yadhavabhyudhaya story of Krishna by Vedantadesika

[Guest guest]

In this context it would be interesting to note the peculiar

circumstances which made Vyasa write the Bhagavatha purana. The

Dasamaskandha, tenth section of Bhagavathapurana contains the story

of Krishna , the subject matter of Yadhavaabhyudhaya. It seemed that

after Vyasa had finished Mahabharatha and other vedantic works he

became depressed for no reason. Narada came to him and told him that

his feeling of depression born out of dissatisfaction was due to the

fact that though he exhaustively wrote about dharma and Vedanta he

did not write about the exploits and the glory of Krishna and the

incarnations of the Lord which would inculcate bhakthi . Hence his

heart became dry and depressed. Then Narada told him the whole

Bhagavata as he had learnt from Brahma. This was the inducement for

Vyasa to write the Bhagavatha purana. That is why Desika calls it

vibhudhajeevaathu, the life-giving elixir.

 

Desika refers to the Lord as Vibhu, and Sreemaan. He is

Vibhu, all powerful, all pervading, Sreemaan associated with Sree,

Lakshmi. The significance of the two adjectives is given by the words

eko vusvamidham chithram ajeejanath. He is eka , one only. ‘Sadheva

soumya idham agra aaseeth, ekameva adhvitheeyam (Chandhogya Up.) Sat

alone existed in the beginning, one only without a second.’ Hence

Brahman, Lord Narayana of Visistadavaita, was both the material and

instrumental cause of the Universe. Usually in creation as applied to

the worldly things like the creation of a pot the material cause, the

mud and the instrumental cause, the potter are different. But before

creation, says the Upanishad there was none else than the Brahman. So

Brahman is the upaadhaana karana, material cause and nimiththa

kaarana, instrumental cause. This is indicated by the words svayam

and svasmin.

 

The Lord created the world which Desika describes as

chithram, wonderful. He compares it to a painting, chithram which is

created by the Lord with the brush of His leela, playful and without

effort, and the paint He used was His krpa, infinite mercy. The

canvas was nothing but the Lord Himself, svasmin, in Himself, created

by Himself, svayam. This is in accordance with the concept of sarira-

sariri bhava of Visishtadvaita. The world consisting of sentient and

insentient beings is the body of the Lord of which He is the soul.

Before creation the world exists in Him in subtle form and after

creation it assumes the gross form.

 

Now what is the purpose of creation? To say that it is His

leela would make Him a sadist who has created the world full of

sorrow and misery for His sport. No, it is not so, says Desika,

because He has coloured it with His krpa. The word leela only denotes

that the creation was as effortless as a play for Him. He not only

created but also sustains the universe through His acts of mercy. The

duhkha is due to our karma but to protect us by showing the path to

emancipation is His act of mercy.

 

Then Desika traces the clan of yadhu in which the Lord took

the incarnation as Krishna. The first of the clan was Chandra, the

Moon.’ Chandramaa manaso jaathah, the Moon was born from the mind of

the Lord.’(Purushasuktham) Desika gives the reason as to why the Moon

was born out of His mind. The Moon came out as though he is the

personification of the prasaadha, grace of the Lord,

paripaaalayithavyeshu prasaadha iva, towards the people deserve to be

protected, His devotees because the moon is jagadhaahlaadhakara,

gives happiness to all

 

Budha, the adhidevatha of the planet Mercury was the son of

Moon and Pururavas was the son of Budha. Pururavas, says Desika, was

the living example of the efficacy of sathaam aahitha vahneenaam

stheyathaa, the power of aahithaagni the sacrificial fire, which

represents the acts of sacrifice, yajna because it gave him the power

of visiting svarga where he fell in love with Urvasi, the celestial

damsel and married her.

 

The lineage of Pururavas flourished in all directions of the

earth by the fame of his discendents like Ayus and Nahusha, who

attained the status of Indra through his merit. When Indra incurred

brahmahaththi dosha, the sin of killing a Brahmin by his slaying

Vrthraasura, who was the son of Thvashta, a Brahmin , he had to leave

the svarga and do penance. Then the devas put Nahusha in the place

of Indra since he has performed hundred asvamedha yagas, which makes

him qualified for the post of Indra but he incurred the displeasure

of Agasthya and was cursed by him to become a snake.

 

Yayathi was the son of Nahusha and had three sons and one

of them was Yadhu, who was a vadhaanya, very generous and austere and

just. Vasudeva , the father of Krishna was born in the clan of Yadhu.

Vasudeva was Kasyapa prajaapathi in his previous birth and was the

father of both devas and. asuras. His wives Surabhi and Adhithi were

born as Rohini and Devaki in next birth and married Vasudeva. When

Vasudeva was born the divine musical instruments, aanaka and

dhundhubhi sounded and hence he acquired the name AAnakadhundhubhi.

 

Vasudeva was the refuge of the good as Lord Vishnu is for the

world, the Sun is for light and the sea is for gems. This implies

that he was the sole resort of the good as the earth was burdened

with unrighteous kings for whose destruction the Lord descended in

the form of Krishna. Even though born of the royal family Vasudeva

was intent on attaining mukthi and was not interested in the worldly

possessions and became content with whatever came to him of its own

accord.

 

Vasudeva got married to Devaki, the cousin sister of Kamsa

whom he loved very much but hearing the aerial declaration that the

eighth son of Devaki will be his killer Kamsa put them both in

prison.