[world-vedic] 'A beautiful dark son': The glory of Krishna's birth [fwd from Sanga]

[Guest guest]

We say that Lord Krsna was conceived of in the mind/heart of Vasudev, who

was being held captive along with Devaki,within the prison of Kamsa. First

Lord krsna appeared to Vasudev/Devaki as Lord Visnu with 4 arms. Very

powerful looking ,in order to dispell their fears. Then He transformed into

baby Krsna ,who was carried to the house of Nanda/Yasoda,some 7 miles

away,during ther dead of night,Vasyudev also crossed the river Yamuna which

parted for Him & Baby Krsna. Vasudev exhanged baby Krsna for baby Maya/Durga

Devi,whom Kamsa attempted to kill,but she flew into the air appearing

outside the prison room window,yelling at him,"Kamsa you rascal,etc. ". This

comes from the Krsna Book by Bhaktivedanta swami,Srila Prabhupada,my guru

whose appearance day coincides with that of Lord Krsna. So although Lord

Krsna was raised by Nanda & Yasoda,He was conceived by Vasudev & Devaki

within the prison. Therefore Nanda/Yasoda were the step parents, but they

spent the majority of time with Lord Krsna during his childhood pastimes.

They were all present when Lord Krsna & Lord Blarama killed,(gave liberation

to), the wrestlers & King Kamsa.

your servant / Sat ya hit das

-

Atimidus <Atimidus

Vedic culture <vediculture >

Friday, September 03, 1999 1:56 PM

[world-vedic] 'A beautiful dark son': The glory of Krishna's birth

[fwd from Sanga]

 

 

> Thursday, September 2, Sri Krishna Janmastami. Birth of Lord Krishna.

> Complete fast until midnight, then no grains.

>

> Friday, September 3, Sri Nandotsava. Appearance of His Divine Grace A.C.

> Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

>

> "The graceful Yasoda, who was austere by nature, then began to develop the

> signs of pregnancy. Her appetite changed, marked by intense hankering for

> all variety of milk sweets, and her natural gravity gave way to whimsy."

>

> A discussion on Janmastami, with Swami B.V. Tripurari

>

> Srimad Bhagavtam mentions a man named Devamidha, whom Jiva Goswami informs

> us was the ornament of the Vrisni dynasty that is glorified throughout the

> Vedas and Puranas. A great knight, he settled in Mathura and married two

> young ladies, one from the royal order, the other from the vaisya caste.

>

> >From his royal wife issued a son named Sura, and from his vaisya wife a

son

> named Parjanya. Sura begot a son named Vasudeva and lived in Mathura,

while

> Parjanya made his residence in the rural district. Their blood

relationship

> is confirmed in the Bhagavata (SB 10.5.20,23.27)

>

> Parjanya appropriately took up the profession of cowherding, as one

follows

> in cast that of one's mother in the case of mixed marriages. His mother

was

> highly regarded amongst the vaisya community. She hailed from the vaisya

> family from which Brahma himself had abducted his wife, Gayatri, as told

in

> the Padma Purana. This abduction was compensated by the intervention of

> Visnu, who promised to take birth in the very same cowherd family in the

> future.

>

> Parjanya's auspicious birth that identified him with the twice born as

well

> as the cowherds is confirmed in the Bhagavata in the words of his son,

> Nanda, wherein he who at that time had become the cowherd king of Vraja,

> told Gargacarya to perform the sacrament of the twice born for his own son

> (SB 10.8.10).

>

> He took up residence in Brhadvana, and came to be celebrated for his

> respect of Brahmanas and devotees of Visnu. Indeed, he himself worshipped

> Visnu throughout his entire life.

>

> Parjanya was as magnanimous as his namesake, the cloud, for he bestowed

> charity in the form of his wealth of milk products in all directions, as

> the cloud pours rain indiscriminately. Due to his good qualities, Ugrasena

> anointed him with the tilak of chief herdsman.

>

> He married the fine lady Variyasi and fathered with her five joyous sons.

> Indeed, he named them after joy, exploiting the root verb "nand" to its

> utmost, with Upananda, Abhinanda, Nanda, Samnanda, and Nandana.

>

> Among his sons, one stood out above the others, such that they too

> recognized his greatness. So it was that when Parjanya appropriately

passed

> the kingdom of the cowherds to his eldest son, Upananda, he in turn, as

the

> very first act of his rein, crowned his brother Nanda, claming himself to

> be but a 'little (upa) Nanda'. This act met with the approval of all.

>

> Nanda and his wife, the daughter of Sumukha, who conquered her entire

> family and bestowed glory upon even those who merely heard or saw her -

> what to speak of those devoted to her - were the natural leaders of the

> community. His wife was surely his better half, as she lived up to her

good

> name Yasoda, in bringing fame to all associated with her.

>

> Nothing was wanting in the community with Nanda and Yasoda as its king and

> queen, advised wisely by the elder Upananda, a veritable Bhisma in the

> court of Vicitravirya. Yet one longing did persist amongst all the

> cowherds, and this for the misfortune of them all represented by the

> unfortunate circumstances that resulted in Nanda being sonless, even as he

> approached his later years.

>

> Although sacrifices were performed for the sake of Nanda's begetting a son

> in the womb of Yasoda, all were performed in vain. The reason for this is

> as follows: Nanda confided in his good wife that upon entertaining the

> thought of conceiving, his mind became filed with a vision of a beautiful

> dark son, whose beauty and qualities surpassed those of Narayana himself.

>

> Realizing the impossibility of begetting a son more beautiful than God, he

> became disheartened. He could not have such a son, yet having such a

desire

> and vision he could not settle for anything less.

>

> Nanda eventually informed his good wife of his dilema, only to hear from

> her that she also had the exact same experience. Amazed, the two,

> considering the coincidence nothing short of divine, undertook a year long

> observance of the dvadasi vrata. Free from capricious thinking, they

> depended upon the satisfaction of God for their desired result, the birth

> of an actual son as beautiful and as qualified as one could be.

>

> After one year at the completion of the vow, Narayana himself spoke to the

> couple in a dream. Lord Narayana assured them that they would soon

conceive

> a son, the corresponding fruit of their constant meditation.

>

> At that time a woman ascetic appeared along with a young brahmana.

> Mystified by their appearance in the settlement, the cowherds asked their

> auspicious identity, she appearing like the very divine maya of God and he

> like sage Narada in a fresh new form.

>

> The mysterious lady announced herself as Paurnamasi, like the full moon

> dressed in saffron cloth. Unmarried and able to divine the future, she was

> accompanied by the student of Sandipani Muni, Madhumangal, a graduate

> possessed of mystic powers much like those of Narada. She proclaimed when

> asked as to the reason for her appearance in the settlement that it was

due

> to the good fortune of its inhabitants, who would soon be blessed, for

> Nanda and Yasoda were about to have a son!

>

> Overjoyed, the cowherds offered to build her a thatched house on the banks

> of the Yamuna, also known as the Krishna on account of her dark waters.

> Paurnamasi accepted their proposal, for she was meant to live always

nearby

> Krishna, who more than the river Yamuna, referred to the soon-to-be-born

> dark son of Nanda.

>

> The graceful Yasoda, who was austere by nature, then began to develop the

> signs of pregnancy. Her appetite changed, marked by intense hankering for

> all variety of milk sweets, and her natural gravity gave way to whimsy.

>

> Then, at the very time of the child's birth, along with the all

> auspiciousness movements of nature involving the simultaneous appearance

of

> contradictory features, Maya herself was born as his younger sister.

> Certainly this is the truth, for it is mentioned in the Bhagavata (SB

> 10.4.9 and 10.5.1). Yet, how is it then that some call this child Krishna

> the son of Vasudeva and Devaki? Only in as much as Vasudeva is another

name

> for Nanda Maharaja, and Devaki another name for Yasoda, as the Puranas

tell

> us.

>

> Vasudeva never meditated on Krishna desiring to have him as his son. Thus,

> by the law that one can achieve through sadhana only that upon which one

> meditates, it is clear that Krishna was not his son.

>

> In consideration of love, it is obvious that Nanda is the father of

> Krishna, Yasoda his mother. Vasudeva's wife, Devaki, admitted this at

> Kurukshetra. Nor did Vasudeva have any experience of Krishna's 'birth,' an

> event devoid of majesty save and except in the minds of the parents and

> family friends. He did, however, experience the majesty of four armed

> Krishna's appearance (krsnavatara), the object of his meditation.

>

>

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