Krishna and Gopikas- Response on queries- Concluding part

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest srivaishnavas,

 

This is the last of three posts on the subject.

Question 4: Still, one thing is not understood. Deva sthrees could

have simply got married to KaNNan and enjoyed Him as His spouses.

They could have got their prayers fulfilled; instead, why should

they be born as Gopa sthrees, leave their husbands, in-laws,

children and run to KaNNan? Why should KaNNan allow this? How can

this be establishment of Dharma? This act is against the manushya

dharma.

 

Answer: Firstly there are two issues that need to be understood. The

husband-wife, father-son relations are all not permanent- everyone

knows. These all come due to this sareera sambandham (due to the

association with this body); For this body, these relations come.

They

are present as long as this body exists. After that these relations

vanish. In next birth different parents, children, spouse etc.. Thus

the relations are only temporary and are for this birth; Being a

wife, husband is due to the body taken by this Jeevathma and these

roles will change next birth.

 

But the relation between Paramathma and Jeevan is always permanent.

He is Swami; We are dAsars. This is always so. It is natural for all

jeevaathmas. It is no way associated with the body of jeevathma and

does not change when bodies change for various births. Whatever

number of births we take; this relation will never ever change.

unthannOdu uRavEl namakku ingu ozhikka ozhiyaadhu, Govinda â€" says

GodhA PiraaTTi.

Hence desiring for the Lord, devoted to Him, performing service to

Him are all to be sought after. They are normal for jeevathma and are

perfectly in accordance with dharma, saasthrAs. This is to be

actually the welcome one and should necessarily be sought after by

every jeevan

for redemption. To achieve that and in course of achieving the same,

if there is a choice between this versus the bodily relation, one can

choose the relation (eternal) with the Lord. There is absolutely

nothing wrong with that. Kaikeyi wanted to coronate Bharathan and let

him separate from the Lord Rama. But Bharatha, who wanted to serve

the

Lord, brushed aside even the bodily relation of Kaikeyi as his mother

as she was the stumbling block for that service. He hated her for

such

thoughts and preventing him from performing kaimkaryam for Rama. For

us, the Bhagavad, BhAgawatha anubhavam alone is prime and important.

It is in line with our nature. If the relations are in line with this

want of ours and they work towards, support the same for us, then

they

can be with us; if they work against this and do not support our

Bhagavad BhAgawatha anubhavam, they can be brushed aside like

Bharathan. Nothing wrong. The cowherd women did that. It is no way

termed as incorrect; in fact, it is most appropriate for jeevaathma

by

its nature.

 

This is very clear in Srimad Bhagawatham. When KaNNan sees them

devotedly running towards Him leaving the elders, husbands, children,

and others- and asks: "what do you want me to do for You all? Go back

quickly and serve your husbands. Do not leav the dharma meant for

women and ladies, wives and mothers? This not correct. Do not come

here. If you want, you do keerthanam, sing my name, utter my name and

think of me from your hoems. Go home.".

 

Gopikas could not control their tears; Their throats choked; their

eyes welled. Their hearts broken; Their words did not come out of

their mouths, tongues refused to co-operate due to the emotions and

sorrows. Mouths quivered. Our KaNNan- our Lord- KaNNan- is he saying

this? Our only Master, Swami- to Him we belong to- does He ask us not

to come to Him any more and ask us to go back? They started appealing

to Him.

 

yathpathyapathyasuhadhAmanuvrtthiranga sthreeNAm swaDharma ithi

DharmavidhA tvayOktham |

asthvEvamEthadhupadESapadham tvayeeSE preeShtO bhavAmsthanumruthAm

kila bandhurAthmA ||

 

kurvanthi hitvayi rathim kuSalA: sva Athman nithyapriyE

pathisuthAdhibhiraarthidhai: kim |

thanna: praseedha paramEswara maasma ChinDhyA ASAm bruthAm tvayi

ChirAth aravindha nEthra ||

 

Husband, children- serve them- You are advising us. Let that be

there.

You are the permanent relation for all jeevans. You are darling

bandhu

too for us. You are the AtmA for us as well. Due to our puNya,

paapams, the karma phalam, there is only dukkham (sorrows) due to

these relations and association with them. What is the use of that?

You are Priyaml darling for us. The buddhimaans (intellect) realizing

this eternal relationship with You and Your darling form, ParamAthmic

nature, would get eternal enjoyment from You only. ParamEswaraa!

PankajaakshA! Lotus eyed lord- most merciful One! Please bless us; do

not break the love that we have for You from time immemorial and for

long time.

 

This is what is Parama hitham for Jeevathma. Most pleasing to the

Lord as well.One should have longing for Bhagavad vishayam,. Interest

and longing for other matters- one should attempt to get rid of. For

that one should wlawys contemplate on : God alone is eternal relation

for us; All others are only temporary; Due to karma, these relations

exist. Thes sukhams, dhukkhams are due to Karma. This is what is

insctruced bt Sage Yaagnyavalkya to MaithrEyi and is in

BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad.

 

Gopikas realized this from their experience; and enjoyed His

relationship with them. KaNNan also [as is His nature as the most

merciful Lord who runs to devotees to be with them] blessed them with

such experience. This greatest ultimate of all saasthrAs is

established to us in this Gopika charithram. KaNNan also, in order to

establish this wonderful Bhaagawatha saasthra dharmam, made this act

as His leelA; and blessed them especially. He wanted His avathAram to

glorify this jeevathmA's longing for association and relationship

with

Him for ever and desire for enjoyment of His swaroopa, roopa

sowndharyam. That was one of His yet another special [visEsha] Dharma

sthApanam. Thus, it lays down the path for the highest Vaishnava,

prapannan quality and way of life and establishes the most wonderful

way of VaidIka life. Gopikas are the highest form of devotees and

prapannans the world has ever seen. This is the greatest of Upanishad

DharmA; the pinnacle of saasthrAs; The jeevathmAs' nithya niroopAhika

ananhaarya sEshathvam is well established in Gopika Charithram.

 

The Paramabhakthi [intense devotion] of Gopa sthrees! What a great

devotion! What a mind set of Them ! what a manO bhAvam! All deeds

completely in accordance with saaathrAs- [not disliked or hated by

even their spouses!] These marvelous dhiva chShtithams of KaNNan as

leelAs should always be contemplated, enjoyed and read, listened to

by

us; if one does that, the desire for lowkika kaamam would vanish; the

desire for sensual pleasures would disappear slowly and KaNNanukkE

Avathu kaamam (desire for KaNNan alone) would linger and grow in us.

Swamy desikan says: This charithram on Gopikas is the best medicine

for the diseases [like Kaama, krodham] in our minds; This is the one

praised and prayed by Rishis and Saints.

 

raagAdhirOga prathikAra bhUtham rasAyanam sarvadhaSAnu bhAvyam |

AsIdhanuDhyEyathamam muneenaam dhivyasya pumsO dhayithOpavhOga: ||

[4.101]

 

Srimad BhAgawatham also mentions bhakthi parAm prathilabhya kAmam

hadhrOgam ASvapahinOthi aChirENa DhIra: - based on which swamy

Desikan

composed the above sloka. Here, the sains follow this charithram and

and declare and enjoy as the Grandest One- says Swamy. He refers to

Sri NammAzhwAr "kuravai aacchiyarOdu kOttathum" and then "en appan

than maayangaLE ninaikkum nenjudaiyEn.. [i am blessed with the mind

that contemplates only on my Father's leelAs and dhivya

chEsthithams].

 

Thus we enjoyed the Gopika charithams. We need to touch upon one of

last slokas of Yadhavaabhyudhayam before completing this series for

completion's sake. That tells us how one should enjoy the

KrishnAvathAram.

 

nAreeshtaChhA miyamithadhiyO nAkanAThESwarathvam

samyOgE Cha pravaNamanasa: SASvatham brahmacharyam |

athraikasyAm purinivasatha: sarva lOkADhikathvam

niDhyAyantha: swarithamatharan dhustharAm thasya leelAm ||

 

The subjects discussed here are:

 

1. Bhagawaan Sri KaNNan is Devaadhi Devan- He was always at the beck

and call of Gopika girls. Once when one girl complained to Him that

her legs are paining and can not keep walking. He lifted her and

carried her on His shoulders. Thus he listens to his devotees and

allows himself to be at their service. But we should not be misled to

believe that He is not the Lord; He listens to these young girls of

Gopas and the young Gopa boy friends. Though he does that, He is the

lord of all Devas; Devaadhi Devan. Devendra, Brahma, et al came and

prayed to Him and praised Him.

 

We are bounded to someone due to our karma and its association on us.

It is mandate on us; There is no esacpe and it is due to our karma

bandham. For SarvEshwaran, it is not the case. He is bound down and

tied down to devotee's pleas and requests due to his own sankalpam.

"kaTTuNNa paNNiya peru maayan- paNNiya is important. All this is due

to His mercy and anugraham on the devotees and that's why comes Sri

KrishNAvathArams says Srimad Bhagawatham. anugrahA bhakthAnAm

maanusham dhEhamAsThitha: Thus listening and heedimng to the request

of His devotees, He thus becomes easily accessible and sowlabhyan.

That is His Greatness; That is the greatness of Sri KrishnaavathAram.

 

KaNNan alone is SarvEshwaran; He alone due to His sowlabhyam blesses

the devotees should be fully and properly understood â€" this is

what is

contemplated by KaNNanallaal Deivam illai; [There is no God other

than

KaNNan]. Can there be any one equal to Him with such Parathvam and

still exhibit such greatest sowseelya, sowlabhyathvam!

 

2. KaNNan- who was involved in his affair with sthrees- is eternal

Brahmachaari! -

 

KaNNan had 16000 women as his spouses and was conducting his family

with each one of them individually â€" as seen and enjoyed by Sage

Narada. He also had enjoyed being united with Gopa sthrees. In spite

of all these, KaNNan is declared as the eternal ever Nithya

Brahmachari. When Pareekshith was born from utthara's womb, it feels

as a charcoal [due to AsvatthAmA's asthira's power]. The only lineage

â€" heir from Paandava vamsa was Pareekshith and hence they were

grief

struck looking at the lifeless char coal child. It was told by one of

the elders that if pure Bramachari's foot touches the child, it would

be alive; become normal and active- said KaNNan. But none dared come

near as they felt scared that their true nature would be revealed.

[sri Ramanuja defines the term Brahmacharyam in GitA BhAshyam

as: "not

having even a thought at any time that women are the objects of

enjoyment". What a great and wonderful definition!]

 

Thus, since none came forward, Bhagawaan KaNNan himself come forward:

If I am the true purest Brahmachari and if I am SarvEshwaran, let the

child come back alive and become normal." He touched the baby's body

in full with His divine Lotus Feet. Immediately the baby became fair

complexioned and was full of life, alive and crying.. In front of

everyone, this had happened. This is mentioned by Swamy Desikan:

 

vimOhanE vallabagEhineenAm na brahmacharyam bibhidhE thadhIyam |

sampathyasthE bAlakajeevanam thath sathyEna yEnaiva sathAm samaksham

||

 

Thus KaNNan is the purest Brahmachari is Sathyam. It was also true

that He had played and enjoyed with cowherd women; 16000 spouses; How

could that both be possible. Answer is: Only Bhagawaan can make that

happen. We should never ever equate Him with us. Sage Narada once â€"

came into Krishna's palace saw KaNNan welcoming him and asking his

wife to bring waters for argyam, pAdyam etc.. and honoured the sage;

in the next house he went into and saw KaNNan eating with his wife

serving him; third house he saw Him doing ThiruvArAdhanam; fourth

house, he was playing dhAyam with his wife; The wonderstruck Narada

came out and after some time, all KaNNans came out to become one to

board the chariot and reach the palace. He realized the Lord's

Iswarathvam and sang in praise of Him; The Lord too replied to the

Sage: oh Brahma rishI! I am the one instructing DharmA; I am also

following the same in strict sense; I have come here to protect

dharma; and establish the same; Do not worry."

 

He conducted his grahAsthama dharmam with His 16000 spouses; with no

grievance from any one; KaNNan Himself says in GitA: DharmAvirudDhO

bhUthEshu kAmOsmi-. Swamy Desikan also says:

 

AvidhitharaChanEna swEna pArThAya gItha:

Swayamajani kaama: kO(S)pi DharmAvirudDha:

 

It is possible only for Bhagawaan; The ultimate GrahasthAsramam and

the love, desire's extent therein was well established here and to

establish that dharma, this leelA of KaNNan was played. By the GopikA

charithram, the greatest Upanishad Dharmam was established and shown

to us…

 

The Lord's ThirumEni (Body) is completely Suddha sathvam;

aprAkrutham-

unaffected by matter (that we se and have); Hence, His natural

Brahmacharyam can never change; It is also told that with His mere

sankalpa (will), He gave the sambOga sukham to Gopikas. Sage Suka

says

the same in: avarudDha sairEtha: his brahmacharyam thus never changed

or was affected. KaNNan only blessed them with His grace and

anugraham

and granted what they desired for; He never desired the same for; He

did not consider them as objects of enjoyment and hence in Ramanuja's

definition he was full Brahmachari and Nithya Brahmachari.

 

3. The One who resided in the corner of Dwaraka is the Lord of entire

worlds; when Jarasandham came to fight in the battle field, KaNNan

[in

order to protect the people from destruction from the battle] built a

city in the centre of an ocean and stayed there with His people.

Jaraasandhan and others mistakenly thought that He felt scared and

hence ran away; They laughed at His running away with fear. But as a

matter of fact, they were completely shivering with fear.

 

It is completely wrong to belittle KaNNan as the one staying in a

corner of Dwaraka city; He is the Lord of all; He is Devas' Devan. He

is the One who grants to these Devas what they grant to their

devotees. As a matter of gratitude, they gave little of what He had

given them, when he built this Dwaraka city. KubEra gave away some

wealth; Varunan gave Him some horses; Devendra gave the paarijatha

tree etc.. They grabbed the opportunity to show their gratefulness.

 

One should enjoy KrishNAvathAram thus and contemplate on His glorious

deeds and leelAs. Then only can one get rid of the maayaa (samsaaric

affliction). If one learns in half baked manner about His dhivya

chEshthithams, then we will end up arguing with kutharkam and never

ever be able to cross the ocean of samsara. Thus with Gopika

charitham, the highest Upanishad saasthrA and VaidIka dharmam is

established.

 

We should place our heart and mind at the lotus Feet of KaNNan and

Swamy desikan thus established the same in Yadavabhyudhayam.

 

Anything found good in these posts is only due to the wonderful

original article written by Sri U Ve Dr Vasudevachar Swami from Swamy

Desikan's excellent analysis. Mistakes, errors, omissions are

entirely mine

 

Sarvam SrI KrishNArpaNamasthu

AchAryan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan madhavakkannan