Krishna makes Himself Accessible

October 24, 2004

Hare Krishna,

The primary scriptures of the religion of Sanatana dharma (Hinduism), the Vedas, describe the Supreme Being Krishna as birthless but, in the same vein, state that He is born in manifold ways in the world. This statement may seem paradoxical on the face of it and it requires an insight into the nature of the Almighty to understand it. Lord Krishna manifests on the Earth time and again with the main purpose of protecting Dharma whenever there is a threat to it.

His birth is unlike that of other beings created by Him. It is not out of Karma that He assumes a form but out of His own free- will. In the Bhagavad Gita the Lord Himself had declared that, ``My birth and activities are divine. He who knows this in reality is not reborn on leaving this body, but comes to Me.'' It is because of His incarnations that His glory has become known to humanity as He

made Himself accessible to mankind. Only the eternal souls (Nityasuris) and the Krishna-realised are able to revel in His divine form in His transcendental abode.

It is out of compassion for humanity that Lord Krishna deigns to be born so that the bonded souls may be liberated from rebirths. In His incarnation as Krishna the Lord donned the role of a spiritual teacher to the world at large and He taught through Arjuna. His teachings in the Bhagavad Gita have perennial appeal and relevance. The Gita was not composed by Vyasa as he did the rest of the Mahabharata but was revealed to him as taught to Arjuna by the Lord.

The Mahabharata had been described as a veritable ocean of knowledge as it contained profound treatises elaborating philosophy, Dharma and spirituality. About 8000 verses of the epic, which has over a lakh verses, are very important as they embody teachings on diverse subjects. They are difficult to comprehend and can be understood only with the help of interpretation given by scholars.

These teachings are in five sections - the Viduraniti, Sanatsujatiyam, Yakshaprasnam, Bhagavad Gita and the Vishnu Sahasranama. The Santasujatiyam, named after the sage, has elaborated the merit of following the code of conduct according to one's station in life (Varnashrama). There is no merit in performing even a thousand good deeds which are not prescribed for a person.

The Viduraniti is an exposition on the various aspects of Dharma given by Vidura to the blind-king, Dritarashtra, during a single night. The hymn Vishnu Sahasranama was sung by Bhishma as he lay awaiting his end on a bed of arrows when Lord Krishna asked him to expound on Dharma for Yudishtra's sake.

A day spent without remembering Krishna and offering worship to Him amounts to a day wasted in one's life according to saints. The saints who have sung innumerable hymns in praise of God invariably draw attention to the optimum use a human being must make of every day at his disposal in spiritual pursuit. Human birth is meant for realising Krishna which puts an end to rebirths and hence when one has been fortunate enough to get one, it should be utilised properly as there is no guarantee that such an opportunity will be given again.

The hymns composed by saints afford an insight into the heights of devotion attained by them and hence chanting them during daily worship is a sure method to develop devotion to Krishna . The Narayaneeyam is one such devotional work which is in the form of a dialogue with Lord Krishna at Guruvayur composed by Bhattatiri.

Tradition relates that Bhattatiri composed the poem in the temple precincts and Lord Krishna acknowledged every query he put to Him. One can appreciate the depths of his devotion if it was possible for him to communicate directly with Krishna. It was only after getting Krishna’s acknowledgment about His exploits depicted in a canto that the poet proceeded to compose the next one. So the deeds of Lord Krishna in His incarnations have been certified by Krishna Himself in this devotional poem. The Narayaneeyam is a condensation of the Bhagavata Purana and the poem is in the form of 100 decades( See ‘Narayaneeyam’ in Group’s FILE) .

Please Chant:Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare HareAnd Be Happy.

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