Dasavatara and Bhagavatgita

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Dasavathara in the light of the Gita

 

1. What is an avathara?

A descent from higher to lower. The Lord coming from Vaikunta or KsheerabDhi to the mortal world in a form visible to all. This is the common conception. But avatharana, the descent means not from a place but from a higher realm of consciousness to a lower plane of consciousness. The divinity is everywhere , in every being but unmanifest. When it is manifest in a gross form it is an avathara. In this sense the avathara is happening always. Whenever the good overpowers the evil it is avathara. Gita says `parithraaNaaya saadhoonam vinaaSaaya cha dhushkrthaam Dharma samsThaapanaarThaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge, to protect the good and to punish the wicked I make myself manifest in every yuga.' The words yuge yuge should not be understood as once in a yuga. It means `in all yugas,' whenever necessary. But the dasavatharas among the 24 avataras described in Bhagavatapurana, in which the divinity has manifested for all to see, are the prominent ones.

 

2. What are Puranas and Ithihasas like Bhagavatapurana and Ramayana?

 

There are 18 puranas out of which Bhagavatapurana and vishnupurana are the ones where we find the description of the dasavataras of Lord Narayana. The purnas and Ithihasas are not cock and bull stories or fairytales as many think in modern days. They are not figments of imagination of the sages or mere mythology. They are pregnant with meaning. The sages, out of mercy for those who could not study and understand the sruthi and smrthi have given out the same truths in the form of stories that everyone can understand.

 

3. The whole Sanskrit literature can be classified into three heads.

Sruthi and smrthis- Vedas are sruthis and Bhagvat gita , Manusmrthi etc. which are corollary to Vedas are called smrthis. These are classified under the name Prabhusamhitha, because like a prabhu or master they give commands in the form of injunctions, prohibitions and instructions.

Puranas and Ithihasas are called suhrthsamhitha because like a suhrth, friend, advising what is good for us, they tell us about the same truths contained in the sruthi and smrthi in the form of stories in a friendly and suggestive manner.

 

There is a third class of works known as kavyas, comprising of drama, prose and poetry like the works of Kalidasa and other poets, which also contain the values of dharma and spirituality but like a kantha , a wife they convey the message in an entertaining and unobtrusive manner. A wife has to tell her husband what is good for him in an indirect and pleasant manner because no husband likes to be advised or instructed by his wife!

 

4. Dasavatara and Gita.

As the dasavatharas are the most important subject of the Bhagavathapurana and Vishnupurana, the Bhagavt gita is the most important part of Mahabharatha, and therefore inspite of its occurrence in the ithihaasa it has been elevated to the status of smrthi.

 

5. Gita is the gospel of humanity. It is essential in every walk of life and the view that the study of it can be postponed to the old age is wrong. It was told in the battlefield and not in forest, urging Arjuna to do his duty. Unless the seed is sown while young, the wisdom of the scriptures will not bear fruit in the old age. Whether one is a student, or an executive or a householder, he will be more efficient in his work if he has mastered the principles of Gita. When the same is done without anxiety for the result and with detachment it is karmayoga.

 

6. Dasavathara in the light of Gita.

The Dasvatharas are the illustrations of the Gita. What the Lord said in the Gita, He has demonstrated in His incarnations. While the avatharas except Ramavathara and krishnavathara are the illustrations of the Gita , the Ramavathara is the elucidation of Gita and the Krishnavathara is embodiment of Gita.

 

 

 

Matsyavathara

 

The purpose of the Matsyavathara was to retrieve the Vedas which were stolen by Hayagreevasura, while Brahma was asleep during naimitthika pralaya which was the night of Brahma, and hidden under the ocean. The Lord took the form of a large fish and retrieved them, killing Hayagreevasura.. Now the Hayagreevasura stands for perverted intellect strong enough to influence the world to eclipse the wisdom of the Vedas. The word haya means, besides a horse, a class of men strong like wood, arrogant, perverted and fearless. kaashtaa thulya vapuH Dhrshtah miThyaachaaraScha nirbhayaH. Vedas being immersed in the ocean, wisdom and Dharma being submerged in aDharma due to the absence of the guidance of Vedas, it requires the divine grace in the form of Mhamathsya.

 

Mathsya form of the Lord is called mahaamathsyaH , It represents the pure intellect , all pervading, sarvajna, which alone could save the Vedas and dharma.

 

The brhadharyanaka Upanishad says, yaThaa mahaamathsyaH ubhe koole anusancharathi poorvam cha aparam cha, which means, `as the large fish goes along the two banks being in contact with one and the other.'

 

Small fish are agitated by the current of the river and run to this bank and the other whereas the mahamathsya goes touching both the banks and not affected by the current of the river, mahaan cha asou mathsyaScha naadheeyena srothasa ahaaryaH.

 

The two banks are doubt and delusion. Born out of the dhvandhvas, raga and dvesha, sukha and duhkha etc. between which the jiva oscillates like a pendulum.

 

When the intellect is not mature with wisdom it is oscillating between doubt and delusion, running hither and thither like small fish swimming alternately between the two banks. But when it is grown fully, all the doubts are resolved and the delusion is no more. Gita says, `raagadvesha viyukthaisthu vishayaan indhriyaischaran athma vaSairviDheyaathmaa (2.64) the one who contacts the sense objects with his senses fully controlled due to the absence of likes and dislikes is disciplined and self-controlled The two banks have now become vivika and vairagya. The same intellect becomes all pervading, being established in Brhaman, the Absolute reality, and is firmansd unaffected by the cross currents of samsara, the transmigratory existence.

 

In the story, the Lord as matsya instructs the king satyavrata to take pairs of all beings and seeds of the plants and herbs when the world is submerged in water during deluge and get into a boat drawn by mahamatsya which would come there He did so and the Lord took him to safety and the reproduction continued. The deluge was the effect of maya which could be crossed only with the help of the Lord as said in the Gita dhaivee hyeshaa guNamayee mama maayaa dhurathyayaa maamevaye prapdhyanthe maayaam ethaam tharanthi the(BG.7.14) "This divine delusion formed by the gunas created by Me is difficult to cross and those who resort to Me alone are able to cross over."

 

 

Koormavathara

 

Next is Koormavathara. This incarnation was taken to help amrthamathana. Amrtha is the nectar of brahmajnana which secures immortality. The mount mandhara is the firm resolve as said in the 5th chapter of the Gita, thath budDhayaH thadhaathmaana HthannishTaah thathapraayaNaaH gacChanthi apunaraavrtthim jnaana nirDhootha kalmashaaH (BG.5.17) Their intellect riveted in the self, being engrossed in the self, contemplating on the self and fixing their goal as the self, the yogis whose impurities are washed away by jnana reach the state of no return.

 

The fight between devas and asuras , who denote good and bad impulses is going on always inside the mind. The only solution to end that, is to acquire jnana which is signified by amrtha. The milky ocean is the mind full of turbulence but calm on the surface. Vasuki is the king of serpents, whch stand for the desires. The king of desires is the desire for moksha. When the desire for moksha, vasuki, is wound around firm resolve, mandhara mountain, the amrtha can be gained. But it needs the help of the Lord at each and every step. He had to help in lifting mandhara and to put it in the ocean, helped by supporting it on his back as koorma, churned the ocean along with the devas , entered into them to give strength and finally as Mohini He took the amrtha away from the asuras and gave it to the devas. This shows that one needs the divine grace at each and every step of spiritual progress.

 

First the poison halahala came out which was swallowed by Siva. Halahala is the bad vasanas or impulses stored in the mind through several births which have to eradicated as the first step. It was absorbed by Siva the annihilator. The Lord as Siva out of mercy takes away the sinful propensities to make the mind pure. Vedantadesika, the foremost of Vaishnava acharyas after Ramanuja and composer of several devotional and philosophical works, says in his dayasatakam, in which he personifies the daya , mercy of the Lord, as dhayaadhevi, that, she eats the sins of the devotees to make them pure and worthy of the grace of the Lord. Theshaam eva anukamoaarTham aham ajnaanajam thamaH naasayaami, the Lord says in the Gita.(BG.10.11) "I destroy the darkness of ignorance (which is the cause of sins) for them out of mercy."

 

All the good things that came out of the ocean like Airavatha, ucchaisravas etc, are the various siddhis that come to one who aspires for jnana at different levels. The devas were warned against being tempted by these and stop churning. The siddhis are impediments to progress and the aspirant for mukthi is not tempted by them. Mahalakshmi represents the mercy of the Lord which is why she chose His heart as her residing place. She is called o purushakarbhooha, who recommends the case of the devotee to the Lord , making Him forgive the faults of the devotee and shower His grace. Finally the amrtha came, only to be seized by the asuras at the last moment. This is to show that one should not be complacent about his spiritual progress as there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. The Gita says, indhriyaaNi pramaaTheeni haranthi prasbham manaH.(Bh.2.60) the senses of an aspirant till he reaches the final stage remain strong and carry his mind unaware and indhriyasyendhriyasyaarThe raagadhveshou vy avasThithou thayorna vasam aagacCheth thou hyasya paripanThinou (Bh3.34) Desire and aversion is attached to each sense object through the respective sense organ. One should not come under their sway because they are his enemies. That is , the senses may get the better of even a wise man who he has controlled them.

 

There is a story to illustrate this: A guru who has mastered the sasthras was teaching his disciples in the forest these linesfrom Mahabharatha. balavaan indhriyagramo vdhvaamsam api karshthi (MB) which means that the senses are strong and tempt even the man of knowledge. The guru, who was proud of himself as a master of his senses changed it to balavaan indhriyagramo vidhvaamsam naapi karshathi, that is, the senses do no tempt the learned man. Sage Veda Vyasa, the author of mahabharatha was angered by this and wanted to teach him a lesson. He created a heavy shower and took the form of an attractive woman and came to the place where he was teaching, seeking shelter. The guru told her to go inside his hut and take shelter from the rain. When she brushed past him the guru was attracted by her and dismissed his students. Then he knocked on the door of the hut which she did not open. Then he got on the roof and tried to get in but was caught in between the bamboos of the roof and called out to his students to come for his rescue. Then he found, when the door was opened that there was nobody inside He learnt his lesson and later taught the same passage as balavaan indhriyagraamo vidhvaamsam api karshathi karshathi karshathyeva.

 

Koorma signifies the sthithaprajna portrayed in the second chapter of the Gita. Yadhaa samharthe chaayam koormaangaaneeva sarvaSaH indhriyaaNi indhriyaarThebhyaH thasya prajnaa prathishTithaa (BG.2.58). When one withdraws his senses from sense objects on all sides like the tortoise withdraws its limbs, his wisdom is firm. The koorma is the aadhikoorma who supports the entire universe on His back to whom the mandhara mountain was nothing. Desika says in his dasavathra sthothra that the Lord was not at all affected by the churning and felt as though his back was being scratched. This is the state of sthitha prajna described in the Gita.baahyasparSeshu askthaathmaa vindhathi aathmani yath sukham(BG.5.21) The one whose senses are not drawn towards sense objects outside, acquires joy within himself, being engrossed in Brahman which gives him undiminished joy.