From Sri Krishna karnamrutam
Kuntimaddi Sadananda
Note: I used to listen to pravachans of Shree Chaganti Koteswara Rao in Telugu that are available online, during my daily walk. He has given extensive discourses on Ramayana, and Bhagavatam. I was also fascinated by his talks on Leelasuka’s Shree Krishna Karnaamrutam. After listening to him, I thought I should write on some selective verses from this book. I started this during one of Janmaashtami days and did it for ten days as an offering to the Lord. My Salutations to Shree Chaganti Koteswara Rao Gaaru.
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Shree Krishna Karnaamrutam by
Bilvamangala Leelasuka
We are celebrating Krishna Jayanti – the 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 of Nada and Yashoda kishora.
Krishna himself reveals his divine incarnation status in Gita, the fourth
Chapter, and declares that He comes down to uplift the good and to punish the
wicked, who obstruct the good from flourishing.
परित्राणाय साधूनाम् विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्,
धर्मसम्स्थापनाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे|
paritraanaaya sadhuunaam vinashayaaca
dushkrutaam,
dharma samthaapanaarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge|
and says He comes whenever whenever the dharma is getting strangled by adharma-
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत- 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. Still, in the end, He departed this earth like a human being, shot by an arrow of a hunter. Krishna declares:
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन,
तान्यहम् वेद सर्वाणि न त्वम् वेत्ति परम्पत|
bahuuni me vyatiitaani janmaani tava
caarjuna|
taanyaham 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 the 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 –
शैवा वयम् न खलु तत्र विचारणीयम्,
पन्चाक्षरी जपपरा निरतम् तथापि|
चेतो मदीय मतसीकुसुमावभासम्,
स्मेरननम् स्मरति गोपवधू किशोरम्||
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 that tradition where Shiva bhakti is practiced from his childhood. Then the question is – was he involved in daily Vishnu aaraadhana? He says no – he does pancaaksharii japa paaraayanam nitaaraam – thus consistently 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 a child of gopavadhuu – a gopica stree – yasoda. He does not say even the son of Nanda baaba. – He is the son of an innocent cowherd lady whose whole life is spent in rendering the cows, their milk, butter, etc. since that is all their wealth. Hence even though I come from a 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 dupatta. He describes Krishna as atasee pusha avabhaasam – atasee (do not know what equivalent English name is) is supposed to be a dark blue flower, and it is said that even when it is dry, and the tree is shaken it makes the 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 Gokul.
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.