A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 68

Krishna and Arjuna went towards the west. They crossed the seven oceans and the seven Dvipas. They crossed the Loka-aloka and entered the regions of chaotic darkness. The horses could not proceed further. So by Krishna's order the glowing Chakra, Sudarshana, pierced through the darkness and the horses followed the track. Infinite, endless, divine light then spread out. Arjuna re-opened his eyes. They then entered the regions of primal water. They found one house glittering with gems and stones. The thousand-headed Ananta was sitting in that house. Seated upon Ananta was the Supreme Purusha, the Lord of the Lords. Krishna and Arjuna saluted Him. The Purusha then smiled and said: - "I brought the Brahmana boys that I might see you both. For the protection of Dharma on the Earth, you have incarnated as my parts (Kala.) Kill the Asuras that oppress the Earth and come back soon to me. Filled are your own desires, O you Rishis, Nara and Narayana. But for the preservation of the Universe, do that which others may follow."

Krishna and Arjuna said "Om". They brought back the Brahmana boys and restored them to their father.

THE LINE OF KRISHNA.

*SKANDHA X. CHAP. 90.*

Vajra was the son of Aniruddha.

Prati-bahu was the son of Vajra.

Su-bahu was the son of Prati-bahu.

Upasena was the son of Su-bahu.

Bhadra-sena was the son of Upasena.

*END OF THE TENTH BRANCH.*

THOUGHTS ON THE MATHURa LILa.

Kansa was killed and all good men that had fled from Mathura returned to it. Krishna fast developed Himself as ishvara. He restored his Guru's son to life.

Uddhava, the embodiment of Bhakti Yoga mixed with wisdom, was the messenger of Krishna to the Gopis. It was through him that Sri Krishna sent words of wisdom, which He himself could not have spoken to them at Vrindavana. For the Gopis would have spurned such words from Him, so great was their personal love for Him. Krishna now placed another ideal before them for meditation. They were now to seek Him, not as the lovely Krishna, playing upon the flute, but as the all-pervading atma to be known by discriminating wisdom. He asked the Gopis to meditate on this ideal, and He now returned to them as the all-pervading immutable principle in the Universe.

In the stories of Jarasandha, Yavana and Muchukunda we find the historical Krishna.

Jarasandha was an incongruous combination of materiality and spirituality, (the two parts which Jiva put together). He was the performer of Vedic Yajnas, the supporter of Brahmanas, the representative of the old state of things. Naturally therefore he was the most powerful king of his time and the most powerful enemy of Krishna. Vaishnavism had to fight hard with orthodox Brahmanism.

Vaishnava kings were put to death in large numbers. Krishna could not kill him on account of his connection with Brahmanas and with Vedic Yajnas. He even feigned a retreat and fled away to Dvaraka. Dvaraka was a spiritual centre on earth, created by Krishna, for the performance of His mission as Avatara. The town was washed away as soon as Krishna disappeared.

It will be interesting to know the future mission of Muchukunda. But the Bhagavata is silent about it.

THOUGHTS ON THE DVaRAKa

At Dvaraka, we find Sri Krishna as the Lord of the Universe, a Kalpic Avatara, and as such something more than the historical Krishna.

_Sri Krishna as an Avatara._

It is time that we should know something definitely of Sri Krishna as an Avatara.

To restore the Brahmana boys, Sri Krishna went with Arjuna to the abode of Purusha. Purusha smiled and said: - "I brought the Brahmana boys, that I might see you both. For the protection of Dharma on the Earth, you have incarnated as my parts (Kala). Kill the Asuras that oppress the Earth and come back soon to Me. Satiated are your own desires, O you Rishis, Nara and Narayana, but for the preservation of the universe do that which others may follow."

The Purusha is the Virat Purusha of our universe, the Second Purusha or the Second Logos.

When the first Purusha woke up, the process of transformation went on and the material creation was completed. The materials could not however unite to form individual bodies. Purusha infused the material creation and became known as the Second Purusha or Virat Purusha, As regards this Virat Purusha, the Bhagavata Purana says as follows: -

"He is the resting place and eternal seed of all Avataras. Brahma is His part, Marichi and other Rishis are parts of His part. Devas, animals and men are brought into manifestation by parts of His part." Bhagavata I.

3-5.

"He is the primal, unborn Purusha, who in every Kalpa creates, preserves and destroys self (objective) as self (nominative), in self (locative), by self (instrumental)." II. 6 x.x.xVII.

"He is the primal Purusha Avatara of the Supreme." II. 6 XL.

He is also called the Thousand-Limbed and the Egg-born. II. 5, x.x.xV., III. 6, VI.

This Virat Purusha upholds the manifested universe. All materials are in Him and all individuals take their rise from Him and end in Him. He is the one ocean of endless bubbles which have their beginning and end in Him. The Avataras also all rest on the bosom of Virat Purusha.

We have looked at Virat Purusha from the standpoint of the First Purusha. Now let us proceed upwards from below.

The Brihat Aranayaka Upanishad thus speaks of Virat Purusha, at the beginning of the Fourth Brahmana of the first chapter: -

"This was before soul, bearing the shape of a man. Looking round he beheld nothing but himself. He said first: - 'This am I.' Hence the name of I was produced. And, because he as the first of all of them consumed by fire all the sins, therefore he is called Purusha. He verily consumes him who, before this, strives to obtain the state of Praj.a.pati, he, namely who, thus knows."

The following is the commentary of Sankaracharya.

"This was before the soul." The soul is here defined as Praj.a.pati, the first born from the Egg, the embodied soul, as resulting from his knowledge and works in accordance with the Vedas. He was what? "This,"

produced by the division of the body, "was the soul" not separated from the body of Praj.a.pati, "before" the production of other bodies. He was "also bearing the shape of man", which means that he was endowed with head, hands and other members, he was the Viraj, the first born.

"Looking round reflecting who am I, and of what nature, he beheld nothing but himself", the fulness of life, the organism of causes and effects. He beheld only himself as the Universal soul. Then, endowed with the recollection of his Vedic knowledge in a former birth, "he said first: This am I" _viz_., Praj.a.pati, the universal soul. "Hence,"

because from the recollection of his knowledge in a former world he called himself I, therefore his name was I "And because he" - Praj.a.pati in a former birth, which is the cause, as the first of those who were desirous of obtaining the state of Praj.a.pati by the exercise of reflection on works and knowledge _viz_. "as the first of all of them,"

of all that were desirous of obtaining the state of Praj.a.pati, consumed by the perfect exercise of reflection on works and knowledge of all the sins of contact which are obstacles to the acquirement of the state of Praj.a.pati, - because such was the case, therefore he is called Purusha, because he is _Purvam Aushad_, (first burnt). As that Praj.a.pati, by consuming all opposite sins, became this Purusha Praj.a.pati, so also any other consumes, reduces all to ashes by the fire of the practice of reflection on knowledge and works, or only by the force of his knowledge, and He verily "consumes" Whom? "Him who before this sage strives to obtain the state of Praj.a.pati." The sage is pointed out as he who thus knows, who according to his power manifests his reflection on knowledge. "But is it not useless for any one to strive for the state of Praj.a.pati, if he is consumed by one who thus knows? There is no fault in this; for consuming means here only that the highest state, that of Praj.a.pati, is not obtained, because the eminence of reflection on knowledge is wanting. Therefore by the words, "He consumes him" is meant, that the perfect performer obtains the highest state of Praj.a.pati; he who is less perfect does not obtain it, and by no means that the less perfect performer is actually consumed by the perfect; thus it is said in common life, that a warrior who first rushes into battle, consumes his combatants, which means that he exceeds them in prowess.

In order to understand this better, let us consider the scheme of human evolution.

atma is the same in all beings and, when free from the limitations of individual life, it becomes all pervading.

Sympathy and compa.s.sion open the door to the liberation of atma.

The Upadhi, or vehicle of atma, or the body of its manifestation, becomes less and less gross, as atma proceeds in its course of liberation, the body becomes better able to do good to all mankind and it does not act as a barrier to communion with the real self.

The most highly evolved beings become universal and not individual, and they live normally on the spiritual plane.

They at last reach the state of divinity. Then they may become Avataras.

When these Avataras have to work on the physical and intellectual planes, they a.s.sume a body and become born, like ordinary beings. They have then to _come down_ from their normal state, but their vision and power remain undestroyed. When their mission is over, they reach again their normal state. The Avataras have not to work out their own Karma.

They are liberated atmas, staying back for the liberation of other individuals in the universe. Karma-less themselves, they bear the Karma of the universe upon their shoulders. The thin veil that separates their state from the state of the absolute Brahma is Maya, which is the highest manifestation of Prakriti which enables them to a.s.sume cosmic responsibility out of their unbounded compa.s.sion for all beings.

The Avataras may cast off their veil at will, but as long as they choose to keep that veil, the whole universe is at their command and they guide the whole course of universal evolution.

Now of all Avataras one takes upon himself to hold all individuals in His bosom, to sustain them all and to make Him the field of their Involution and Evolution, in the Kalpa.

He is called Virat Purusha. He is practically the ishvara of our universe.