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Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2007 10:02
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Subject: [Oppiliappan] Yadhavabhyudhaya
concluded-chapter24
The Final chapter-
Chapter24-Krishna the husband
Krishna returning to Dvaraka was intent in
pleasing his wives who got him as their husband due to the merits acquired in
their previous lives.
He is described By
Desika thus:
Krthuvidhiniyathah api
akarmavaSyah
Parichitha kAmaraso api
veetharAgah
Nagaravasathih api
aSeshavAsah
kaThamiva kena sa
vibhuh varNaneeyah
(YAD.24.2)
He was not bound by
karma even though he was performing the sacrificial rites according to
kshathriyadharma. That is, his sacrifices were not done for
the fruit ordained in the Vedas. He was enjoying married life but was
detached. That is, he was not influenced by desire. He was living in Dvaraka
but yet he was present everywhere. Hence, says Desika, how and by whom can be
described as being such and such?
His conduct and story
of his life was like that of a rajarshi and extolled by the
sages. Dvaraka became rich in treasures and superior to the three abodes of
the Lord described in the Vedas., namely, Vaikunta, ksheerasagara and the
region of the Sun.( This may be because His soulabhya, easy accessibility out
of love excelled His parathva,
supremacy.
Krishna established dharma with the
association of the sages. He looked after the royal duties with
the help of those who were well versed in the Vedas. With
his superhuman power took many forms and pleased his many
wives. Desika says that even the yogis who have superhuman
powers can do so but their doings will be subjected to their karma and their
enjoyment will be dependent on their indhriyas. But Krishna, being the supreme purusha did not
need His indhriyas because he is atheendhriya, beyond the senses.(in
manthraraja padhasthothra it is said `sarvendhriyairapi vinA sarvam sarvathra
sarvadha yo jAnAthi namAmi Adhyam tham aham sarvathomukham ,'- that is, He
knows everything everywhere and always without the need of the
indhriyas.)
Naturally Krishna being the one who gives everything
and also moksha to those who always contemplate on nothing but Him only,
fulfilled all the desires of His wives. Since he tok many forms and pleased
his wives simultaneously, says Desika, even Narada could not stage any of his
kalahas to create misunderstanding among his wives.
Krishna not only gave them his love but
also instill devotion which will destroy the fear of
samsara.
Krishna played with his wives who were
fortunate, by making swings for them from ropes(gunas) resembling the three
gunas of his maya. The implication is that like the motion of the swing up and
down the Lord makes the good souls ascend to heaven and
descend to be born in good wombs by the play of the three
gunas.
By drenching them with
coloured water he created anuraga (red colour as well as love ) on them in and
out.
Anukrtha nija
Sakthibhih priyAbhih
Saha
gunabanDhavibhaktha sanniveSaih
Muhuriha
nipathathbhih uthpathathbhih
karaNavaSairiva
kanshykaih adheevyath
(Yad.24.32)
With his wives like his three
shakthis, Sri, Bhoo and NeelA, Krishna played with the balls tied to the
ropes and which rose and fall. It was like His leela with the jivas tied to
the three gunas which he enjoys with his three consorts.
When Krishna, who hides in his three heavenly
abodes played hide and seek with his wives he only bound
their eyes but they never bound his eyes thinking that to do so will create
blindness to the three worlds.
Krishna, who instructed the sages like
Sanaka in his incarnation as Hayagreeva and Hamsa, was also adept
in the instruction of love to his wives. It was like
Upanishad for the women whatever he told them in
private.
Krishna made himself many and was present
in the house of every one of his wives and they took away his footwear to
prevent him from leaving them and hence he could not move
anywhere!
Describing the various ways in
which the wives of Krishna enjoyed his company, Desiks
exclaims
Ajanishatha kutho nu
bhAgaDheyAth
thribhuvanamangaldheepikAh SubhAngyah
yadhupathi
sahadharmachArineebhih
sukham anagham bhuvi
yAbhih anvabhAvi
(Yad.24.63)
Whatever was the good merit
acquired by these women who were born to become the wives of Krishna and experienced the unparalleled
joy in this life! They considered him as human not knowing that he wasthe
supreme purusha whose consort is Sridevi and who used to sleep in the bed of
Adhisesha.
Yathibhih
anububhooshithah sah thAbhih
yadhupathih
adhbhutharoopavesha Seelah
nirupaDhika
rasAmrthougha sinDhuh
sathatham aporvam
apoorvam anvabhAvi
(Yad.24.67)
Krishna , with whom the sages who have
controlled their senses wished to enjoy, assumed wonderful forms and qualities
and was the ocean of limitless stream of the nectar of love, and was enjoyed
by the women as though he is ever new (nithyayuva). To see the glory of those
women the yogis who have achieved the superhuman powers ridiculed their
achievement.
Desika describes the
experience of the women as
Sarithah iva
mrgeedhrsah tham ekam
Mahitha guNougha
mahodhaDhim bajanthyah
avibharuh anapAyam aikarasyam
munigaNithascha sa
eva mukthabhogah(Yad.24.69)
The wives of Krishna merged with him, who is the ocean of auspicious
qualities, in their love, like the rivers joining the sea and acquired the
state of ekarasya. That is, as the rivers leave their individual tastes and
become salty joining with the sea the women were filled with onlyone feeling
that is the love for Krishna. This, says Desika, is what
has been described as the state of sAyujya mukthi by the
sages.
They proved false the common
criticisms that are leveled against women in general such as they are fickle,
always oppose, harsh and insincere etc. They were the
beacons of madhurabhakthi in the world which devotees like Meera and Andal
followed. Desika says that even those who portray this by
means of acting, dance, singing etc. also get engrossed in devotion of the
Lord.
Krishna lived happily in Dvaraka as he was in Vaikunta
with Rukmini and Bhama as his divine consorts, Lakshmi and
Bhoodevi and yadhavas sering as the
nithyasooris ,Sesha, Vishvaksens Garuda etc. and caused the joy of heaven as
well as moksha to those around him.
Desika concludes his kavya by these
words:
nAreedhrshtyAniyamithaDhiyah
nAkanATheSvarathvam
sambhoge cha
pravaNamansahSASvatham brahmacharyam
athraikasyAm puri
nivasathah sarvalokADhikathvam
niDhyAyanthah
thvaritham atharandhustharAm thasya mAyAm
(Yad.24.93)
Krishna while he
seemed to be bound by the beautiful eyes of his women, remained the overlord
of the devas, while enjoying the company of the women he maintained his
brahmacharya and thus displayed his status of transience
and imminence as the Supreme Self, who, though seen in Dvaraka, was present in
all beings and was all pervading. Those who contemplate on the Lord thus
transcend His Maya which is otherwise difficult to
transcend.
Gurubhih anaghachitthah
AhithodhArabhoomA
Surabhitharasam ethath
soonrtham venkateSah
Vyathanutha
yadhuveerapreethim icchan prabhoothAm
kavikaTham kamrgendhrah
kshemadham kAvyarathna
(Yad.24.95)
The glory of this
kavya is described thus:
The contents of the
kavya is the gift of the great masters like Vyasa and
others to humanity.
It is composed by the
mighty lion of debate and poet Venkatesa (Desika) to please the
Lord.
It is full of the
fragrance of the essence of kavithva and devotion as it abounds in richness of
word and meaning and devotional fervour.
It is composed with
the welfare of the world at heart and is beneficial , pleasing and
true.
Yadhavabhyudhaya ,
the eminent work of Sri Vedantha Desika is
concluded.