[Advaita-l] From Sri Krishna karnamrutam

[Kuntimaddi Sadananda]

PraNAms to everybody.This is from the pages of my book Self and the Supreme, published by Indic Academy. I am coping few pages of the articles on Shree Krishna Karnaamrutam of Shree Bilvamangala Leelasukha - in view of the celebration of KrishnaashTami. 
These series were posted several years ago in these discussion groups.  

Hari Om!Sadananda------------------------

Shree Krishna Karnaamrutam -1
Note:I used to listen to pravachans of Shree Chaganti Koteswara Rao in Teluguthat are available online, during my daily walk. He has given extensivediscourses on Ramayana, and Bhagavatam. I was also fascinated by his talks onLeelasuka’s Shree Krishna Karnaamrutam. After listening to him, I thought I should write on some selectiveverses from this book. I started this during one of Janmaashtami daysand did it for ten days as an offering to the Lord. My Salutations to ShreeChaganti Koteswara Rao Gaaru. 

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           Shree Krishna Karnaamrutam byBilvamangala Leelasuka

We are celebrating Krishna Jayanti – the celebration of the day the Lord’sdescending onto the earth in an enchanting form as a child to Devaki-Vasudevabut grow up in a cowherd family of Nada and Yashoda kishora. Krishna himself reveals his divine incarnation status in Gita, the fourthChapter, and declares that He comes down to uplift the good and to punish thewicked, who obstruct the good from flourishing.

परित्राणाय साधूनाम्विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्, 

धर्मसम्स्थापनाय सम्भवामियुगे युगे|

paritraanaaya sadhuunaam vinashayaacadushkrutaam,
dharma samthaapanaarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge|

andsays He comes whenever whenever the dharma is getting strangled by adharma-

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्यग्लानिर्भवति भारत- yadaayadaa hi dharmasya glaanirbhavati bhaarata… ,

He comes down to restore dharma. Rama wasnot aware of his divine status, and even when told, he considered himself to bea 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 bydemonstrating again and again by showing His viraat swaruupa.Still, in the end, He departed this earth like a human being, shot by an arrowof a hunter. Krishna declares:

बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन, 

तान्यहम् वेद सर्वाणिन त्वम् वेत्ति परम्पत|

bahuuni me vyatiitaani janmaani tavacaarjuna|
taanyaham veda sarvaaNi na tvam vettha parantapa|

that is He is aware of all the births thatHe has taken before, while Arjuna does not remember, and thus declares He wasthe one who taught this science of Vedanta first to Vivasvavaan. Hence all theLeelas of Krishna have to be understood with the knowledge of who is playingthese Leelas, the one who can kill Putana by sucking her life out, who coulddive into the Yamuna to punish the most poisonous snake, Kali and dance on itshood, and who could lift with his little finger the Govardhana mountain toprotect all the innocent.   

His leelas, therefore, have to beunderstood as divine plays with deep inner meaning for those who revel andbhakti for those who are enchanted by those. Leelasuka in his enchanting work –Sri Krishna KarnaamRitam – introduces himself –

 

शैवा वयम् न खलु तत्रविचारणीयम्, 

पन्चाक्षरी जपपरा निरतम्तथापि|

चेतो मदीय मतसीकुसुमावभासम्,

स्मेरननम् स्मरति गोपवधूकिशोरम्||

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 isthe whole family that he comes from that tradition where Shiva bhakti ispracticed from his childhood.  Then the question is – was he involved indaily Vishnu aaraadhana? He says no – he does pancaaksharii japapaaraayanam nitaaraam – thus consistently does Shiva naama japa. However,he says there is no need to be concerned about these either – na khalu tatravicaaraNiiyam. Even though he is doing all the time panchaaksharii japa,his mind is always dwelling on little Krishna all the time. madiiya cetaHgopavadhuu kishoram smarati – His mind is constantly locked in the visionof Lord Krishna that too in the form of a child of gopavadhuu – agopica stree – yasoda. He does not say even the son of Nanda baaba. – He isthe son of an innocent cowherd lady whose whole life is spent in rendering thecows, their milk, butter, etc. since that is all their wealth. Hence eventhough I come from a family of Shiva bhaktas, my mind is constantly dwelling onthe Lord in the form of a little Krishna running around his mother, Yasoda,holding her dupatta. He describes Krishna as atasee pusha avabhaasam– atasee (do not know what equivalent English name is) is supposed to bea dark blue flower, and it is said that even when it is dry, and the tree isshaken it makes the sound of bells. Leelasuka imagines Krishna as beautifullittle flower-like atasee flower, with full of brilliance – avabhaasam– The light of consciousness because of everything shines after – tasyabhaasa sarvam idam vibhaati.  Yet it is manifesting in the form ofsmall child who is drinking the milk of Yasoda and growing slowly by that. Hereis 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 Yasodawhile growing in her lap like any other baby – yet constantly aware of His truenature. Even the gods are envious of Yasoda and Nadabaaba, as Lord is seenplaying in the dust of Gokul.

Leelasuka also is aware of the whole scenario and thereforesays – madeeya ceto smeraananam nitaraam smarati – constantly dwellingon the enchanting face of the yashodaa kishora that is always smilingwith an innocent, sweet smile.

Krishna KaranaamRitam has to be understood imagining themind of Leelasuka as the platform on which the divine leelas are taking place,as he describes with intense experience.  We will explore some of theseleelas of the Lord as visualized by Leelasuka.