Yadhavabhyudhaya-chapter18-Sisupalavadham

August 6, 2007

Chapter 15- SisupAlavadhah- The slaying of Sisupala

Arrival of Narada in Dvaraka

Narada came to Dvaraka to see Krishna singing thus with his veena.

"The Lord Narayana, from whose navel my father Brahma has originated , has now incarnated as the son of Vasudeva. He is a great actor who has assumed the role of a cowherd and now made himself known as the son of Devaki and acquired Sridevi (Rukmini) as though as a reward for his performance like a veena given to an artiste for his skill in music and dance."

Here Lakshmi is qualified by the adjective sruthilakshyA, known through the Vedas, which epithet is also applicable to a good veena.

Thadhaham sThitham parasthAth

anapAyadhuthi bhAsvathA Athmana Eva

kamalollasithEna darsaneeyam

dinamAdhyanthavivarjitham dhidhrkshe

"I wish to see the daylight which is Krishna, situated beyond the darkness (of thamas), self- illumined and beginningless and endless and shining with the lustre of Lakshmi, (Kamala)."

Here the well-known daylight used as a metaphor, refers to the Sun who is beyond darkness, thamas and accompanied with the blossoming of lotuses (kamalollasitha)

The next sloka is beautiful by the figure of speech known as virodhAbhAsa, in which an entity is qualified by adjectives which are contrary to each other.

guNasinDhurasou guNAthivrthee

gathiranthasThithirAgmaikagamyaH

dhayithAsahitho dhyaikasangee

gururAdhyo mayi gouravam viDhAthA

He is gunasindhu, ocean of virtues, (gunas) yet guNAthivarthee, transcends the gunas( the three gunas of sattva rajas and thamas).

He is the gathi, goal of everyone and anthasThithih, situated within, yet Agamaikagamyah, known only through the Vedas.( the words gathi and anthasThithi shows His easy accessibility while Agamaikagamyah denotes that He is difficult to be known except by the Vedas.)

He is accompanied with Lakshmi yet shows favours to Daya, (here daya or mercy is elevated to the status of a consort to the Lord. It is to be expected from the author of dayasathakam to do so.)

He is the first guru yet shows reverence to other gurus like Narada.

Then Narada mentioned his own role in the world as the preserver of dharma and for that purpose he goes on playing one against the other and earned the name kalahapriya, one who revels o in creating discord. He was revered by all because they know that his kalaha will end in the welfare of the world. Thus saying Narada approached Krishna.

Narada spoke to Krishna thus:

Jaya dheva jagathryAntharAthman

Na niyantha n ach the samasthvadhanyah

Bhavabheethinieethineevin bhAtham

Paramam brahma bhavantham Amananthi

Victory to Thee, Oh Lord, there is no one who can command you and equal to You. To those afraid of the night called samsara You are the dawn.

udhithaH praNavAnkurAthmanA thavth

viviDha skanDha vibhaktha rooDa SAkhah

thvadhanugrahapushpithah prajAnAm

phalam ishtam nigamdhrumah prasoothe

The tree called Vedas sprung from You from the sprout of Omkara, sport many branches and put forth flowers of Your grace.

Then Narada spoke about Sisupala who had two lives as HiraNyakasipu and RavaNa and now taken birth as Sisupala. He has become krthrimasathru, enemy with a cause besides being natural enemy in the previous births because Krishna married Rukmini who was betrothed to him earlier. Narada said that Sisupala has to be annihilated in this birth also as he was becoming increasingly wicked. Narada further praised Krishna saying that to Him who had destroyed the demons Madhu and Kaitabha who were leke the mount Meru , Sisupala is like a fly.

Desika here through the words of Narada refers to the upanishadic declaration 'yasya brahma cha kshathram chObhE bhavatha Odhanah; mrthyuryasyOpasEchanam ` (Kato.1-2-25), to whom brahmakshatriya varnas are food and the god of death is the condiment and the corresponding Brahmasuthra `AtthA charAcharagrahaNAth.' Brahman is the eater because of consuming the whole universe of movable and immovable beings.

Food referred to is the whole universe of movable and immovable, signified by brAhmaNa and kshathriya, because they are the foremost beings of creation. It means the absorption of the universe and not the action of enjoying the food. Mrthyu, death is said to be the condiment, or that mixed with which the food is eaten. because like the condiment which becomes the inducement for eating the food while itself being eaten, the death consumes everything while itself being consumed by Brahman.

Now let us see the words of Desika.

aThavA jagadhethath Odhanasthe thath

upaghnan upasechanam cha mrthyuh

mahadhAdhi vilApayan mahimnA

dhamanenAdhriyase na dhAnavAnAm

Narada said, the destruction of asuras like Madhu and Kaitabha, is nothing to the one to whom the whole universe from mahat till the gross elements, is the food with god of death being the side dish.

Narada further said that partiality cannot be attributed to the Lord because He destroys the wicked because He is impartial towards all and protects those who surrender to Him whether he is a asura or a deva and punishes likewise. ( we could see this in the example of Vibheeshana and Jayantha)

Krishna was praised by Narada as the first and the ultimate God. He is the one worshipped by all and the one who bestows the fruit of action. He is both creator and annihilator and the only reality in the Vedas and the world of beings.

The next sloka is very beautiful and full of import.

Savane bhavamukthi sanDhiroope

viDhinA viSvapathe vichithrahethim

hrdhi SAnthaDhiyah saminDhathe thvAm

anaGhathma krathu havyavvahanam Adhyam

At the time of release from the samsara which is the yajna, the Lord is the fire in which the self is sacrificed by the enlightened. The sacrificial altar is the heart and the fire into which the self is offered is the Lord. The word vichithrahethi means wonderful flame as well as wonderful weapons, that is, charka, gadha etc.

Even though He cannot be seen He becomes perceptible through devotion and with insight. (Brahman is described as being inside the eye,the ibdividual self,in the hrdhayapundarika and also all pervading in the brahma vidhyas of the Upanishads.)

Hence the svarupa of the Lord is not known to the unenlightened and the worldly but the jnanis know Him like the fruit on their palm.

Thus entreating Krishna to punish Sisupala, Narada went away.