[Advaita-l] Shree Krishna karnaamrutam - 1

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

Shree Krishna Karnaamrutam by Bilvamangala Leelasuka
Tomorrow is Shree Krishna Jayanti. I am going to present some selected versus from Shree Krishna Karnaamrutam by Bilvamangala Leelasuka. Those who wish to present more on this beautiful text are welcome. 

Thus we are celebrating Krishna Jayanti tomorrow– celebration of the day the Lord’s descending onto the earth in an enchanting form as a child to Devaki-Vasudeva but grow up in a cowherd family as Nada and Yashoda kishora.  Krishna himself reveals his divine incarnation status in Gita, fourth Chapter and declares that He comes down to uplift the good and to punish the wicked, who obstruct the good from flourishing.   Paritraanaaya sadhuunaam vinashayaaca dRiShkRitaam, 
dharma samthaapanaarthaaya sambhavaami yoge yuge|
 and says He comes whenever, whenever the dharma is getting strangled by adharma: 
yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya glaanirbhavati bhaarata… ,
He comes down to restore dharma. Rama was not aware of his divine status and even when told, he considered himself to be a human, until when he was ready to leave this earth. Unlike Rama’s case, Krishna is fully aware of his divine status and declared himself that truth by demonstrating again and again by showing His viraat swaruupa; but in the end, He departed this earth like a human being, shot by an arrow of a hunter. Krishna declares:
bahuuni me vyatiitaani janmaani tavacaarjuna| 
staanyaham veda sarvaaNi na tvam vettha parantapa||
That is He is aware of all the births that He has taken before, while Arjuna does not remember; and thus declares he was the one who taught this science of Vedanta first to Vivasvavaan. Hence all the Leelas of Krishna have to be understood with the knowledge of who is playing these Leelas, the one who can kill Putana by sucking her life out, who could dive into Yamuna to punish the most poisonous snake, Kali and dance on its hood, and who could lift with his little finger the Govardhana mountain to protect all the innocent.   His leelas, therefore, have to be understood as divine plays with deep inner meaning for those who revel and bhakti for those who are enchanted by those.
Leelasuka in his enchanting work – Sri Krishna KarnaamRitam – introduces himself as: 
Shaivaa vayam na khalu tatra vicaaraNiiyam 
pancaaksharii japaparaa nitaraam tathaapi|
ceto madiiya matasiikusumaavabhaasam
smerananam smarati gopavadhuu kishoram||
He says we are Shaviates. By using we, the implication is the whole family that he comes from.  The family tradition is that Shiva bhakti is practiced from his childhood.  Then question is – was he involved in daily Vishnu aaraadhana? He says no – he does pancaaksharii japa paaraayanam nitaaraam – thus constantly does Shiva naama japa. However, he says there is no need to be concerned about these either – na khalu tatra vicaaraNiiyam. Even though he is doing all the time panchaaksharii japa, his mind is always dwelling on little Krishna all the time. madiiya cetaH gopavadhuu kishoram smarati – His mind is constantly locked in the vision of Lord Krishna that too in the form of child of gopavadhuu – a gopica stree – yasoda. He does not say even that he is son of Nandabaaba. – He is son of an innocent cowherd lady whose whole life was spent in rendering the cows, their milk, butter, etc., since that is all their wealth. Hence even though I come from family of Shiva bhaktas, my mind is constantly dwelling on the Lord in the form of a little Krishna running around his mother, Yasoda, holding her duppata. He describes Krishna as atasee pusha avabhaasam – atasee (do not know what is equivalent English name) is supposed to be dark blue flower and it is said that even when it dry and the tree is shaken it makes sound of bells. Leelasuka imagines Krishna as beautiful little flower like atasee flower, with full of brilliance – avabhaasam.  The light of consciousness because of everything shines after – tasya bhaasa sarvam idam vibhaati.  Yet it is manifesting in the form of small child who is drinking the milk of Yasoda and growing slowly by that. Here is the Lord who himself  has no birth – ajo nityaH – has no parents – causeless yet cause for all –the one who is beyond the six modifications – asti, jaayate, vardhate, etc,  now longing to drink the milk of mother Yasoda while growing in her lap like any other baby – yet constantly aware of His true nature. Even the gods are envious of Yasoda and Nadabaaba as Lord is seen playing in the dust of gokula. 
Leelasuka also is aware of the whole scenario and therefore says – madeeya ceto smeraananam nitaraam smarati – constantly dwelling on the enchanting face of the Yashodaa-kishora that is always smiling with an innocent sweet smile.
Krishna karanaamRitam has to be understood imagining the mind of Leelasuka as the platform on which the divine leelas are taking place, as he describes with intense experience.  We will explore some of these leelas of the Lord as visualized by Leelasuka.
Hari Om!
Sadananda