Lord VishNu - The origin of KrishNa avatAram

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SrI:

SrI Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmaNE namaha

SrI Lakshminrusimha divya pAdukA sEvaka SrIvaN SatakOpa-

SrI nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESIkAya namaha

 

Dear devotees,

namO nArAyaNa.

 

Gaudiya Vaishnavas (ISKCON) hold the view that Lord KrishNa

is the " original Lord " and all other forms of PerumAL are His

expansions. But, the SAstras do not support this view.

 

Few months back, couple of devotees asked adiyEn to write on

this issue. Its bhagavad sankalpam that it has come out now.

 

Considering Lord KrishNa as the " original God " is a direct

violation of very authoritative texts of pAncarAtra AgamAs.

Lakshmi Tantra (11.19-25), SAttvata Samhita (ch.9) and

Ahirbudhnya Samhita (5.50-57) clearly enumerate the various

vibhava avatAras like Lord Nrusimha, Lord vAmana, Lord RAma and

others (Totally 38 or 39). Lord KrishNa is very much in this

list. Ofcourse, there is no strict stipulation in the number

of vibhava avatArams - They are many, as per the divine will

of Lord.

 

Para-VAsudEva at SrI VaikuNTham has an eternal form, from

beginingless time. During PraLayam, since all the material

world attains its sookshma state, there is no avatAram of

PerumAL in the material world that time. In otherwords, YOga nidra

at milk-ocean,arcA avatArams etc are all winded up during praLaya.

After creation, all these avatArams are again manifested by PerumAL.

It is to be noted that SrI VaikuNTham is not affected during

praLayam. Be it at milk ocean, at various vyUha and vibhava

lOkas as presiding Lord, antaryAmi avatAram in the heart,

vibhava avatArams and arcA avatArams - All are manifested

again by Lord appropriately. He knows what forms are to be taken

for what avatArams etc.

 

There are many pramAnas which clearly state that Lord KrishNa

is only an avatAram taken by Lord VishNu / Lord NArAyaNa. Lets

consider certain important ones.

 

In SrI VishNu purANam (5.1.2), Sage MaitrEya asks Sage ParASara

as follows:

 

amSAvatArO brahmarshE yO(a)yam yadukulOdbhavaha |

vishNOstam vistarENA(a)ham SrOtum icchAmi tattvataha ||

 

" O Brahma Rishi ! I desire to hear the accurate, detailed

account on this amSAvatAra of ViSNu born in yadu kula(race).

 

( bhavaha = birth; tattvataha = true account, as it is ).

 

 

This ofcourse doesn't mean that KrishNa is an " amSAvatAra "

like Sage VyAsa, who was a jivAtma empowered by Lord. We very

well know from other pramAnas that Lord KrishNa is none other

than Lord ViSNu Or Lord NArAyaNa. This is what asserted by

the likes of BhIshma and Brahma through their glorifications

recorded in SrImad BhAgavatham (SB). The purport is that,

KrishNa is not merely a human being who was playing at GOkula

etc, but He is certainly the Supreme Lord NArAyaNa Himself.

 

In SrImad BhAgavatham (SB), a similar type of question is asked

about the avatAram of Lord VishNu by King Parikshit towards Suka

Brahma Maharishi :

 

" yatOSca dharmaSeelasya nitarAm munisattama |

tatrAmSEnAvatIrNasya vishNOr vIryANi Samsa naha || " (10.1.2)

 

Trans. by AC BhaktivEdAnta swAmi :

 

" Oh Best of Munis! You have also described the descendants of

Yadu, who were very pious and strictly adherent to religious

principles. Now, if you will, kindly describe the wonderful,

glorious activities of Lord VishNu <<or KrishNa>>, who

appeared in that Yadu dynasty with BaladEva, His plenary

expansion " .

 

First of all, its extremly clear from this verse that Lord VishNu

was the one who had come as krishNa. SrI Parikshit pointedly

says that he wants to hear about the glorious activities of

Lord VishNu <who had come as KrishNa>. There is no mention that

he wanted to hear about the glories of KrishNa, the original

God who has descended directly from gOlOka etc.

 

Our AchAryas have also accepted the interpretation that " amSEna "

can refer to SrI BalarAma as interpreted by the ISKCON AchArya.

But, more importantly, the verse can also be interpreted as

KrishNa being Lord VishNu's amSAvatAra which is mentioned in

SrI VishNu purANam itself. In this case, it will imply that SrI

Parikshit requested SrI Sukar to describe the glorious activities

of the amSa of Lord VishNu ie. KrishNa (same as in SrI VishNu

purANam). Also, SrI BalarAma is not directly Lord VishNu. He is an

avatAram of SrI AdisEsha. But, for GVs, SrI BalarAma is the very

next expansion of Lord KrishNa, their original God ie. SrI BalarAma

is in the " ISwara Tattva " and not " jIva tattva " .

 

In either of these interpretations, its very clear that Lord

VishNu is born as KrishNa.

 

The account of the birth of Lord KrishNa in SB is very clear on

this issue.

 

After Lord VishNu appeared with His four arms etc, SrI VasudEva

recognized Him to be the Supreme Lord and offered glorifications

/prayers. Then, DEvaki offered her glorifications/prayers.

 

In SB 10.3.28, DEvaki requests Lord VishNu to make His form

which denotes Supreme Lord and meditated upon by yOgis,

invisible to the general public { " ...........rUpam cEdam

paurusham dhyAna-dhishNyam mA pratyaksham mAmsa druSAm

krushIshThAha " }.

 

In the next verse (10.3.29), she says that she is afraid

of Kamsa and is in anxiety, and requests the Lord to do

something so that Kamsa will not understand that Lord VishNu

Himself has been born. Kamsa already knew that Lord VishNu is

after killing Him, soon after Sage NArada briefed him about

these things (SB 10.1.65-66 : " ...............dEvakyA garbha

sambhUtam vishNum ca sva vadham prati|| ....). Thats why DEvaki

wanted Lord VishNu to make His identity unknown to others.

 

She then requests (10.3.30) :

 

" upasamhara viSvAtmannadO rUpam alaukikam |

Sankha Cakra gadA padmaSriyA jushtam catur-bhujam || "

 

Trans. by Sri BhaktivEdAnta SwAmi of ISKCON :

 

" O My Lord, You are the all-pervading Supreme Personality of

Godhead and Your transcendental four-armed form, holding

conchshell,disc, club and lotus, is unnatural for this world.

Please withdraw this form [and become just like a natural

human child so that I may try to hide You somewhere] " .

 

DEvaki is adding one more reason here. Not only that Kamsa

will find Him out, but also that this form is un-natural for

a child in this world.

 

Another point to be noted is that, Lord is glorified as

" ViSvAtma " ie. all-pervading aatma, who is the aatma for

everything. Though the Lord is the " aatma " which is all

pervading, He has taken a four handed form and its being

addressed here. This also enables us to understand the

distinction between the aatma (Lord Himself) and divine

form of Lord.

 

She elaborates her request in the next verse (SB 10.3.31) :

 

" ViSvam yad YEtat sva-tanau niSAntE -

yathAvAkASam purushaha parO bhavAn |

bibharti sO(a)yam mama gharbagO(a)bhUd -

ahO nru-lOkasya vidambanam hi tat || "

 

Trans. by Sri BhaktivEdAnta SwAmi :

 

" At the time of devastation, the entire cosmos, containing

all creatures moving and non-moving entities, enters Your

transcendental body and is held there without difficulty.

But now this transcendental form has taken birth from my

womb. People will not be able to believe and I shall become

an object of ridicule " .

 

Thus, she desparetly pleads Lord VishNu to make His

identity unknown to the people and take a form resembling

a human child. She doesn't say, " Get back Your Original

form of KrishNa " etc here. Also, Kamsa identified God (ie.

Vishnu) with the four-handed form only and its well known

to him and many of the people.

 

Lord VishNu then narrates about the past two lives of

VasudEva and DEvaki, in which He Himself was born to them.

 

Lord then says (SB 10.3.45) :

 

" Etad vAm darSitam rUpam prAg-janma-smaraNaya mE |

nAnyathA mad-bhavam jn~yAnam martya-liNgEna jAyatE || "

 

Trans. by Sri BhaktivEdAnta SwAmi :

 

" I have shown you this form << of VishNu >> just to remind

you of My previous births. Otherwise, if I appeared like an

ordinary human child, you would not believe that I << the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, VishNu >> has indeed

appeared " .

 

This makes extremly clear that Supreme Lord is identified

with four handed form and the human form with two hands

is only to be taken by Him now.

 

SB 10.3.46 says that " ......bhagavAn aatma maayayA ....

babhUva prAkruta: SiSuhu " ie. Lord by His sankalpa (divine

will) became a human child (ie. took the two handed form).

 

Here, SrI BhaktivEdAnta Swami adds : " In other words, He

transformed Himself into His original form : krushNAstu

bhagavAn swayam " .

 

Well, there is no indication in the original texts even

remotely regarding this. There were plenty of oppurtunities

in these chapters of SB to say that Lord transformed into His

original form. But, this has never been said and the reasons

given are in the contrary ie. Lord transformed Himself into

the two handed form like a human, since the four handed form

would make people understand that He is the Supreme Lord. Also,

in SrI VishNu purANam which describes the birth of Lord

KrishNa, there is no mention of Lord VishNu getting back His

original form ; rather it is clear that Lord VishNu is taking

an avatAra ie. vibhava avatAra. Infact, it states Lord KrishNa

as Lord VishNu's amSAvatAra, which is quoted above.

 

Apart from SrI VishNu purANam and SrImad BhAgavatham,

HarivamSam also describes the lIlAs of Lord KrishNa. So, adiyEn

is quoting from it also regarding this issue.

 

On the acceptance of HarivamSa as a pramAna for those who

are unaware of this work :

 

HarivamSa is an appendix to MahAbhArata and is also a valid

pramAna. To my knowledge, SrI Adi Sankara has quoted atleast

one verse from this. In his VishNu SahasranAma BhAshyam, for the

nAma " KESava " (654), the following HarivamSa verse has been

quoted to explain the etymology :

 

< Lord Siva says to Lord KrishNa : >

 

" ka iti brahmaNO nAma iSO(a)ham sarvadEhinAm |

aavAm tavAngE sambhUtau tasmAt kESavanAmavAn || " (131.48)

 

" 'ka' is the name of (four-headed) Brahma and I am 'ISa', who

rules over all embodied beings. Both of us have been born out

of Your body and therefore You are known by the name 'KESava' " .

 

This verse has been quoted by SrI ParASara Bhatta (a great

SrI Vaishnava AchArya) also in his commentry for this nAma.

 

SrI BhaktivEdAnta SwAmi has also quoted many verses from

HarivamSa, esp. in 10th Canto of SB.

 

HarivamSa is also very clear that it was Lord VishNu who is

born and how SrI VasudEva and DEvaki recognizes the Lord, asks

Lord to change His form to be like a human child etc. I don't

want to repeat the same thing that has been known from VP and

SB.

 

adiyEn would like to quote only few selected verses from it.

 

The following are the words of ParasurAma (who is a ciranjeevi)

to Lord KrishNa and Lord BalarAma, when they met him :

 

" tatra tE krishNa ! san~grAmE suvyaktam vaishNavam vapuhu |

drakshyanti ripavassarvE surASca surabhAvana || " (39.76)

 

" tAm bhajasva gadAm krushNa cakram ca ciravismrutam |

bhajasva svEnarUpENa surANAm vijayayAyavai || " (39.77)

 

 

" Oh KrishNa, the cause of birth etc of dEvas (surabhAvana)! In

that battle (san~grAmE), everyone -all enemies <ripavaha> and

dEvas - will clearly (suvyaktam) see (drakshayanti) You in the

form/body of vishNu (vaishNavam vapuhu) " (39.76)

 

" At that time, by bearing (bhajasva) Mace and Cakra, about which

You would had forgotten for a longtime / hidden them for a

longtime (cira-vismrutam), accept (bhajasva) Your original /

natural form (svEnarUpEna) <ie. of vishNu> - for the victory

of Yourself and dEvAs " (39.77).

 

The following verse (HarivamSa 113.62) is a popular one

amongst SrI VaishNavAs and has been quoted by SrI VaishNava

AchAryAs in their works.

 

" yEsha nArAyaNaha SrImAn ksheerArNava-nikEtanaha |

nAgaparyankamutsrujya hyAgatO madhurAm purIm || "

 

ie. " This nArAyaNa who is ever united with SrI (ie. SrIman

nArAyaNa) < of SrI VaikuNTham >, who has milk-ocean

as His abode <vyUha form>, has now come to the city of

Madhura < as KrishNa, a vibhava avatAra >, leaving His bed

AdisEsha. "

 

Thus, there is no doubt that Lord KrishNa is a vibhava avatAra

of Lord NArAyaNa (VishNu). The view that Lord KrishNa being the

original God expands Himself into four handed forms of NArAyaNa

etc is not supported by SAstras. Though the above pramAnas by

themselves are extremly clear on this issue, there are more

pramAnams even from SrImad BhAgavatham, SrI VishNu purANam and

HarivamSam, apart from MahAbhAratam, pAncarAtra etc. If bhagavad

sankalpam approves, adiyEn will post them after few months,

if needed.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

anantapadmanAbhan.

krishNArpaNam.