Non-duality versus Krishna!

[Guest guest]

Namaste all

 

This is a post which is intended to be relevant to both the threads

`Non –duality in spite of Duality' of Sada-ji and

`Krishna's birth and his death' started by Bhaskar Prabhuji,

both being staunch advaitins as well as Krishna bhaktas. PraNAms to

both.!

 

The questions that motivate me to write this post are the following

ones that occur now and then on this list as well as elsewhere.

 

1. Was Krishna real or allegorical/

2. If non-duality is only the ultimate truth and not the

worldly (`vyAvahArika') truth, what do we gain by discussing it in

this pluralistic world?

3. If Krishna lived in this pluralistic world as part of all

duality how can he declare himself to be `I am the beginning,; I am

the end', etc.? (10th chapter)?

4. If Krishna himself is part of the world of mAyA, shall we

say that his `Vishwa-rUpa' (11th Chapter) is like the tiger in the

dream described by Sada-ji?

5. ……..

 

I am not going to attempt to answer the questions. Because any answer

you give can again raise some more questions in the same style. It is

the total comprehension of `Non-duality in spite of duality' that

will explain how Krishna can be the non-dual Brahman, and can also be

Ishvara with all the mAyic powers (of Creation etc.) that Ishvara is

said to control and which Krishna exhibited in His life (as well as

in the `death' of the form).

 

Let me go to a series of nine consecutive names of the Lord in

Vishnu Sahasranama.

 

" atIndriyo mahAmAyo mahotsAho mahAbalaH /

mahA-buddhir mahAvIryo mahAshaktir-mahAdyutiH//

anirdeshya-vapuH …. "

 

I consider this to be the secret of Krishnavatara in the Vishnu

Sahasranama. (Incidentally the secret of every avatara is there!).

And I consider this also to be the explanation of `Non-duality in

spite of Duality'.

 

For the meanings of the above nine names, I go to Shankara's Bhashya

on them.

 

`atIndriyaH' : As per the Vedic statement `ashabdaM-asparshaM' He is

beyond the sense of touch, sound, etc. So he transcends all sense-

perception.

 

`mahAmAyaH': He can mystify even those who are capable of mAyic

activities. (Recall the stories of Krishna fooling Lord BrahmA, Indra

etc. in His life-story). Recall the words of the Lord: `My mAyA is

incomprehensible' (7th chapter)

 

`mahOtsAhaH': He is greatly involved and enthusiastic as shown by His

Creation of the World, Sustenance of it and Dissolution of it.

(Recall the endless discussion about creation vis-à-vis advaita on

the advaitin list)

 

`mahAbalaH': He is stronger than the strong ones.

 

`mahAbuddhiH': He is more intelligent than the intelligent ones

 

`mahAvIryaH' His power is the root source of the Unmanifested First

Cause `mahat' and this `power' is the defining characteristic

(`lakshaNa') of `avidyA' (Cosmic Ignorance).

 

`mahAshaktiH' His energy is supreme

 

`mahAdyutiH': He is Himself the Splendour, He is the Light of all

Lights. According to these scriptural statements, He is most

resplendent, both inward and outward.

 

Where is the secret of Krishnavatara in all this? That is the secret

of the whole thing. All this that has been described is in the world

of Plurality. In spite of all this duality, He is non-dual. And that

is coming up in the ninth name " anirdeshya-vapuH " :

 

`anirdeshya' means that which cannot be indicated as `this'

or `that'. That is His `form' (vapuH), if at all He can be described

with any form.

 

Thus Krishna is neither this nor that. That is why at one time He

shows up here and at the same time He shows up in another place. He

opens His mouth and Yashoda sees the entire universe in it where She

expected to see only some mud supposed to have been `eaten' by Him.

He shows His Vishva-rUpa to Arjuna, his foremost devotee, as

confirmation of the fact that `Every thing is in Him'. From these

mAyic confirmations we have to go to the conviction that `He is in

everything'. Not only that. He is everything. More, there is nothing

but He. In spite of the duality of Krishna, his `birth'

and `death' , we should aim at the non-duality of Brahman which is He

Himself!

 

PraNAms to all advaitins.

profvk