ChithrabhAnu Samvathsara SrI KrishNa Jayanthi (2002 C.E): Part II , Lord KrishNA's AvathAram

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear SrI KrishNa BhakthAs:

 

Let us start with the prayer of Swamy Desikan

to the "Jayanthi Sambhavan " ( One who was born

on the SrI Jayanthi day):

 

VandhE BrundhAvanacharam vallavI-jana-vallabham

Jayanthi Sambhavam dhAma VaijayanthI vibhUshaNam

 

--First slOkam of Sri Gopala Vimsathy and

YaadhavAbhudhaya MahA Kaavyam

 

Swamy Desikan commences the Kaavyam with

the word "VandhE" (adiyEn salutes) consistent

with "VisishtEshta DevathA-namaskaara lakshanam"

according to the famous commentator SrI Appayya

DhIkshithar.What is that lakshaNam for offering

praNAmams to the ParamamAthmA incarnating as

the child on the SrI jayanthi day and who is

going to be the heart throb of the Gopikais

of BrundhAvanam ? Sri UtthamUr Swamy observes:

Here the LakshaNms in the order of priorities for

the composer of SrI YaadhavAbhudhayam are:

(1) Vaathsalyam to the aasritha janam is the first

visEshaNam (2)Souseelyam (3)soulabhyam (4) Swamithvam

indicated by the adornment of Vyjayanthi maalai on

His sacred chest .He was born on the AavaNi ashtami

day , when the star RohiNi is in ascendance

( ashtami sahitha ROhiNyAm sambhUtha:).The commenttors

point out that He demonstrated His Supermacy as God of

Gods by being born with the never-fadign wild flower

garland(Vaijayanthi ) and all weapons (Sankha-chakra-

gadhA et al) . " Sa: NaarayaNathvam Svasya sarvathOmukham

pradarsayan ayam Vyjayanthi VibhUshaNa: ithi VailakshaNyam"

according to UtthamUr Swamy.

 

It is indeed SrIman NaarAyaNan , who was born on that

dark rainy night inside the prison of KamsA and blessed

His "parents" with the above adhbutha darsanam .In this

incarnation of SrIman NaarAyaNan , VasudEvan , the descendant

of the famous king Yadhu was the father. In earlier birth ,

VasudEvar was Kasyapa PrajApathi ,the father of DevAs

and asurAs .Kasyapar had two wives then by the name of

Surabhi and Adhithi; they incarnated as Devaki and

RohiNi during KrishNAvathAram. King Kamsan , who in

previous birth was the asuran, KaalanEmi imprisoned

VasudEvar and Devaki in his prison because he was

afraid of being killed by the child born to them

based on the pronouncement of asarIri Vaak .Responding

to the prayers of the DevAs at the milky ocean , SrIman

NaarAyaNan took birth as the child of VasudEvar and

Devaki to reduce the burden of BhUmi Devi .

 

That Lord born to the blessed parents is

saluted by Swamy Desikan as:

 

ThrivEdhI-madhya dhIpthan ( one who is shining

in the middle of three vEdaas); He is ThridhAmnan

( He has residences at the three places: Milky Ocean,

Soorya MaNDalam and Parama Padham);He is PanchAyudhan

(Chakram, Sankham , Sword, Mace and Bow).He is Varadhan

( Celebrated boon grantor)."BaahyAnthara Havirbhujan"

(One who partakes the sacred Havis of two forms :

external and internal ).He is DayAmbhudhi (ocean of

DayA guNam).He is beyond the comprehension of the VedAs

(nigamai: anigamyam). He is NirAdhAran( He does not need

a base for His existence). He is nijasTEman( He is the aadhAram

for all sentients and insentients).He is nirupAdhika sEshi

( He is the Supreme Master without any limitations).

He is NissAmyAdhika GuNa Poornan ( One who has no equal

or superior, when it comes to His adhbhutha guNams).

He is known by the LakshaNams on His chest: MahA Lakshmi

and Kousthubham gem). He is ananya rakshA vrathI ( He has

the vratham to come to the protection of those , who

has no other means for protection ).

 

Responding to the moving prayers of the DevAs for

their rakshaNam , SrIman NaarAyaNan (KshIrAbdhinATan)

left His bed of AdhIsEshan and entered the garbham of

Devaki languishing in the prison of Kamsan at Vada Mathurai.

He was born as the eighth child of Deavaki on the Ashtami day.

Next day , during Navami tithi,VishNu Yoga MaayA

was born as the daughter of YasOdhA in Gokulam.

 

The avathAra Kaalam of KrishNa ParamAthmA

******************************************

It was rainy season . The skies were dark with

rain-laden clouds . All the directions (dhig)were cool

with the blessing of rain waters . It was midnight,

when the Moon , Kumudha pushpams and the Nakshathrams

were awake and the people were asleep:

 

prabuddha tArA kumudha abdhichandrE

nidhrANa nissEsha janE niseeTE

--YaadhavAbhudayam: 2.89

 

Chapter 3 of the Dasma skandham of Srimad BhAgavatham

describes beautifully the avathAra Kaalam:

Peaceful silence reigned every where The stars shone

clear in the sky .The rivers flowed with clear water.

The forests were resonant with chirping of happy birds.

The bees hummed as they flew from the trees heavily

laden with honey filled flowers. Soft and fragrant

breeze blew.The Kinnaraas and GandharvAs sang their

divine chorus.The siddhAs and ChAraNAs joined.

The VidhyAdarAs and the Apsaras engaged themselves in

joyous dance.

 

This midnight was the avathAra muhUrtham.

It was SrI Jayanthi dinam , which banishes all

sins; the pancha grahams, Chandran, AnkArakan,

Budhan , Guru and Sani , were in ascendance.

It was vrushabha lagnam. Deva dhundhubhis were

heard and Celestials played on their instruments.

The rain of divine flowers fell . Our Lord was born.

In the ten directions , "Jaya , Jaya " sabdham

was heard.It was the first month of the VarshA kaalam

(rainy season ): AavaNi month. It was Saradh ruthu.

Bad omens appeared in the house of Kamsan and other

asuras. The dhivya tEjas of the Lord was

heightened by the JyOthi of MahA Lakshmi on

His chest and the darkness of the prison was

destroyed by that combined jyOthi.

 

Swamy Desikan salutes this SubhAsraya Vigraham of

the newly born SrI KrishNan this way:

 

Sruthi-kirIDa-subhAsraya vigraha:

paramasathva nidhi: prathipadhyasE

jagadhanugraha-maarutha-chOdhithO

vividharoopa-taranga-vikalpanAm

-- YaadhavAbhudhayam: 3.18

 

Oh Lord ! YOur dhivya MangaLa vigraham shines

in the Veda Siras (Upanishads ) as their crown.

That Vigraham will banish all sins.It will facilitate

meditation on You. It is suddha satthva mayam.

Just as the ocean winds raise many waves , You

have been motivated to protect this world and for

that purpose have taken many avathArams.

 

Srimad BhAgavatham describes the advent of the Lord

on that midnight of SrI Jayanthi:

 

nisITE tamaudhbhUthE jAyamAnE JanArdhanE

DevakyAm dEvaroopiNyAM VishNu: sarva-gruhAsaya:

aavirAseedh yaTA prAchyAM dhisIndhuriva pushkala:

--SrImad BhAgavatham: 10.3.8

 

" At such a time , in the pitch darkness of

midnight , MahA VishNu , the resident of

the hearts of all , was born of the divinely

beautiful Devaki , like the full Moon rising on

the eastern horizon."

 

Tamadhbutham Baalakam ambhujEkshaNam

Chathurbhujam sankha-gadhAryudhAyudham

SrIvathsa Lakshmam galsObhi-kousthubham

pIthAmbharam saandhra-payOdha-soubhagam

-- SrImad BhAgavatham: 10.3.9

 

mahArha-vaiDUrya kirIDa-kunDalathvishA

parishvaktha sahsra kuntalam

uddhAma-kaanchyangada-knkaNAdhibhi-

virOchamAnam VasudEVa eikshatha

--SrImad BhAgavatham: 10.3.10

 

 

" Lotus-eyed, four-armed , sporting the conch ,

mace and other weaponds ; with the luminous

SrIvathsA mark on the chest and the shining

KaustubhA gem on the neck; wearing a yellow

raiment; possessed of the majesty and grace

of a heavy rain cloud ; with locks gleaming with

the lustre of the diadem and ear-rings studded with

preciuous stones; bedecked with splendorous ornaments

like bracelets , armlets and waist girdle --

such was the luminous form of the unique child

that greeted the vision of VasudEvar".

 

Devaki also saw her newly born son with all

signs and symbols of divinity. Both the parents began

to eulogize the Lord , who elected to become their son

for avathAra purposes:

 

VidhithOsmi BhavAn SaakshAth Purusha: prakruthE: Para:

kEvalAnanubhava-anandhasvaroopa: sarva buddhi dhruk

--VaasudEvA's prayer: SrImad BhAgavatham: 10.3.13

 

" I have known who Thou art. Thou art the Supreme Being

Himself , beyond Prakruthi , of the nature of pure

consciousness-bliss , the witness of all mentations ".

 

Through nine exquisite slOkAs , VasudEvar saluted the Lord

and at the end expressed his fear about harm coming His way

from Kamsan if He styed with VishNu lakshaNams.

 

Devaki now joined in the salutations of the Lord :

 

" Thou art verily MahA VishNu , the light spirtual--

what philosophers describe as the First , the unmanifested ,

the vast , the luminous , the One beyond the GuNAs ,

the changeless, the pure being ,the unmodified and

the desireless.....Thou art verily the saviour of

Your servants.And May Thou be pleased not to reveal

this divine form , perceivable only in meditation

to unregenerate people , who have only their fleshy

eyesight.Oh MadhusoodhanA ! Let not that sinful

Kamsan know that Thou hast been born of me.

The timid one that I am , anxiety for Thy safety

makes me afraid of Kamsa. O Soul of the worlds!

Therefore withdraw this transcendental form ,

glorious with its four arms sporting discus ,

mace lotus and conch ".

 

The Lord obliged and commanded VasudEva to transfer

Him to Gokulam as an ordinary infant and then bring

back Yoga Maaya born of YasOdha back to the prison

so that Kamsa would not know His whereabouts.

 

VasudEvar took the baby on a basket and placed

that basket on his head to proceed to Gokulam ,

which was situated on the other bank of YamunA

river. At that time , the doors of the prison

opened and the servants of Kamsa fell into a deep

sleep.Garudan circled above the basket carrying

his Lord . AdhisEshan served as an umbrella to

protect his Lord against the rain drops. The gems on

the heads of AdhisEshan lit the way . YamunA river ,

the daughter of Sooryan , controlled her floods

so that VasudEvar could travel effortlessly

across her breadth to reach Gokulam for

the exchange of infants at YasOdhA's house.

 

The Lord's birth was celebrated by the cowherds

and their king , NadhagOpAlan as described by

PeriyAzhwAr in his divine paasurams."ambhOruhastha-

kalahamsa kiSora-ramyam" ( Lord shone like

the infant Hamsam on the Lotus flower)reached

the eleventh day when he had NaamakarNam ceremony .

Our Lord recieved the name of KrishNa from Sage Gargar.

He chose the unique name of KrishNa from the combination of

a dhAthu and a letter. The dhAthu was Krishi and the aksharam

was "Na": " krishibhur-vaachaka sabdha: Nasccha

nivrutthi vaachaka:, TayOraikyam Param Brahma

Krishna ithyabhidhIyathE"( Krishi denotes BhU

(Sath) ."Na" denotes Aanandham . The combination of

the two signifies the One with the name of

KrishNa , Sath-chid-Aanandha Para Brahmam.Additional

name of VaasudEvan was also given by the Rishi to

KrishNan , the son of VasudEvan.

 

REST IS HISTORY CELEBRATED IN THE DASAMA SKANDHAM

OF SRIMAD BHAAGAVATHAM AND YAADHAVAABHUDHAYAM.

 

KRISHNAAYA VAASUDEVAAYA DEVAKI NANDHANAAYA CHA

NANDHAGOPA-KUMAARAAYA GOVINDHAAYA NAMO NAMA:

 

With all best wishes for a wonderful SrI Jayanthi

celebrations at Your homes and Temples,

 

Sarvam KrishNArpaNam ,

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan