yadhavabhyudhaya-End of chapter18

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The sea and reaching Dvaraka

 

Thrayeemayah thanvi thava oupavAhyah

kAlakramAth Apanatho DharaNyAm

sAmAbhirAmDhvanibhih samsthAth

pakshAniaih mArjayathi iva dhoshAn

(Yad.18.72)

 

Desika describes the descent of Garuda to the earth as follows:

 

Garuda being the embodiment of Vedas, (vedhAthman), made sound with his wings resembling the samaveda announcing the descent to the earth and it looked as though he was sweeping off with his wings the imperfections of the earth.

 

The dark forest along the cost which has the look of the wife to the sea whose company is ever newly enjoyed by the husband by means of the water that enters the forest again and again. There is pun on the word rasa, which means water as well as love or enjoyment.

 

The sea seemed to extend its arms (waves) towards them as though eager to see the parijatha tree, which got separated long ago from it, coming near. The upcoming foam served as the pearl umbrella for Bhama, said Krishna.

 

There were some islets on the sea which, said Krishna, looked like the hoof marks of Varaha or those made by the arrows of Rama. This looks as though Krishna is reminding himself of his previous incarnations.

 

To prove that a devotee will see the Lord everywhere, especially on seeing something magnificent, Desika through the words of Krishna compares the sea to the Lord Himself.

 

Asou parapremapadham svabhavAth

ApooryamAno mahathA rasena

Athmeva dhrshtah sahasAprajAnAm

adharsanecchAM ithareshu dhatthe

(Yad.18.93)

 

The ocean is like the Lord because;

1.It is loved most. There is no one on earth who does not love the sea. Even the Lord Himself loves it as it is His abode. So too the Lord is the object of supreme love.

2. It is filled with water (rasa) by nature. The Lord is also full of Anandharasa, `raso vai sah, ' declares the Upanishad.

 

3.While seeing it, the sea excludes the desire of seeing everything else. Similarly on seeing the divyamangalavigraha of the Lord one does not want to see anything else except Him.

 

Next Krishna compares the sea to the oordhva thandava of Siva.

 

saphenahAso jatilah pravAlaih

udhvarthayan oormibhujaih bhujangAn

vidambayathyesha nisarga bheemah

kasyApi kalpAnthanatasya leelAM

(Yad.18.970

 

The foam was like the fierce laughter, the coral reeds were the matted hair, the waves like arms tossing the snakes in the sea, the scene resembled the dance of Siva at the time of deluge.

 

Or perhaps it imitates the dance of Manthara mountain which was like rasakreeda, when it was churned.

 

Thaisthairasou nirmaThithoviDhoothah

samkshobhitho banDhanapeedanAdhyaih

prasAdha gAMbheerya niDHih praThimnA

kshmANvayam nojJathi SeethalAthmA

(Yad.18.100)

 

Krishna praises the ocean saying that, even though it was churned by the devas, made turbid by the Varaha, bound by Rama, troubled by Parasurama, (by the word Adhi the drinking by Agasthya is also implied), the ocean still maintained its coolness being accompanied n by the earth. The term used for the ocean, prasadha gAmbheerya nidhih, meaning the reservoir of clearness and depth, implies the nature of saintly souls who are always calm, without showing anger and kind-hearted even when tormented by others and do not give up their composure.

 

Klathravantham purusham purANam

kapALinam chandhrakalAvathamsam

airAvathAdhyaihprachithAN akArsheeth

vaimAnikAn eva mahAn vadhAyah

(Yad.18.102)

 

The ocean is a great donor, vadhAnya, said Krishna, because it gave a wife to the Ancient Purusha, Narayana, crescent moon to Siva and all the riches like airavatha etc to the devas.

 

As a vaishnava devotee Desika could not resist mentioning about the divine mother and he says,

 

Idham jagath dharSitha thArathamayam

yadhbhroolathA lAsya viSeshanighnam

prajApatheenAm jananeem ajanyAm

thAm eva dheveem anaghAm asootha

(Yad.18.105)

 

This ocean gave birth to the Goddess Lakshmi, who is birth-less, faultless and by whose graceful dance of the eyebrows the ups and downs of the world is decided and who is the mother of all the Brahmas. ( There are many Brahmas in each kalpa like Indra)

 

Thus the sea, not only gave its daughter to the ever young bridegroom but also gave Him kousthubha gem and other things that go with the wedding like the feast in the form of nectar, vehicles and other gifts for the devas. The crowning glory of the sea was that it acquired Seshabhava, the status of offering service to the Lord by accommodating Him, a part of whose body accommodated the whole Universe, along with His couch, the Sesha.

 

Anargham Adhyam harineelarathnam

lakshmeedhrSA nithya nidharSaneeyam

nabhahprthicchandhanibhena noonam

anthargatham vyanjatayathi svaDhAmnA

(Yad.18.106)

 

There is a shadow of the dark clouds on the surface of the sea. By this it seems that the sea is implying the presence of the invaluable blue sapphire called Hari within itself , which is incessantly enjoyed by Lakshmi through her glances. Here the commentators feel that there is reference to the Mathsyavathara, lakshmeedhrsa nithyanidhaSaneeyam perhaps implying the constant moving of the eyes of mathsya. The word nidharSana also has the meaning of illustration. So the dark body of the Lord is compared to the dark eyes of Lakshmi.

 

Krishna told sathyabhama that he got the conch named pAnchajanyam only from this ocean when he retrieved the dead son of his guru SAndhaapani by killing the asura Panchajana.

 

They reached Dvaraka and Desika through the words of Krishna extols the city as one of the mokshapuris.

 

Padhe parasmin iva nithyam asyAm

Suddhena satthvena vibhooshithAYAm

DharmasyavAsAh praThithAh prThivyAm

Sarithpathougoshpadhavath bhavanthi

(Yad.18.118)

 

The city of Dvaraka consisting only of satthva without rajas and thamas resembles the eternal abode of the Lord and hence all the other sacred cities are as of little importance as the pool under the hoof of a cow in comparison with the ocean.

 

It is said that the seven cities Ayodhya,MathurA, Maya, Kasi, Kanchi Avanthika and Dvaraka are the seven places that secure moksha.

 

ayoDhyA maThura mAya kASee kAnchiravanthikA

puree DhvAravathee chaiva sapthaithA mokshadhAyikAh

 

 

Sva raSmi nishpAdhitha sooryabhedham

archirmukhaih architha bhavyabhAgAm

nivrtthidharme niyathasThitheena

naSreyaseem paddhathim Ahuh enAm

 

The city is compared to the archirAdhi mArga, the path of light traveled by those who go attain moksha, because it abounds in rays of light that join with the rays of the Sun and it is the place of worship of the devas and hence all the devas like Agni are in their respective places.

 

The lofty palaces that seem to touch the heavens and the shadow of hem which spread to the netherworld the sea in-between, make it impossible to find the entrance of the city.

 

The ocean is the moat around that protects this city, the sea-coast itself is the wall surrounding it and protected by Sathyaki, the city is invincible even by the host of the devas.

 

Krishna reached Dvaraka which is similar to Lanka in glory. The adjectives vyathikarithasuvelAm, viSvakarmaprasoothim, lavanajalaDhigupthAm and Dhanapathi bahumAnyAm fit both, suvela being the mountain on which Lanka is situated, while with reference to Dvaraka it means those who act according to dharma, both were built by visvakarma, protected by the ocean, lavaNajalaDhi and Dvaraka was revered by Kubera while Lanka was his earlier abode.

 

When Krishna came to Dvaraka, Narada arrived to inform him of the imprisonment of Aniruddha by Banasura. The next chapter and the next are about the fight with Bana and the marriage of Usha with Aniruddha, the grandson of Rukmini and Krishna.