SrI Jayanthi -an insight into KaNNan's dhivya chEshtithams- Part 3- Concluding part

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Thus we enjoyed the Gopika charithams. We need to

touch upon one of last slokas of Yadhavaabhyudhayam

before completing this series for completion’s sake.

That tells us how one should enjoy the

KrishnAvathAram.

 

nAreeshtaChhA miyamithadhiyO nAkanAThESwarathvam

samyOgE Cha pravaNamanasa: SASvatham brahmacharyam |

athraikasyAm purinivasatha: sarva lOkADhikathvam

niDhyAyantha: swarithamatharan dhustharAm thasya

leelAm ||

 

The subjects discussed here are:

 

1. Bhagawaan Sri KaNNan is Devaadhi Devan- He was

always at the beck and call of Gopika girls. Once when

one girl complained to Him that her legs are paining

and can not keep walking. He lifted her and carried

her on His shoulders. Thus he listens to his devotees

and allows himself to be at their service. But we

should not be misled to believe that He is not the

Lord; He listens to these young girls of Gopas and the

young Gopa boy friends. Though he does that, He is the

lord of all Devas; Devaadhi Devan. Devendra, Brahma,

et al came and prayed to Him and praised Him.

 

We are bounded to someone due to our karma and its

association on us. It is mandate on us; There is no

esacpe and it is due to our karma bandham. For

SarvEshwaran, it is not the case. He is bound down and

tied down to devotee’s pleas and requests due to his

own sankalpam. “kaTTuNNa paNNiya peru maayan- paNNiya

is important. All this is due to His mercy and

anugraham on the devotees and that’s why comes Sri

KrishNAvathArams says Srimad Bhagawatham. anugrahA

bhakthAnAm maanusham dhEhamAsThitha: Thus listening

and heedimng to the request of His devotees, He thus

becomes easily accessible and sowlabhyan. That is His

Greatness; That is the greatness of Sri

KrishnaavathAram.

 

KaNNan alone is SarvEshwaran; He alone due to His

sowlabhyam blesses the devotees should be fully and

properly understood – this is what is contemplated by

KaNNanallaal Deivam illai; [There is no God other than

KaNNan]. Can there be any one equal to Him with such

Parathvam and still exhibit such greatest sowseelya,

sowlabhyathvam!

 

2. KaNNan- who was involved in his affair with

sthrees- is eternal Brahmachaari! -

 

KaNNan had 16000 women as his spouses and was

conducting his family with each one of them

individually – as seen and enjoyed by Sage Narada. He

also had enjoyed being united with Gopa sthrees. In

spite of all these, KaNNan is declared as the eternal

ever Nithya Brahmachari. When Pareekshith was born

from utthara’s womb, it feels as a charcoal [due to

AsvatthAmA’s asthira’s power]. The only lineage – heir

from Paandava vamsa was Pareekshith and hence they

were grief struck looking at the lifeless char coal

child. It was told by one of the elders that if pure

Bramachari’s foot touches the child, it would be

alive; become normal and active- said KaNNan. But none

dared come near as they felt scared that their true

nature would be revealed. [sri Ramanuja defines the

term Brahmacharyam in GitA BhAshyam as: “not having

even a thought at any time that women are the objects

of enjoyment”. What a great and wonderful definition!]

 

Thus, since none came forward, Bhagawaan KaNNan

himself come forward: If I am the true purest

Brahmachari and if I am SarvEshwaran, let the child

come back alive and become normal.” He touched the

baby’s body in full with His divine Lotus Feet.

Immediately the baby became fair complexioned and was

full of life, alive and crying.. In front of everyone,

this had happened. This is mentioned by Swamy

Desikan:

 

vimOhanE vallabagEhineenAm na brahmacharyam bibhidhE

thadhIyam |

sampathyasthE bAlakajeevanam thath sathyEna yEnaiva

sathAm samaksham ||

 

Thus KaNNan is the purest Brahmachari is Sathyam. It

was also true that He had played and enjoyed with

cowherd women; 16000 spouses; How could that both be

possible. Answer is: Only Bhagawaan can make that

happen. We should never ever equate Him with us. Sage

Narada once – came into Krishna’s palace saw KaNNan

welcoming him and asking his wife to bring waters for

argyam, pAdyam etc.. and honoured the sage; in the

next house he went into and saw KaNNan eating with his

wife serving him; third house he saw Him doing

ThiruvArAdhanam; fourth house, he was playing dhAyam

with his wife; The wonderstruck Narada came out and

after some time, all KaNNans came out to become one to

board the chariot and reach the palace. He realized

the Lord’s Iswarathvam and sang in praise of Him; The

Lord too replied to the Sage: oh Brahma rishI! I am

the one instructing DharmA; I am also following the

same in strict sense; I have come here to protect

dharma; and establish the same; Do not worry.”

 

He conducted his grahAsthama dharmam with His 16000

spouses; with no grievance from any one; KaNNan

Himself says in GitA: DharmAvirudDhO bhUthEshu

kAmOsmi-. Swamy Desikan also says:

 

AvidhitharaChanEna swEna pArThAya gItha:

Swayamajani kaama: kO(S)pi DharmAvirudDha:

 

It is possible only for Bhagawaan; The ultimate

GrahasthAsramam and the love, desire’s extent therein

was well established here and to establish that

dharma, this leelA of KaNNan was played. By the GopikA

charithram, the greatest Upanishad Dharmam was

established and shown to us…

 

The Lord’s ThirumEni (Body) is completely Suddha

sathvam; aprAkrutham- unaffected by matter (that we se

and have); Hence, His natural Brahmacharyam can never

change; It is also told that with His mere sankalpa

(will), He gave the sambOga sukham to Gopikas. Sage

Suka says the same in: avarudDha sairEtha: his

brahmacharyam thus never changed or was affected.

KaNNan only blessed them with His grace and anugraham

and granted what they desired for; He never desired

the same for; He did not consider them as objects of

enjoyment and hence in Ramanuja’s definition he was

full Brahmachari and Nithya Brahmachari.

 

3. The One who resided in the corner of Dwaraka is the

Lord of entire worlds; when Jarasandham came to fight

in the battle field, KaNNan [in order to protect the

people from destruction from the battle] built a city

in the centre of an ocean and stayed there with His

people. Jaraasandhan and others mistakenly thought

that He felt scared and hence ran away; They laughed

at His running away with fear. But as a matter of

fact, they were completely shivering with fear.

 

It is completely wrong to belittle KaNNan as the one

staying in a corner of Dwaraka city; He is the Lord

of all; He is Devas’ Devan. He is the One who grants

to these Devas what they grant to their devotees. As a

matter of gratitude, they gave little of what He had

given them, when he built this Dwaraka city. KubEra

gave away some wealth; Varunan gave Him some horses;

Devendra gave the paarijatha tree etc.. They grabbed

the opportunity to show their gratefulness.

 

One should enjoy KrishNAvathAram thus and contemplate

on His glorious deeds and leelAs. Then only can one

get rid of the maayaa (samsaaric affliction). If one

learns in half baked manner about His dhivya

chEshthithams, then we will end up arguing with

kutharkam and never ever be able to cross the ocean of

samsara. Thus with Gopika charitham, the highest

Upanishad saasthrA and VaidIka dharmam is established.

 

 

We should place our heart and mind at the lotus Feet

of KaNNan and Swamy desikan thus established the same

in Yadavabhyudhayam.

 

Anything found good in these posts is only due to the

wonderful original article written by Sri U Ve Dr

Vasudevachar Swami from Swamy Desikan’s excellent

analysis. Mistakes, errors, omissions are entirely

mine

 

Sarvam SrI KrishNArpaNamasthu

AchAryan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan madhavakkannan