the arms of Krishna like mountain and also the word achala means the  manthara mountain with which the ocean was churned.

labDhvA hrdhayangamAm priyam means obtaining the bride who is pleasing to his heart. The word hrdhayangama also could mean Lakshmi who took seat in the heart of the Lord.

 

Divyam maNim  the divine jewel means both syamanthaka and kousthubha.

 

Hence the sloka refers to the Lord obtaining Lakshmi from the milky ocean, which was churned by Manthara mountain and Vasuki, along with the divine gem Kousthubha and implies that Krishna was as happy as He was at that time.

 

The sloka that describes the feeling of Jambavathi about Krishna describes the stages of bhakthi vividly. Desika says that she at first was filled with wonder and then became joyous and gradually forget everything else and saw nothing but Him everywhere and became one with Him.

This is the stages of bhakthi which a devotee experiences and none else could describe it better than Desika the great bhaktha!

 

Then Krishna blessed Jambavan to remain on earth as long as he wishes and then reach the supreme abode of the Lord.

Krishna returned to Dvaraka and gave the jewel to Sathrajith and erased the guilt which was imposed on him wrongly on which Sathrajith being ashamed of himself gave Krishna his daughter Sathyabhama in marriage to redress the wrong committed by him.

 

Desika says that Krishna shone with his three wives as with the three shakthis, (Sri, Bhoo and Neela) and possessing the shadgunas  (jnana,bala, aisvarya,veerya, tejasand shakthi) achieved success like the governing powers of a monarch. The policy of rule depends on the three powers of prabhushakthi, power of royalty, manthrashakthi  the power of counsel and uthsahashakthi the power of energy meaning the army and the six gunas denote the six means of success, namely, sandhi, peacemaking, vigraha, fight, yAna, advancing against, sThAna or halt, samSraya, seeking shelter and dvaiDha, duplicity.

 

Krishna married another five , namely, Kalindhi. Mithravindha,Sathya, Lakshmana and Badhra. They were like the  five  unmanifest elements and the eight wives are compared to the eight siddhis by Desika and represented the eight directions, denoting the all pervasiveness of the Lord.

 

Desika concludes the chapter by saying that narrating this episode or hearing it will fetch good results and lead one in the right path.

 

 

 

Chapter 15- SisupAlavadhah- The slaying of Sisupala

 

 

Arrival of Narada in Dvaraka

 

Narada came to Dvaraka to see Krishna singing thus with his veena.

 

“The Lord Narayana, from whose navel my father Brahma has originated , has now incarnated as the son of Vasudeva. He is a great actor who has assumed the role of a cowherd and now made himself known as the son of Devaki  and acquired Sridevi (Rukmini) as though as a reward for his performance like a veena given to an artiste for his skill in music and dance.”

 

 Here Lakshmi is qualified by the adjective sruthilakshyA, known through the Vedas, which epithet is  also applicable to a good veena.

 

Thadhaham sThitham parasthAth

anapAyadhuthi bhAsvathA Athmana Eva

kamalollasithEna darsaneeyam

dinamAdhyanthavivarjitham dhidhrkshe

 

“I wish to see the daylight which is Krishna, situated beyond the darkness (of thamas), self- illumined and beginningless and endless and shining with the lustre of Lakshmi, (Kamala).”

 

Here the well-known daylight used as a metaphor, refers to the Sun who is beyond darkness, thamas and accompanied with the  blossoming of lotuses (kamalollasitha)

 

The next sloka is beautiful by the figure of speech known as virodhAbhAsa, in which an entity is qualified by adjectives which are contrary to each other.

 

guNasinDhurasou guNAthivrthee

gathiranthasThithirAgmaikagamyaH

dhayithAsahitho dhyaikasangee

gururAdhyo mayi gouravam viDhAthA

He is gunasindhu, ocean of virtues, (gunas) yet guNAthivarthee, transcends the gunas( the three gunas of sattva rajas and thamas).

 

He is the gathi, goal of everyone and anthasThithih, situated within, yet Agamaikagamyah, known only through the Vedas.( the words gathi and anthasThithi shows His easy accessibility while Agamaikagamyah denotes that He is difficult to be known except by the Vedas.)

 

He is accompanied with Lakshmi yet shows favours to Daya, (here daya or mercy is elevated to the status of a consort to the Lord. It is to be expected from the author of dayasathakam to do so.)

 

He is  the first guru yet shows reverence to other gurus like Narada.

 

Then Narada mentioned his own role in the world as the preserver of dharma and for that purpose he goes on playing one against the other and earned the name kalahapriya, one who revels o in creating discord. He was revered by all because they know that his kalaha will end in the welfare of the world. Thus saying Narada approached Krishna.

 

Narada spoke to Krishna thus:

 

Jaya dheva jagathryAntharAthman

Na niyantha n ach the samasthvadhanyah

Bhavabheethinieethineevin bhAtham

Paramam brahma bhavantham Amananthi

 

Victory to Thee, Oh Lord, there is no one who can command you and equal to You. To those afraid  of the night  called samsara You are the dawn.

 

udhithaH praNavAnkurAthmanA thavth

viviDha skanDha vibhaktha rooDa SAkhah

thvadhanugrahapushpithah prajAnAm

phalam ishtam nigamdhrumah prasoothe

 

The tree called Vedas sprung from You from the sprout of Omkara, sport many branches and put forth flowers of Your grace.

 

Then Narada spoke about Sisupala who had two lives as HiraNyakasipu and RavaNa and now taken birth as Sisupala. He has become krthrimasathru, enemy with a cause besides being natural enemy in the previous births because Krishna married Rukmini who was betrothed to him earlier. Narada said that Sisupala has to be annihilated in this birth also as he was becoming increasingly wicked. Narada further praised Krishna saying that to Him who had destroyed the demons Madhu and Kaitabha who were leke the mount Meru , Sisupala is like a fly.

 

Desika here through the words  of Narada refers to the upanishadic declaration 'yasya brahma cha kshathram chObhE bhavatha Odhanah; mrthyuryasyOpasEchanam ‘ (Kato.1-2-25), to whom brahmakshatriya varnas are food and the god of death is the condiment and the corresponding Brahmasuthra  ‘AtthA charAcharagrahaNAth.’ Brahman is the eater because of consuming the whole universe of movable and immovable beings.

 

Food  referred to is  the whole universe of movable and immovable, signified by brAhmaNa and kshathriya, because they are the foremost beings of creation. It means the absorption of the universe and not the action of enjoying the food. Mrthyu, death is said to be the condiment, or that mixed with which the food is eaten. because like the condiment which becomes the inducement for eating the food while itself being eaten, the death consumes everything while itself being consumed by Brahman.

 

Now let us see the words of Desika.

 

aThavA jagadhethath Odhanasthe  thath

upaghnan upasechanam cha mrthyuh

mahadhAdhi vilApayan mahimnA

dhamanenAdhriyase na dhAnavAnAm

 

Narada said, the destruction of asuras like Madhu and Kaitabha, is nothing to the one to whom the whole universe from mahat till the gross elements, is the  food with god of death being the side dish.

 

Narada further said that partiality cannot be attributed to the Lord because He destroys the wicked because He is impartial towards all  and protects those who surrender to Him  whether he is a asura or a deva and punishes likewise. ( we could see this in the example of Vibheeshana and Jayantha)

 

Krishna was praised by Narada as the first and the ultimate God. He is the one worshipped by all and the one who bestows the fruit of action. He is both creator and annihilator and the only reality in the Vedas and the world of beings.

 

The next sloka is very beautiful and full of import.

Savane bhavamukthi sanDhiroope

viDhinA viSvapathe vichithrahethim

hrdhi SAnthaDhiyah saminDhathe thvAm

anaGhathma krathu havyavvahanam Adhyam

 

At the time of release from the samsara which is the yajna, the Lord is the fire in which the self is sacrificed by the enlightened. The sacrificial altar is the heart and the fire into which the self is offered is the Lord. The word  vichithrahethi means wonderful flame as well as wonderful weapons, that is, charka, gadha etc.

 

Even though He cannot be seen He becomes perceptible through devotion and with insight. (Brahman is described as being  inside the eye,the ibdividual self,in the hrdhayapundarika and also all pervading in the brahma vidhyas of the Upanishads.)

 

Hence the svarupa of the Lord is not known to the unenlightened and the worldly but the jnanis know Him like the fruit on their  palm.

 

Thus entreating Krishna to punish Sisupala, Narada went away.

 

Rajasuyayaga and the agrapuja of krishna

 

Krishna went to Indhraprastha accepting the invitation of Yudhishtira for the rajasuya yaga. Desika says that the Lord who is worshipped even by the devas disguised Himself as a yadhava and  hence all except those who knew Him treated him with disrespect and added to this Krishna showed his soulabhya in undertaking the duty of washing the feet of the Brahmins.

 

Then at the time of agrapuja, the ritual of first  honour, Sahadeva announce his intention to do agrapuja to Krishna thus:

 

Avadhath cha tham etham agragaNyam

vibuDhAnAm pitharam pathim gurm cha

harim archithum archyamudhyathAh smah

thath aSeshaih anmanyathAm suDheebhih

 

He is Lord Vishnu Himself,known through the Vedas, the first and foremost of all devas and the father, Lord and acharya of all. Hence we have come forward to worship Him  that first. Let this be permitted by the wise of this assembly.

 

Desika says that there was a shower of flowers, accompanied by the buzzing of bees that came with them, on the head of Sahadeva indicating that the devas will honour  the one who worships Hari.

 

All have agreed except Sisupala who got angry and insulted the pandavas and udhidhtira in particular for doing puja for a cowherd, ignoring Bheeshma and others.

He also started abusing Krishna, saying that he was a juggler, pretending as Vishnu wearing conch and the disc, and a coward who ran from Kalayavana etc.

 

Bheeshma tried to pacify him with good words. He said that to worship someone else when the one who bestows all benefits including moksha is nearby, is like discarding kousthubha for red stones. Propitiating Kishna will  bring all purusharthas including moksha and abusing him will result only in residence in hell. Bheeshma also reminded Sisupala that when Krishna came to his house when he was born his third eye and two extra arms vanished and hence he is inviting his own destruction.

 

Sisupala was the son of sister of Vasudeva and when he was born a celestial voice told his mother that when the person who will  cause hid death come b near him the extra two arms and eye will vanish. This happened when Krishna came there and the mother of Sisupala requested Krishna to bear with her son till he hurls 100 abuses at Krishna. Hat is what Bheeshma refers to here and cautions Sisupala not to abuse Krishna.

 

Bheeshma further said that there are so many in the assembly who knew the meaning of the Vedas and they are being disgraced by the words of Sisupala and censure him. Bheeshma  admonishing Sisupala said that if he did not listen to the words which were uttered for his own benefit he could as well consider himself gone with final ablution performed in respect of him.

 

Then Bheeshma addressed the assembly of kings and sages extolling Krishna.

 

viDhihastha DhrthAth yadhanghri padhmAth

chyavamAnA pavan mAna veganeetha

vipunAthi jaganthi dhivyasinDhuh

kramathe hantha thadharchane vivAdDhah

 

To debate on worshipping Him, from whose feet, grasped by Brahma, the divine Ganga flows and carried by the wind purifies all the worlds, is really distressing and Sisupala is like an animal that is going to be sacrificed in the battle that is to be but he can be excused if he thinks that Krishna, whom devas worship should not be worshipped by humans. But hehad been abusing Krishna and hence he is going to be the fuel to he hell-fire, because he had already crossed the limit of 100 insults which Krishna promised his mother to tolerate.

 

Then Sisupal got furious and insulted Bheeshma also. All those assembled were shocke and the yadhavas though flared up kept their silence seeing the face of Krishna which showed no anger. Bhima rose to attack Sisupala but Bheeshma restrained him saying that Sisupala is to be killed by Krishna only and Bhima should not incur the blame of attacking one of his guests.

 

Bheeshma told everyone to allow the agrapuja of Krishna  and Narada who was there praised him and sang  the glory of Krishna, playing his veena and dancing accordingly. Desika says that the song of Narada was same as the  udhgita of the rthviks in the yaga. (udhgita is the singing of SAma hymns)

 

The four slokas that follow are the same as those in Gopalavimsathi.

 

vrajyoshidhapaangaveDHaneeyam madhuraabhaagyam ananyabhogyameede

vasudevavadhoosthanandhayam thath kimapi brahma kishorabhaava dhrsyam-(Gopalavimsati-6)

 

I worship that Brahman, who appears as a child of Vasudeva and Devaki , who is  pierced by the glances of the gopis ( like  arrows) and who is the fortune of the kingdom of Madhura and is the delight of His ardent devotees.

 

nikateshu nisaamayaami nithyam nigamaantharairadhunaapi mrgyamaanam

yamalaarjuna dhrshtabaalakelim yamunaasaakshikayouvanam kumaaram

                                                                                                       (Gopalavimsathi-8)

Let me observe everywhere near me, Him, who is inquired by the vedas even now and eternal, whose childhood  sport is witnessed by the twin trees and whose boyhood is wirnessed by the river Yamuna.

 

Padhaveem adhaveeyaseem vimukthEh ataveesampadham ambuvAhayantheem

aruNADHara sAbilAshavamsAm karuNAm kAraNa mAnusheem bajAmi

                                                                                                                         (Gopalavimsathi-9)

 

 

I worship HIm, who is the cause of the world and the personification of mercy in human form, thus a shortcut to salvation, who is the rainbearing cloud to Brindavan forest and holds the flute, which looks eager to be near His red lips.

 

adharaahitha chaaruvamsanaaLaah makutaalambhimayoorapicchamaalaah

harineelasilaavibhangaleelaah prathibhaah mamaanthimaprayaaNe santhu

                                                                                                   (Gopalavimsathi-12)

 

May the appearance of the flute applied to the lowerlips, of the garland of peacock feathers at his crown, of the lustre resembling that of sapphire blue always be in front of me when I start on my last journey.

 

Narada concluded his eulogy with the words ‘Krathurathra samarpithah krthArThah,’ the yaga has become fruitful by this act.

 

The death of Sisupala

 

Then Sahadeva,who was respected by those who  had the knowledge of the Vedas,  performed the worship of Krishna. Sisupala continued to abuse everyone including Bheeshma. Desika describes his anger and outburst in detil and says that it was like the drumbeat signifying his own end. He was looking like the Sun in eclipse over powered with thamas(ignorance and delusion) which was like Rahu. Then Sisupala challenged the yadhavas for battle and went out. Krishna gave sanction for the Pandavas to conduct the yaga and followed Sisupala with his army and a battle ensued between the supporters of Sisupala and the yadhavas.

 

Sisupala went towards Krishna like a moth  towards a fire. Desika says both devas and the friends of Sisupala were watching with anguish, the former anxious for his death and the latter out of fear.

Desika describes  Sisupala attacking Krishna thus:

 

madhalupthaDhiyA thadhA abhiyukthah

yadhusimhah sisupAlakunjareNa

vijahAra guhASayah tharasvee

nikhilAraNyaka nirvighAthavrtthih

 

The foolish elephant, SisupAla ataacked the Lion of Yadhus, who is in his cave, strong and wanders among the animals of the forest unchallenged. The Lord is in the cave of the heart, and has free movement among the Upanishads called Aranyakas. There is pun on the word ‘AraNyaka,’ which means wild animals as well as Upanishads.

 

Desika describes the battle as ‘athirAghavarAvaNam,’ excelling even that between Rama and Ravana, to indicate its fierceness. Here we see the kavithArkika kesari comparing the battle to vAdfhaprathivAdha, debate between two opponents, who desirous of winning each other, make use of all their arguments like weapons. It created wonder and satisfaction among the kings who were witnessing the fight as the humans and devas get satisfaction from a sacrifice. The word ‘naradeva’ is used to denote the kings which can also be construed as nara+deva, men and devas.

 

Sisupala, the moon, lost his luster gradually by coming closer to Krishna, the Sun but on the part of Krishna, krishnapaksha, there was no decrease. The light of the moon coming nearer and nearerthe Sun is reduced  until it  unites with the Sun causing Amavasya. The implication is that Sisupala was going to merge with the Lord, that being his last janma of the three.

 

Then Krishna cut offthe head of Sisupala wo ith Hids sudarsanachara, and a light arose from the body of Sisupal and merged with Krishna.

 

 

Chapter 16- Destroying Narakasura

 

After Krishna returned to Dvaraka, Indra came on his celestial elephant Airavatha to Dvaraka to see Krishna. (Desika describes Airavatha in 18 slokas.)

 

Indra stopped his elephant and his retinue at the gate and went into the residence of Krishna by walking. When Krishna honoured him in a fitting manner Indra informed Krishna about the atrocities of Narakasura, who was came out of the earth, Bhoodevi, when the Lord took Varahavathara, and hence even more terrible that Hiranyaksha and Hiranya kasipu. The vajra of Indra was powerless in front of him and so was the weapons of all the eight Dikpalakas, Agni, Varuna, and the rest. He defeated all of them except Rudra, perhaps thinking that he was only a hermit and did not deserve notice. He confiscated the umbrella and the jewelled mount of Indra and the earrings made of precious gems of Adhithi, mother of devas and at that particular time wished to take away the Airavatha. Not only that but he had carried away sixteen thousand and hundred damsels born of devas, kings and asuras. Indra told Krishna that by killing Naraka he will reduce the burden of the earth by half. Krishna reassured Indra and thought of his celestial carrier-bird, Garuda, who came immediately.

 

Desika describes Garuda by eleven slokas.

 

Garuda was adorned by garlands of snakes. The sound of his wings seemed to created the Vedas,the golden hue of his body along with that of the Sun made the directions golden, and he looked like the dusk at the time of deluge accompanied by lightning. His body was shining with the gems at the head of the snakes which were resembling Adhisesha and his chest covered the whole sky. His big shoulders   looked like the Manthara mountain with the snakes on both sides. He was wearing red garment and stood in front of Krishna with his usual pose of one knee bent and the other straight he seemed to perform a kind of dance.

 

vapushA bhakthinamreNa Dheeronnatha maheeyasA

SAnthaveerAdhbhutha rasAn samAhathyeva sampathan

(Yad.61)

 

moorthimAn iva samrambho roopavAn iva mAruthah

tharangAn pakshatheekrthya samkshiptha iva sAgarah

(Yad.62)

 

Garuda was humble with devotion but very lofty and magestic and demonstrated the rasa of SAntha, veera and adhbhutha.

 

He seemed to be  the personification of energy, the physical form of the wind and the sea in contracted form with its waves as wings.

 

When Krishna made arrangements to start for the fight with Naraka, Garuda patted his shoulders and shook his wings which appeared to Desika as though he is fanning the  Vedas which were oppressed by the heat of those who contested the scriptures, thus proving himself as the kavithArkika simha.

 

Garuda raised victory slogans to Krishna who mounted him with Sathyabhama who did not want to be parted from him and advanced towards PrAgjyothishapura , the capital of Naraka after sending Indra back with encouraging words.

 

To indicate the speed of Garuda, Desika says that the yadhavas in DvAraka and the asuras in PrAgjyothishapura witnessed the starting of Krishna and his arrival at the same time, meaning that no time lapsed between the two acts.

 

Krishna destroyed the demon Mura , Panchajana and the 7000 sons of Mura with one flinging of the charka.

 

Describing Naraka coming out of his city Desika shines as a vedantacharya and kavitharkika kesari.

 

abhimAnodhithavyakthih ahamkAra iva ulbaNah

mahatho dhaithyanagarAth niragAth narakAsurah(Yas.16-78)

 

Naraka looked like the manifestation of ahamkara rising out of arrogance emerging out of the great mahath, city of his, as the ahankara thathva evolving out of the mahath thathva, born out of prakrthi. The implication is that the destruction of Naraka is symbolic of the destruction of ahamkara, the impediment to realization of truth.

 

The asuras surrounding Naraka are compared to those who contest the Vedas and hence become associates to the one who is banned by the Vedas.

 

Tham asthramAyAbhyaDhikAh dhAnavAh paryavarayan

Prakatacchanna koutilyAh pAshandam iva haithukAh (Yad.16-79)

 

Desika describes the battle by 27 slokas.

The dust that was raised by the four kinds af army, ratha gaja, thuraga. padhathi, that is, chariots, elephants, cavalry  and soldiers, completely cut off the vision as in a  being, whose rajoguna is uppermost of the other two and Satthva and thamas become powerless.Here there is pun on the word rajas which means both rajoguna and dust. Also rajas denotes rakshasas.

There was a torrential shower of arrows from the asuras, like the clouds concealing all the directions  pouring water on the sea. But Desika says that the Lord was not at all affected just like His own devotees who are not affected by any calamity. From the bow of the Lord, Sarnga, arrows  flowed as cataracts from the  mountain and cut the sea of the army of the enemies into two. None witnessed the act of Krishna fixing the arrows in  his bow but only saw the fall of the arrows on the asura army.

 

svabhAva niyathasthatra parabhADhAbhilAshiNAM

prayAsah suraSathrooNAm jAThyuttharam ivAbhavath

 (Yad.16-95)

 

The efforts of the asuras to hurt others recoiled on them, says Desika, like the argument in a debate called jAthyutthara. When an opponent gives  a reply as  criticism against his opponent and it becomes applicable to his side as well it is called  jAthuttharam.

 

visanDhivigrahAh kshipthayAnAsanasamASrayAh

dhvaiDheebhAva srjo yoDhA dhurhnayasThA ivAbhavan 

(Yad.16-97)

 

Desika compares the army of the asuras to the polity which has gone awry. The six limbs of statesmanship  are sanDhi, peace-making, vigraha, fighting, yAna, marching against the enemy,Asanam, cease-fire, samASraya, have allies and dhvaiDheebhAva, creating rift between friends. The asuras were visanDhivigrahAh, broken-limbed, (sandhis the joint of the body and vigraha means body), also meaning going against sandhi and vigraha. kshipthayAnAsanasamASrayAh, given up, (kshiptha,) the movements of going, yAna, Asana, sitting and samASraya, leaning against etc. They were cut into two and hence dhvaiDheebhAvasrjah, created two halves of themselves. The word srj also means abandon and hence they are compared to those who have given up dhvaiDheebhAva. Further the asuras were compared to yogis because their fighting was anaghavyavasAya, fruitful because of their sincerity to serve their master.The effort of yogi ia also fruitful since it secured him moksha. The asuras are termed asangathyakthavarshmaNah as they were prepared to lay down their lives and hence given up attachment of their body, like the yogis. Their gathi or movement was in one direction only ,that is to give up their life without returning back to their abode like the gathi of a yogi which is that of no return to this world again, aparAvarthana.

 

The next sloka shows Desika to be well versed in astrology also. He compares Naraka to Angaraka,Mars, who was also supposed to be bhouma, the son of the goddess of earth.Naraka was having vakravrtthi, crooked conduct like Angaraka who was known to have vakravrtthi, that is, terrible powers  like Saturn. Naraka became saruDhira, covered with blood and hence lohithAnga, red-limbed  while Angaraka was also called RuDhira, the word being split as sa he, Angaraka, was ruDhira, called Rudhira and lohithanga, possessed of red body. The similarity is not finished yet. Desika says ,

 

prApya yAdhavbhAsvantham mooDah sambhavath kramAth

(Yad.16-103

 

 Naraka moving close to Krishna(yadhava), who was like the Sun, bhAsvan, became mooDa, not knowing what to do like Angaraka nearing the Sun loses his luster and vanishes, the word mooda is used in the sense of becoming extinct.

 

Krishna cut off his head like that of Rahu. Desika here uses the term ramApathi to denote Krishna implying that He was the same Narayana who cut off the head of Rahu. Naraka was nisargathamah, full of thamoguna by nature, nisarga, and of jihmagathi, crooked conduct as Rahu, who was called Thamas and  has crooked movement being a snake.

 

The chopped head of Naraka fell on the lap of Bhoodevi, his mother. Bhoodevi praised the Lord thus:

 

Aham asmi vibhoothisthe bhoothaDhathree thvayADhrthA

aSeshADharam ekam thvAm anADhAram aDHeeyathe

 

(Yad.16-112)

 

“I am included among Your manifestations. I support all beings, being supported by You. The Vedas praise You who is the substratum of all while You need no support.

 

Thisrubhih shakthibhih uktham shAdguNyapraThithodhayam

aDhirAjam aSeshasya jagadhuh thvAm jithAhitham

 

(Yad.16-113)

 

 You are deemed as the king of kings, with Your three shakthis, namely, Lakshmi, Bhoo and NeeLa, with the six aspects of Lordship, (jnana bala aisvarya veerya shakthi thejas-the six qualities that are known as bhagas that go to make BhagavAn) as the three shakthis of a king, utsaha, prabhu and manthra shakthis, that is Lordly power, good council of ministers and powerful army, and the six limbs of statesmanship.”

 

Bhoodevi further praise the Lord  that His virtues are like the milky ocean even a drop of which cannot be tasted by all beings with all their faces. The world is a garden created by Him dividing it into movables and immovables and He alone can protect it. The beings bound by the three gunas as by three ropes, (guna means rope as well as the three attributes of satthva, rajas and thamas) can be released  only by the Lord.

 

The next verse is steeped in bhakthi and reminds the lines in Mukundamala by Kulasekhara, ‘thvathbrthyabrthya parichAraka bhrthya bhrthya bhrthyasya bhrthya ithi mAm smara lokanATha.’ meaning, “Oh the Lord of the universe, remember me as the servant of your servant of your servant”  etc. to the seventh degree, probably to deote the seven times seven lives to come.

 

The sloka of Desika goes like this:

 

Yasya thavm yasya hrdhyastheyasyAsou thasya yasthayA

nATha thvathpadham Aryhya na punah thaih nivrthyathe

 

(Yad.16-119)

 

The one to whom You are dear, the one who is dear to You, the one to whom he is dear, continuing like this, all these attain Your abode never to return to earth. That is the devotee of the Lord, the devotee of the devotee and those who are graced by them are all blessed to attain moksha.

 

The next sloka is also of the same texture of bhakthi and reminds the one in KamasikAshtaka by Desika himself.

 

Kasthavth angeekrtham hanthA kasthrAtha thvath jighAmsitham

Nihanthi pAthi cha ekasthvam svena viSvam pareNa vA

 

(Yad.16-121)

 

Who can kill the one who is accepted by You and who can prtect one whois abandoned by You? You alone destroy as well as protect the universe by yourself or through others.

 

The parallel sloka in kAmAsikAshtakam is,

 

Thvayi rakshathi rakshakaih kim anyaih

Thvayi cha arakshathi rakshakaih kim anyaih

Ithi nischithaDheeh SrayAmi nithyam

Nrhare vegavatheethatASrayam thvAm

 

Where is the need of other  protectors when you are there protecting us and what is the use of other protectors when you forsake us. With this firm thought I resort to You, Oh Nrhari, who resides on the bank of Vegavathi river.

 

Bhoodevi said that she had no attachment towards Naraka in particular as all beings are her children only. Moreover he was created buy the Lord and now annihilated by the Lord Himself which is his good fortune.

 

The Lord has no enemies, said Bhoodevi but those who torment his devotees he destroys as it is His duty to protect the devotees. All beings and even the unicverse itself is subjected to destruction at one time or other and hence there is no cause for sorrow.

 

Then Bhoodevi gave back the earrings of Adhithi taken away by Naraka and bid adieu to Krishna after having the assurance that Naraka will get salvation.

 

Then Krishna  entered the city of Naraka and accepted the 16100 damsels who on seeing Krishna wished to marry only him. He sent them to Dvaraka and later married them there.

 

He last sloka is full of poetic beauty.

 

Udhgamya dhurgajalaDherudhayAdhrikalpam

Thungam vihangamapathim thvarayA aDhirohan

ullAsahethurabhavath yadhuveerabhAsvAn

vimAnikapraNayineevadhanAmbujAnAm

 

Krishna, the Sun, rose from the fort of Naraka as from the eastern mountain and traveling on the back of Garuda, made the lotuses of the faces of Apsara damsels blossom.

 

Chapter 17- Krishna brings parijatha tree to Dvaraka

 

Krishna travelled  on Garuda with Sathyabhama to Indtraloka to return the earrings of Adhithi and the umbrella of Varuna, which Naraka confiscated from them.After being honoured by Indra and others Krishna, wishing to return to the earth, saw the nanadanavana, the celestial garden of Indra and showed the beauty of it to Sathyabhama. Desika says that the garden was so exquisite that Indra on seeing it used to feel as though he had only one eye instead of his 1000 eyes.

 

Krishna compared the beauty of the flowers and creepers to that of Bhama and said that the creepers dance  to the tune of the  music of the birds and the bees.

 

There were four kinds of trees in the nandanavana, namely, mandhAra, santhAna,  kalpavriksha and harichandhana. The fifth was the parijata  which came out of the milky ocean. The sprouts of the tree were like rubies, the leaves were like emeralds, the flowers of the tree were like jewels worn on the body and the bark was shining like gold. The tree can provide beads for japa, flowers for worship and bark for austere garment.

 

With the karpaka creeper around it and with red sprouts it reminded one of  Lord Narayana, with Lakshmi, who was also born from the milky ocean, and wearing the kousthubha gem. The tree which was a sibling of crescent moon and kousthubha seemed to be smiling with the dew drops like the teeth, shining on the red lip-like sprouts.

 

Here Desika implies that Krishna has already willed to take the tree  to Dvaraka, may be, to show the power of His maya which made Indra forget the great help rendered by Krishna and fight with him over the tree. Krishna said as he had to rush to Dvaraka as all are expecting him there, his eyes were taking in the beauty of the tree as though it was the breakfast before journey, meaning that the full beauty will be enjoyed later as he intended to take it with him. He put words in the mouth of Sathyabhama to achieve this end by saying that she looked as though she wanted to take the tree and plant it in her garden. He told her that along with this tree Dvaraka would shine even more than the capital of Indra because there were already the sankha and padma nidhis as in the capital of Kubera and also the assembly hall was called sudharma after that of devaloka.

 

In the next sloka Desika says that the suggestion of Krishna was accepted by Sathyabhama with joy.

 

Ittham AdhikavinA sameerithA

sA anvabhAvi kila sathyabhAmayA

Samarasyamiva thEna jagmushee

soukumAryasubhagA sarasvasthee

(Yad.17-44)

 

The speech of the Lord,  who is Adhikavi (because he was the one who instructed Brahma, whose consort is Sarasvathi who graced Valmiki, known as Adhikavi) and which was sweet and soft and conveyed his intention, was welcomed bySathyabhama with glee.

 

This sloka is explained by Utthamur swamin with a delightful meaning as follows:

 

Desika himself, he says is fit to be called Adhikavi as he stands in front of everyone else being the kavithArkika simha. The word sathyabhAma is split as sathya+bhA+mA meaning true wisdom and glory (ma meaning Lakshmi) and  the  words of Desika, sarasvathi is enjoyed by those who have wisdom and glory.

 

Utthamur swamin also gives another explanation that refers to Ramayanakavya. The sarasvathi referred could be taken as Ramayanakatha that was composed by Valmiki, who is the Adhikavi and his words were enjoyed by Seetha whose glory and wisdom were true(bhA cha mA cha sathyA  yasyAh thayA) when the kavya was sung by Lava and KuSa. This meaning , though it may look far-fetched, is beautiful.

 

Garuda, instructed by Krishna, uprooted the parijatha tree and hid it inside his wings which were like a big forest. Desika refers to Garuda as khyAthakeerthih amrthApaharathah, meaning that he was already renowned for arrying off amrtha. Garuda carried away amrtha to free his mother from slavery of Kathru, his stepmother and mother of the serpents, who laid the condition that he should do so. But it was taken back by Indra who followed him as soon as Vinatha, mother of Garuda was freed, before the serpents tasted it.

 

Krishna subdues Indra

 

Hearing that Krishna is carrying off the parijatha tree on Garuda, which was something unheard of earlier, Indra  was overwhelmed by both fear and anger. Indra, without realizing that he could do nothing against the will of the Lord, got angry. The chamatkara of Desika is seen in saying ‘manyureva sathamanyunA mahAn Agrheetha manasA abhyamanyatha.’ The mind of Indra chose only anger (and not fear) The word Sathamanyu denotes Indra because the post of Indra could be attained by performing 100 Asvamedhayagas. There is a pun on the word manyu to mean anger as well as sacrifice, thus implying that one who is called sathamanyu naturally got anger only.

 

Indra facing Krishna in battle is described by Desika as ‘bheeshaNapraLayameghasannibham krishnamegham aTha megha vAhanah.’ Indra who had clouds as his vehicle faced Krishnamebha, the cloud called Krishna,  who was more formidable that the clouds at deluge.

 

The arrows of Indra fell on Garuda and were reduced to ashes with the fire of glory, tejas, of Garuda, and were like the ghee poured on the sacrificial fire because Garuda appeared to shine more with them.

 

Desika describes Garuda fighting with the devas thus:

 

thungapakshathiSathAngaSAlinah

bheemanAgaghatithAkrtheh abhooth

vAhathAm cha vahathah sapatthithAm

sainyathA asya surasainya yoDhinah

(Yad.17.58)

 

Garuda, was himself  the four kinds of army, his wings containing hundreds of feathers, thunga pakshathi SathAnga, the serpents which formed his  ornaments, bheemanAga, his stature as the vehicle of  the Lord, vAhathAm vahathah and the gait of him, sapatthithA.  The four kinds of army, namely ratha, gaja thuraga padhAthi, are implied with the pun on the words, SathAnga, which also means ratha, chariot, nAga meaning the elephant, vAha denotes cavalry and patthi  is the  infantry.

 

The army of the devas  were overpowerd with the poison of the serpents and the outgoing breath of Garuda was so strong that they scattered the winds that formed the armour of Indra and made the arrows of Indra recoil on the army of devas.

 

How ever Krishna did not want to destroy the devas because even though they were under delusion at that time, they were his dependents.The devas faced extinction of their valour as the planets and stars lose their luster going near the Sun. Desika says that they attained dhurdhaSA like the planets, meaning that as the evil planets rahu and kethu are not visible, the devas also reached a state when they appeared to be extinct even though they were alive.Indra being defeated, again started attacking Krishna with the desire to retrieve the parijatha tree and wielded his vajra when Krishna took his chakra. All beings waited with trepidation to see the effect of this act. Krishna appropriated the vajra with the intention of returning it to Indra later.

Indra became ashamed of his helplessness and Sathyabhama looked at him in derision.

 

Desika explains the result of the battle thus:

 

yAdhavendhra vibudhendhrayoh thadhA

rathnayoriva thulADhirooDayoh

gouraveNa dhadhrSe samunnathih

lAghavena cha nathih thadhadhbhutham

(Yad.17.81)

 

Krishna and Indra looked like gems of equal weight placed on the balance and Krishna gained more weight by his victory and reached high while Indra became lighter with his defeat and went down. Desika calls it a wonder because it is usually the object with more weight goes down and the lighter one rises above. This is an insatance of the chamathkAra of the kavi.

 

Indra realized his mistake of fighting for a tree with the Lord of the universe and derided himself that he was lost due to his forgetfulness (as to the real identity of Krishna), his attachment to his possessions and arrogance of power. Then he started praising Krishna with folded hands.

 

 

 

Indra praises Krishna and asks forgiveness

 

 Indra said that he realized that all that was due to the arrogance of Sachi, his wife in not showing respect to Sathyabhama, considering her as a human being and his own foolishness. He said that to be defeated by Krishna itself was like victory because it destroyed his ego and attachment. He realised that all devas are ordained by the Lord to do their duties and He alone gives them the power to do so. Hence all are powerless to resist Him.

 

Desika refers to the episode in Kenopanishad and to Valmiki Ramayana in the next sloka.

 

Na kshipeth apithrNam sameeraNah

thvath prayuktham analo na nirdhaheth

na prajA paSupthee nachethare

thvath vipaksham abhirakshithum kshamAh

(Yad.17.95)

 

The wind cannot move even a blade of grass without your will nor can  the fire burn it. No one including Brahma or Siva can save your enemy.

 

In Kena Upanishad,  this episode is found. The devas became arrogant with victory over the asuras , each one proclaiming his power and there appeared a form in front of them whom they could not recognize. Indra sent the wind-god to enquire about the identity of the Being and when he approached the divine form the latter asked him who he was. Vayu replied professing his powers that he can move anything. The Being then put a blade of grass in front and asked him to move it. Vayu tried with all his might but was not able to move it by even an inch. He felt ashamed and returned to Indra and said that he could not find the identity of the form . next Indra sent Agni and same thing happened . Agni was not able to burn the blade of grass though he tried with all his strength. Then Indra himself went and with a submissive attitude asked the Being who he was. Then the divine being  disappeared and Goddess Parvathi appeared and instructed Indra about the form who was Brahman without whose will nothing can happen and who is the power behind all.

 

Then the next reference that neither Brahma nor Siva can save one who has incurred the wrath of the Lord is to Valmiki Ramayana where in Sundarakanda, Sita narrates the incident of Kakasura when even Brahma or Siva was not able to save  Kakasura from the  missile of Rama.Also  Hanuman advising Ravana says that Brahma, Siva or Indra cannot save one whom Rama descides to kill in battle.

 

brahmAssvayambhooh chathurAnano vA

rudhrasthrinethrasthripurANthako vA

indhro mahendhrassuranAyako vA

thrAthum na SakthAH yudhi rAmavaDhyam

(Val. Ram.sun.51-44)

 

Indra further said that he was ashamed to act like a monkey ( acting inconsistently) while the Lord honoured him by manifesting Himself as his younger brother  in Vamanavathara. ( Lord was born as Vamana to Adhithi and Kasyapa, the parents of Indra.)

 

He said that people like himself who are affected by the three gunas and exhibit the sentiments of SAntha, ghora and thAmasa, that is different rasas in different times, evoke only one rasa to the Lord, that is hAsya or amusement.

 

Indra said that the wise shun the pleasures of the heaven only for this reason and aspire for the eternal abode of the Lord. The devotion at the feet of the Lord is the only means of destroying the beginningless ignorance.

The next few slokas are steeped in bhakthi.

 

Dhesa kAla gaNanAthilanghibhih

mAthum AgamagaNena vAnchithaih

bhooshitho guNa vibhoothisAgaraih

thavthsamah thvam ithare miThassamAH

(Yad.17.101)

 

“You contain the oceans of auspicious attributes and glories which the  multitudes of Vedas wish to know, and which transcend time, space and number and you are equal only to yourself. The rest are comparable to each other.

 

kA kaThA thava same aDhikepi vA

heena ithyapi ka eva gaNyathe

merusarshapanidharSanam cha the

mA sma bhooth tvath itharasya cha Athmanah

(Yad.17.102)

 

“There is no question of someone being equal or greater than You because no one can even be counted as less than You.” That is, even to mention one as inferior there must be some aspect of comparison. But the difference between the Lord and others are like that of Meru and mustard seed, which is not fit for comparison.

 

This reminds one of the famous sloka on Kalidasa,

 

purA kaveenAM gaNanAprasange

kanishTikADhishtitha kAlidhAsA

adhyApi thathulya kaverabhAvAth

anAmika sArThavathee babhoova

 

The meaning is that when they started to count the poets in olden days the little finger stood up to indicate Kalidasa. But the second finger which is called anamika, or nameless, justified its name because there is no one to count as second to Kalidasa even today. This was said in praise of the poet.

 

The next sloka reflects the one in the first chapter (Yad.1.9) where the Lord is described as the artist who has painted the universe with His brush of mercy etc.

 

jAthi varNa  rachanA vichithritham

viSvachithram udhameelayth bhavAn

Athmabhitthiniyathah sThirASrayah

thoolikAm thriguNa lakshaNAm vahan

(Yad.17.104)

 

“You have painted (made manifest) the wonderful picture of the universe comprising of generality, colour and form on Yourself as the wall which alone is everlasting, by means of the brush made up of three gunas.” (Here in connection with the earlier sloka it should be read as “You paint with the brush dipped in the water of Your mercy.”)

 

Indra then referred to his own folly of not understanding the real identity of Krishna.

 

Janmakarmabhirasou nibaDhyathe

thAni yah thava na vetthi thathvathah

thvathkaThAn mrtha rasam pibanthi ye

the bhaveyuh apuanh sthananDhyAh

 

“The one who does not understand the birth and the actions of You in reality is bound by samsara. The one who drinks the nectar of your story never has a chance to drink his mother’s milk again, that is, he is never born again.”

 

This reflects the words of Krishna in Bhagavatgita,

 

Janmakarma cha me dhivyam evam yo vetthi thatthvathah

thyakthvA dheham punarjanma naithi mAmeti so arjuna

(BG.4.9)

 

“The one who knows my birth and actions as it is in reality never comes back to this earth but attains Me.”

 

Next sloka outlines the philosophy of visishtadvaita.

 

kaThyathe chidhachith antharAthmanah

SasthraSuddhahrdhayaih maneeshibhih

Srshti samharaNa rakshaNeshu the

visvaroopa nanu karmakarthrthA

 

“Those who have clear intellect due to the l knowledge of the sasthras say that You are the inner self of the sentient and insentient beings which form Your sarira. You are the created and the creator, the protected and the protector and the annihilated and the annihilator. This is because You are Visvaroopa, that is, You yourself manifest as the world.”

 

 In visishtadvaita philosophy sookshma chidhachith viSishta Brahman, that is, Brahman in unmanifest state, is the cause and the sThoola chidhachith viSishta Brahman, that is Brahman manifest, is the effect. Hence both the cause and the effect is the Lord Himself, because there is none else than Him everywhere. This has got reference to the Upanishadic statement ‘there was only sath in the beginning ,one only without a second and it willed to become many. Then it entered into everything and created name and form.’ (chan.6.1.2,6.2.1 and 6.3.2) which proves that Brahman is the material as well as the efficient cause.

 

Indra said that while the glory of the Lord is known to all right from the young boys, ( may be the gopa lads were meant here)  one who denies this is comparable to the thief who tries to hide the Sun in the darkness. Indra means that he himself was like the thief because he thought everything belonged to him without realizing  that all belonged to the Lord.

 

He expressed his anguish that he did not remember the real nature of Krishna even though he knew it only too well because of the delusion that Krishna was a human being. He asked forgiveness for wielding weapons against Him whose lotus- like feet should be worshipped. Indra said  that the Lord who possesses the six guNas , namely jnana, bala,veerya, aisvarya,shakthi and thejas and manifest as Sankarshana, Pradhyuman and Aniruddha, with two gunas each, had nothing to do with the parijatha tree but He enacted the carrying off of the tree only to teach devas a lesson. Finally he asked the forgiveness of Krishna  saying that all of them were like puppets on a string activated by the three gunas and  hence they should be blessed with the grace of the Lord as they were all His dependents.

 

Then Krishna showed that the retribution of the Lord is only for redemption and spoke to Indra with eyes full of mercy. He promised that the devas will be protected by Him as always and blessed them saying,

 

manthrapootham anupaplavam havih

yAYAJookaparishath nivedhitham

anthrAthmani nivishtam antharA

vindhatha sThirasuDhArasAntharam

 

“May you feed on the nectar of Vedas which is everlasting, purified by the manthras, without obstacles offered by those who perform the yagas and which will lead you to me eventually.”

 

Krishna offered the tree back to Indra who said that it will accompany Krishna to Dvaraka. The Krishna started for Dvaraka accepting the salutations of the devas.