What is Krishna ? Bhagavad-gita 7.03 and 7.26

[Gummuluru Murthy]

Further to my previous posts on the topic, I would like to present another
"evidence" that Shrikrishna is jnAnam, the Atman, the consciousness of the
jeeva.

The verse is from Viveka ChuDAmaNi and the context is as follows: the guru
teaches Brahma vidya to the disciple. The disciple, based on this teaching
and further contemplation, experiences Brahman in nirvikalpa samAdhi.
Coming out of the samAdhi, and getting to the body level, the disciple
bows to the teacher and expresses that only by guru's grace that He was
able to experience the bliss and says further:

sarveshhu bhUteshhv'aham eva samsthitah
jnAn'AtmanA'antar-bahir-Ashrayah san
bhoktA ca bhogyam svayam eva sarvam
yad yad pr^thag-dr^shhTam idamtayA purA         (verse 495)

In all creatures I exist in the form of consciousness and the Self,
being their internal and external support. I am the enjoyer. I am the
enjoyable. I am all that I saw as the not-Self before (realization).


This verse is very similar to the teachings by Shrikrishna to Arjuna
in bhagavad-gita. If we do not know that this verse is from Viveka
ChuDAmaNi (VC), we would probably guess it is from bhagavad-gita (BG).
In VC, a jeevanmukta, one who experienced nirvikalpa samAdhi, the Atman,
expresses this verse. In BG, Shrikrishna says very similar verses to
Arjuna. Thus, we will not be wrong if we take Shrikrishna as the Atman,
the consciousness.

I never had any dispute that Shrikrishna is Ishwara, the wielder of mAyA.
But much more than that and in the ultimate, Shrikrishna is the Knowledge
(upper case K), jnAnam, the parabrahma, which is the same as Atman, the
consciousness. A similarity to this. Many of us consider Shri Lalita,
the parameshwari as our personal God. Much more than the personal God,
Shri Lalita is the consciousness, the Brahman as the serial postings by
Ravi on Shri Lalita show.

Regards
Gummuluru Murthy
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Yadaa sarve pramucyante kaamaa ye'sya hr^di shritaah
atha martyo'mr^to bhavatyatra brahma samashnute   Katha Upanishhad II.3.14

When all the desires that dwell in the heart fall away, then the mortal
becomes immortal, and attains Brahman even here.
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