A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 85

Ravana and k.u.mbhakarna were killed by Rama. Sisupala and Dantavakra were killed by Sri Krishna. Kurma was a great Avatara as He prepared the way for the spiritual regeneration of the universe, by the Churning of the ocean of Milk.

Vamana was a great Avatara as He reclaimed the Triloki from the Asuras.

Parasurama and Buddha did work, which revolutionised the whole humanity.

Kalki will give the final blow to the Asuric element in us.

Matsya is important with reference to our own Manvantara. Every Manvantara is followed by a deluge, which destroys the existing continents and swallows up all living beings. When the last Manvantara was over, our Manu saved the germs of creation with the help of Matsya.

Opinion is divided as to whether there is Pralaya after every Manvantara. The Bhagavata Purana says when there was deluge (sanplava) following the Chakshusha Manvantara, Vishnu a.s.sumed the form of Matsya.

Commenting on this, Sridhara says there is no Pralaya at the end of a Manvantara. There may not be such a Pralaya at the end of a Manvantara as happens at the end of a Kalpa. But other Puranas speak of some sort of Pralaya on the expiry of every Manvantara. Surya Siddhanta, the renowned work on Astronomy, also says: - "There is a period called Sandhi (the meet between two Manvantaras) measured by the period of one Satya Yuga, followed by another Manvantara. There is deluge by water then."

The Avataras of Vishnu infuse more and more of Satva into men, that they may become Satvika. Increasing Satva put down Rajas and Tamas in man and makes him divine.

But of all these Avataras two stand out most prominently one the ideal and the other the apostle of unselfishness. The brightest luminary of the solar line held out in His life, an example of unselfishness, of purity of character and of scrupulous regard to duty, an example that is the admiration of all people in all ages, as perfect as the limits of humanity will allow and as elevated as the loftiest ideal of human character may be, unsurpa.s.sed in its pathetic grandeur, unrivalled in the straight forward pursuit of duty along a most th.o.r.n.y and uneven path. The divine founder of Dvaraka of the Lunar line a.s.serted Himself as the supreme ishvara, He took up the reins of Triloki in His own hands, the Devas installed Him as the king of Svarga or Govinda, and men on earth had now to look up to Him only and not to the Devas for their guidance. For men had now to pa.s.s the limits of Triloki, and the friend of Puranjana came down Himself to hold out the torch of divine light.

Sri Krishna laid down the triple path of Karma, Bhakti and Jnana, and shewed the relative importance of each. His teachings are perfect, thorough and exhaustive. Ever since His manifestation, those teachings have been re-iterated in a thousand forms, they have been adapted to different powers of understanding and all the modern scriptures of Hinduism have grown up, round the central point of those teachings. Men had no longer to complain of teachings. They had to follow those teachings now and to live up to them. They had to begin with unselfishness, and end with liberation. New vistas opened out before the growing spiritual vision of men, vistas of new worlds, new planes, of masters of Yoga and wisdom, forming every link between man and ishvara.

Possibilities became realities. Liberation was no longer a word of the lips.

Now liberation is a relative term. First there may be liberation from the bonds of Triloki only. Or it may be from the limitations of Ja.n.a.loka which was the highest possibility with which the Jiva started. Or it may be liberation from the bonds of the Brahmanda itself. The last liberation is again two fold in its character. There may be liberation from all concrete things and all ideas, including the idea of ishvara Himself or the liberation may lead to the great ishvara from whom many solar systems proceed. Mukti is not only liberation from bondage. It is also something more. It is an acquisition, Starting from the plane of Jana Loka, the k.u.maric soul acquires higher and higher possibilities. He may transcend Jana Loka. He may transcend even the Satya Loka. But pa.s.sage across Satya Loka is not easy in this Kalpa. Mukti in its fullest and highest sense means freedom from all limitations caused by Prakriti, caused by Time and s.p.a.ce and identification with Brahman, who is absolute bliss, absolute consciousness and absolute existence beyond the limits of Time and s.p.a.ce. This is called Atyantika Pralaya or absolute dissolution. But this Mukti lean never be obtained till all the duties of a man are performed. These duties are nothing else but sacrifices or Yajna. Man must perform each one of his duties he must perform all that he owes to himself, to all other beings, and last of all the highest duty he owes to the ishvara of the Universe the Lord of Sacrifice, Yajnesvara Himself, "Adhiyajna am I, here in the body, best of living beings."

The Bhagavatas do not care to go beyond the Yajna Purusha, They do not care to leave the life of sacrifice, as long as their ishvara stands out as the embodiment of all sacrifice.

"Salutation to Thee, Bhagavan, let me meditate on Vasudeva. Salutations to Pradyumna, Aniruddha and to Sankarshana. He who, by knowing these _murtis_ in the _murtiless_, whose only _mutrti_ is mantra makes offerings to Yajna Purusha, is the complete seer." I. 5. 37 "When the Indriyas," said Kapila, "that manifest the objects of external and internal perception, become trained by the performance of Vedic Karma, their spontaneous Vritti (or function) in a man of concentrated mind is in Satva which is the same as Vishnu. This Vritti which is void of all selfishness is Bhakti in Bhagavana. It is superior to Mukti. It instantly destroys the Kosha, as the digestive fire consumes food. The devoted have no yearning for that Mukti which makes the Jiva one with Me. But they prefer ever to talk with each other about Me, to exert themselves for My sake and ever to meditate on me. Mukti comes to them unasked. My Vibhutis, the eight Siddhis, and all the glory of the highest Lokas are theirs though they want them not. I am their Teacher, their Friend, their companion, their all. So even Kala can not destroy them."

Again, "The devoted spurn Salokya, Sarshti, Samipya, Sarupya and Sayujya, even when offered to them and they prefer to serve Bhagavan ever and ever. Compa.s.sion and friendliness to all beings are the essential qualifications of the devoted. They must be humble respectful and self controlled. They must pa.s.s their days in hearing and reciting the glory of Bhagavan." Kapila makes the following cla.s.sification as to the final destiny of men (p. 46):

1. Those who selfishly perform their Dharma and worship Devas and Pitris go to Soma Loka, and after partaking of Soma, they are again re-born.

Their Lokas are destroyed with the daily Pralaya of Brahma.

2. The worshippers of Hiranya-garbha (Brahma) reach Brahma Loka or Satya Loka and there wait for two Pararddhas _i.e._ for the life time of Brahma and upon the final dissolution of the Brahmanda, they enter with Hiranya-garbha, the Eternal Supreme Purusha, who is supreme Bliss and their sense of individuality becomes then lost.

3. "Brahma with Marichi and other Rishis, with k.u.maras and other lords of Yoga, and with Siddhas who are leaders of Yoga, do by their unselfish action, and at the same time the retention of their individuality, and their vision of separateness reach Saguna Brahma or the Second Purusha, who is the ishvara of our system. And when Kala, as an aspect of ishvara, causes a disturbance in the Gunas on the approach of the creative period they are born again just as they had been before. (They are born because of their individuality and their vision of separateness. They are born in the same state on account of their non-attachment and their unselfishness. _Sridhara_). As long as the Triloki lasts, they enjoy all the divine things of Satya Loka, according to their Karma. (And when the Triloki is destroyed, they attain the Saguna Purusha, who is First Avatara. _Sridhara_). When the Gunas are disturbed again they come back (i.e. they revert to their former posts respectively. _Sridhara_)" III 32 xii-xv.

4. Those who unselfishly perform their duties and give themselves up entirely to the Supreme Purusha void of all attachment and all egoism, calm, tranquil and pure in the mind go through the gateway of the Sun to the all pervading Purusha, the Lord of all, the material and efficient cause of all this.

Commenting on II 2 xxviii, Sridhara says: - "There are three courses for those that go to Brahma Loka. Those who go by the excellence of their merits, become holders of responsible positions in the next Kalpa, according to their respective merits. Those who go there by worshipping Hiranya-garbha and others, become liberated along with Brahma. Those who are worshippers of Bhagavan, pierce the Brahmanda at will and reach the State of Vishnu."

The cla.s.sification is the same as made by Kapila.

Hiranya-garbha Upasana, which was prevalent at one time is now out of use. It was the worship of the Life aspect of ishvara, as manifested in the Solar system. There is a higher duty, the highest duty of a Jiva manifested in this universe, to realise that this universe itself is a part of a big universe, and there is ishvara of that big universe Bhagavan Himself and to surrender one self completely up to Him in pure love and devotion. He will not then be of this universe, but he will be of many universes, he will transcend the limits of all the seven planes of our system at will. What his work then will be, it is for Bhagavan to say not for him. The work of Bhagavan is his work, the life of Bhagavan is his life. He becomes a Bhagavata. The Gopis are ideal Bhagavatas and the Vrindavana Lila is the consummation on this earth of the relation of a Bhagavata with Bhagavan. This to all Bhaktas is the highest form of Mukti.

To the Bhakta, there is no Mukti, without the universe and the lord of universe.

Forget the universe, forget every thing, only meditate on the eternal unchanging element in you, be fixed in that and that only and you attain Atyantika Pralaya.