DEIVATHIN KURAL # 108 (Vol # 7) Dated 18 Feb 2014

 DEIVATHIN KURAL # 108 (Vol # 7) Dated 18 Feb 2014

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by PeriyavãL of Kanchi Kaamakoti Peetam, over a period of some 60 years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of the last century. These have been published by Vanadi Padippagam, Chennai, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each as Deivathin Kural. Today we are going ahead from page No 822 of Volume 7 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that herein ‘man/he’ includes ‘woman/she’ too mostly. These e-mails are all available at   http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated continually)

13.          Thus Brhma was involved in work alien to his nature such as Paripãlanam and Management other than creation, that he was suffering in the bargain.  So, he had a huge population of Yadavas and cattle, which he did not know how to manage or dispose of.  Whereas Sri Krishna from the time he was a baby had killed many Asuras.  Brhma did not have that capability of Samhãra either or did not like killing as the Creator!  That is the time when he realised that though he is considered as one of the Threesome known as Holy Trinity or 'Trimurthy' – 'त्रिमूर्थि' of Brhma, Vishnu and Maheshwara; he was no patch on his father's that is, Vishnu's aka Sri Krishna's capabilities.   Even the power to create is what had been endowed by his father only.  'My father is not under any delusion of Mãyã whatsoever.  He is the Lord under whose orders Mãyã plays its role.  Without understanding all this, it was me who was under the influence of Mãyã', he realised.  With that awakening to reality, he brought back all of those whom he had abducted and surrendered them unto Sri Krishna, praising him by Stotras profusely, begging his pardon!

14.          When Brhma faulted thus when he abducted so many cattle and Yadavas, this Sri Krishna who let him stew in his own juice like this, without even caring that he is his own son; is the one for absolute fairness in all his dealings, totally dispassionately.  Thinking about all this Indira realised that, Naraka Asura can be killed only by Sri Krishna uncaring for the relationship of Father and Son!  But noting the fact that from the day one of his birth, his major job has been to kill Rãkshasãs, Indira delayed his approach to Sri Krishna for sorting out Naraka Asura.  After Kamsa had been killed and chasing away Jarasandha, Sri Krishna had established Dwaraka Puri and was leading a sort of life of leisure.  Then fighting with the clan of Rukmini's relatives, he married her. Then he married Satya Bãmã and many others.  During all that also there were many fights.  Then there was a period of living peacefully observing his Nitya Karma Anushtãna as a Gruhasta, pleasantly spending his time in household affairs.  It was then that Indira came to Sri Krishna and complained about Naraka Asura. 

Naraka Asura Vadam; Satyabãmã's Contribution

15.          After due deliberation Sri Krishna called for his Vãhanam, Garuda (the Eagle) and got on it with Satyabãmã accompanying him, departed for Prãg Jyotish Puram.  The reason for taking her along is due to the fact that she is an embodiment of Bhumãdevi.  Amongst RukmiNi, Sri Devi, Bãmã, and Bhumãdevi, we think that it is RukmiNi who is full of noble qualities and view Bãmã as being too self-conceited.  Bhagawan also play acting as though he is too supportive of Bãmã, in the end is said to have caused Bãmã to 'eat humble pie', as per some of the stories about them.  But on this occasion, he took her along to demonstrate her good qualities to be known to the world.  That as a father he had the courage of convictions to kill his own misbehaving son is not much to be surprised about.  More than that it is rare for a mother to have that sort of character that she could feel that despite being her son he should be killed when he proves to be a great villain for the world.  To demonstrate that Satyabãmã had it in her, he took her with him on Garuda. 

16.          There have been many women of great strength of character who have fought for Dharma from time immemorial till date, like Ahalya Bhai and Jhansi Ki Rani.  Kaikeyi had worked as the Charioteer for Dasarata when he went to fight Sambarasura.  There is no mention anywhere of Kausalya ever going to the battle field.  She was too humble and self-contented.  So also was RukmiNi, who was never taken to the battle field.  It was the youngster Bãmã who was rather like Kaikeyi in her demeanour that Sri Krishna took in his Vãhanam.   There is also a different version that she was the charioteer.  The very embodiment of tolerance, the Earth itself was unable to tolerate the inhuman and cruel behaviour of many so called kings and hence took the form of Mother Cow and prayed to Maha Vishnu to get rid of these people.  That was the cause of Krishna Avatara.  In it, in addition to sorting out of Kamsa, Sisupala, Jarasandha and Dhuryodana, both Sri Krishna and Satya Bãmã as father and mother respectively, went to sort out this Naraka Asura, together as a couple!

17.          Naraka was living in Prãg Jyotish Puram with a number of forts such as, one made of mountains in the outer periphery, then a fort of all sorts of weapons, one of water that had been held up by the power of mantras that it will pour like floods of apocalypse and wash away the intruder. Then there was a fort of fire and one of air held in readiness to burn off or blow off anyone trying to enter inside!  Bhagawan Sri Krishna entered blowing to smithereens each of those forts nonchalantly blowing on his Pancha Janya Conch, calling for the Asura to come out and fight.  First it was Mura the Senãpathy with five heads, who came out to fight and fought well indeed with great valour.  Sri Krishna cut off all his heads with his Sudarsana Chakra.

18.          As Garuda is the Vãhanam of Maha Vishnu, the Sudarsana Chakra is his weapon, Pancha Janya his conch and Kaumodaki his mace.  It is only in Krishna Avatara that he carried and made use of all these characteristic weapons and accoutrements, which he did not do in other Avataras including the one as Sri Rama.  That is why, Krishna Avatara is known as 'PoorNa Avatara' meaning a complete Avatara of Maha Vishnu.  Because he defeated Mura, he came to be known as Murãri and Murahari, as the enemy of Mura and as the destroyer of Mura, he gets the name of Mura + Ari = Murãri.  Exactly the same way as the enemy of Asuras in three different places or Puras, Easwara got the name of Tripurãri.  After Mura, seven of the sons of Naraka came to fight and met with the same fate.  Finally Naraka himself came riding an elephant with a huge army of Asuras.

19.          Riding the Garuda, like a drone of the modern day battle field, Bhagawan fought with them in which both Garuda and Satyabãmã had their role to play.  Though he was capable of doing everything himself, he enabled them also to justify their presence.  Once all his army had been smashed, there was a direct fight between Naraka Asura and Sri Krishna Bhagawan.  From the day time the fight continued during the night.  More than the day in the night time, the power of the Asuras increase.  Still as Paramãtma he withstood the onslaught of Naraka.  Finally in the early morning hours of AruNodayam, Bhagawan did Samhãra of Naraka.  That morning was like a new awakening for the whole world.  This happened in the month of Ashwin on the 14th day of the Krishna Paksha.  The next day was Amãvasya. 

20.          Ashwin month is also called the 'Aswiyujam' – 'अस्वियुजम्'.  From the Pratama the next day after Amãvasya in the month of Purattãsi as per our Tamil calendar, commences the month of Aswiyujam going on for the next about 30 days.  In that month on Krishna Paksha Chathurdasi is the Naraka Asura Vadam.  The Krishna Paksha Chaturdasi, the 14th day is very important as the favourite day for Parameswarã also as the monthly 'Siva Rãtri' – 'शिव रात्रि'.  The Siva Rãtri in the month of Mãsi is what is known famously as Maha Siva Rãtri.  It is in the Aippasi month Siva Rãtri that Sri Krishna Bhagawan had to fight the whole night for the destruction of Naraka Asura.  There is also a belief that it is Satya Bãmã who killed Naraka Asura.  Whatever it is both of them despite being the parents, were happy in ridding the world of the evil Naraka, is the point to note.

Bhumãdevi's Prãrthana

21.           As per one version, at the time of death Naraka Asura, he is said to have prayed that the day of his death should be celebrated all over the world as a festival of happiness.  Out of all such celebrations the most auspicious is Ganga Snãnam.  Whatever the water used wherever, by people on that day should get the intrinsic value of Ganga Snãnam was his request.  As per another version of the story such a request is said to have been made by Bhumãdevi.  As I said earlier, when dying directly at the hands of the Paramãtma himself and attaining to the very Sãyujya Mukti, it is not so remarkable for him to have made such a request of absolute universal wellbeing.  But for the mother of Naraka Asura, to have made such a request seems very meritorious indeed.  In retribution for so many years that he had made people of all the worlds to cry in agony, she requested that his being erased from the face of the earth should be celebrated as an happy occasion for eternity.

22.          With Bhumãdevi's Avatara Satyabãmã herself assisting in the battle, it may look odd that Bhumãdevi separately brought many of the symbolical items that had been whacked away by Naraka and submitted them to Sri Krishna, such as Indira's white Royal Umbrella and Kundalam worn by his mother Atiti and made such requests.  It seems that when an Avatara comes, it does not mean that the root causal Deity of that Avatara ceases to exist.  Our ÃchãryãL was an Avatara of Parameswara.  Still in Kailãsa he had darsan of Easwara and got those five idols of Siva Lingam, from Easwara himself, isn't it?  In Bhagawatam itself, there is an episode in which Sri Krishna goes with Arjuna to Vishnu Loka representing a Brahmin gentleman whose children had died, to retrieve the dead children and meets the Narayana Murthy in Sesha Sayanam and they discuss the pros and cons of such an action.  Similarly simultaneously Satyabãmã and Bhumãdevi were in two different forms at the very same point in space and time.  It is this special request by Bhumãdevi that on the day of the death of her son, people all over the world should get the benefit of Ganga Snãnam is the reason that we do Ganga Snãnam till now on that day!

23.          When relatives die we take a bath as a tradition.  If anything ends or is discontinued we tend to say, "No more.  I have taken a dip", don't we?  So that for generations we may remember that Naraka Asura did everyone a favour by vanishing from the scene, his mother has ensured that we take a dip every year.  But this is not a dip taken in sorrow or disgust.  She has intended it to be an oil bath as a MangaLa Snãnam.  For all other deaths and before starting a ceremonial ritual for a Yãga or Pooja, it is done in cold water.  But this is a happy occasion, isn't it?  So she has taken a Vara from Sri Krishna that it should be a hot water bath after applying oil all over the body.  The month of Aippasi is cold and rainy season.  In that period if we take an oil bath in cold water, we will catch cold and get fever.  We will end up cursing Naraka Asura.  That is why it has been made body friendly and conveniently comfortable. 

24.          One more innovation!  Normally this oil-bath known as 'abhyanganam' – 'अभ्यङगनं', is not to be taken before Sun-rise.  But contrary to that general rule special permission and approval has been taken from God as a Vara, so that we may thank him for making it comfortable and think of him especially, as a special and rare occasion as wished for by Bhumãdevi.  That is why on that one day in the whole year, we may have oil-bath in hot water, before even the sun-rise, as approved by Sri Krishna himself!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva