What is Krishna ? Bhagavad-gita 7.03 and 7.26

[Gummuluru Murthy]

On Thu, 2 Jul 1998, Ravisankar S. Mayavaram wrote:

>
> It is good to think of the dialogue of shrI kR^iShNa and arjuna from a
> symbolic point of view. But one should also keep in mind that shrI
> kR^iShNa is Ishvara.
>
> When one is in the plane of duality and when one thinks that he is real,
> his wife and children are real, his boss at work and colleagues are real,
> deal with them all attributing reality to all of them. Having conflicts
> and friendship, love and hatred towards the fellow human beings, but
> denying the reality to shrI kR^ishna is not correct.
>
> shrI kR^iShNa is Ishwara. He is to be worshipped.  Like you and me, he is
> real in this plane. It is not fiction that was told to educate us all
> about Atmaj~nAna.  It is something which really happened.
>
> Ravi
>

Namaste.

We are in the plane of duality and that plane of duality will be the
external appearance as long as we are embodied; but our thinking and
experience can go into the plane of non-duality.

If we deny that, there are no jeevanmukta and there is no moksha in
the embodied state. But as you and I and everyone on the list agree,
there is jeevanmukta and moksha is possible even while we are embodied.
Thus, I think viewing Shrikrishna and arjuna as consciousness and the
intellect is, in my view, not incorrect and, in fact, may be the
appropriate way for an advaitin.

I fully agree that Shrikrishna is Ishwara and Ishwara is as real as
you and I. But in the paramArtha (the only state we are concerned
with), is not everything nirguna Brahman ? In that state, where is
Shrikrishna, arjuna and the jeevas ? I think it is a mis-interpretation
of my earlier post to read into it that I said while we are real,
Shrikrishna is a fiction.

Shrikrishna is the same as Shri RamaNa maharshhi. Both are jnAnam in
embodied form. Somehow, we do not attribute the properties of Ishwara
to Shri RamaNa while we readily call Shrikrishna as Ishwara ! Why is
that ?

The step of Ishwara in advaita, while a very useful one, is still
not the final step. My feeling is, our understanding of advaita
will not be short-circuited if we look beyond Ishwara.

Regards
Gummuluru Murthy
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... bhave cchittasya paryAptirnUna manyAnapekshiNI ...
                                        ShrilalitA trishati
(even if one does japa once of ShrilalitA trishati), it is certain to
result in desireless mental satisfaction.
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