[Advaita-l] Opinions about Rama and Krishna avataras flying around in this list -- (Part II)

[Sriram Sharma]

(continued from Part - I)

Recently, I observed that people have raised questions about Lord Krishna's
avatara. Here I will try to show why the idea that Krishna "left his mortal
coil" contradicts the words of our Acharyas:

(a) Madhusudana Saraswati in Gudhartha Dipika: (4.5 - 4.7):
"While demolishing both these doubts, He also states the rebuttal of the
view about His non-eternality." (4.5)
"And thus, the conclusion is that the Supreme Lord verily cannot have a body
made of elements that is not already occupied by a *jIva*. Nor can it be
said that, as one is possessed by a ghost, in the same way God Himself
enters into that kind of body which is indeed occupied by a *jIva*... He
dispels the notion of His acceptance of a fresh body and that of separation
from a previous one by saying: 'even though undecaying by nature' " (4.6)

(b) Adi Sankara's commentary on Vishnu Sahasranama:
Amrita Vapuh: "mRtam maraNam rahita-vapuh asyeti amRtavapuH"

(c) Sridharaswami's commentary on Bhagavatam (11.31.6):
Does the Lord depart in the same manner as yogis? This confusion is cleared
up in this verse -- Only yogis are known to burn down their bodies before
they depart. For the Lord it is not so, as he enters his abode known as
"Vaikunta" with His body intact. Why is this so? Because his body is
"Lokabhiramam" -- gives immense joy for the various lokas.

And Arjuna does antima samskara only for the others in the Yadava clan who
perished.

"I make that body that is always present appear as though created, through
my Maya" (4.7)

The opinion that Krishna's departure was because as Rama he killed Vali with
an arrow, is totally unfounded in Pramanas.

Finally, the concept that Rama had prarabda-karma is totally contradictory
to the Gita and its Bhashyas, and it is like the (nonsense) Christian
concept of dying for anothers' sins, as another member of this list already
pointed out. Ishvara getting deluded by Maya is also not as per Adi
Shankara's siddhanta. Adi Shankara clearly says (Brahma Sutra 2.3.41, Gita
2.39) that Ishvara's grace is necessary for the attainment of jnana that
leads to moksha. If Ishvara Himself is deluded, none of us have any hope to
reach liberation! Chandogya Upanishad says that Paramatma is Apahata-papma
(totally free from sins), and Bhagavatpadacharya is in complete agreement
with this in his Sutra Bhashya and Gita Bhashya.

I am not an expert on Swami Vidyaranya, but the Acharya could be meaning
something different with the words quoted by friends in this forum. I would
request experts to clarify the Teekas/Vivaranas available for those works
and clarify those places, if possible.

The idea of my post is not to pick fights with anyone, but to give a clear
perspective based on Pramanas. It is important to stick to the words of
Acharyas in the Sampradaya, and rest of the stuff available today are to be
treated as, with due respects to the authors, no better than 5-rupee railway
station bookstand stuff.

bhuja^ngamA^nga shAyine viha^ngamA^nga gAmine
tura^ngamA^nga bhedine namo rathA^nga dhAriNe

SS