GITA 4.11

GITA 4.11

Sarat Chandra Vimanam.

Viewing the Vimanam above the Garbagraha in a temple will wash off all our sins. Today, [27thSeptember 2007] we are in the shadow of the Vimanam of Sri Ninra Narayana Perumal at Thiruthangal. It has three kalash on it and is called Sarat Chandra Vimanam. It has the brilliance of the Sun, but is cool like the Moon and we can feel that we are at the feet of the Lord. 

We will now see further in the same 9th sloka. Sri Krishna stated that one who understands the true implication of His birth, and pranks and other actions, will reach His feet in the current birth itself and will have no more births. We have to see in what circumstances Sri Krishna was born. When Devaki and Vasudeva got married, her brother Kamsa took them on a procession in his chariot and he himself drove it. Then a loud message was given from sky calling Kamsa as fool and instructing that he would be killed by the eighth child of Devaki. Kamsa got angry and drawing his sword wanted to kill Devaki then and there. But Vasudeva pleaded and argued that since her child only was to kill Kamsa, she could be spared and promised to deliver every child born, to Kamsa. Agreeing, however, he put them in jail. All the first six children were given to Kamsa, who dashed to death each of them, against a rock. When she was carrying the seventh child, the Lord ordered Yoga Maya or His sankalpa power personified as a woman, to transfer the child in Devaki's womb to that of Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva, and living on the other side of river Yamuna at Gokulam. He further ordered that Yoga Maya should enter at a later date in the womb of Yasoda wife of Nandagopa in Gokulam. The Lord would enter the garbha or womb of Devaki as the eighth child and on delivery, Yasoda's child will be excnanged with Devaki's Child, Sri Krishna. This made Kamsa to feel that the 7th child of Devaki was aborted, but actually it became the child of Rohini and was called Sri Balarama. When Devaki was pregnant again, it was the eighth child expected. The Lord was born at midnight on an ashtami (8th phase of the waning Moon) day. He was born with four arms with all ornaments and dress as in Vaikuntam. Vasudeva and Devaki were afraid that this might signal danger to the child and requested the Child to be like a normal human child. The Lord accepting their request, ordered that He be carried across the Yamuna river to Gokulam and be exchanged with the girl child born to Yasoda same time but in Navami. Vasudeva did as instructed. His fetters and chains automatically got snapped and he carried the Lord as a Child on his head and crossed the river. The river was overflowing as it was rainy season, and the depth was much. But as Vasudeva entered the river and when he started slowly going down, the river water steadily raised and the moment it touched the feet of the Lord, the level of the river subsided and Vasudeva crossed the river with knee deep water. He went to Gokulam and exchanged the children as planned and returned to the jail at Mathutra, with the girl child. The fetters and chains rejoined as before and the female child now in Devaki's arms cried loud. Kamsa was wondering how a female child could kill him; but not taking any risk, snatched the child from Devaki and went ahead to kill the child. But suddenly the child escaped from the clutches of Kamsa and flew up and warning him that his real enemy was flourishing in Gokulam. Such was the birth of the Lord and all Alwars and Acharyas have dealt on this enormously. Just as the fetters of Vasudeva got released when He was born, our fetters of rebirths and the associated sufferings would get released, if we meditate on His birth. This is what this sloka tells. One Alwar says that when the Lord was in Vaikuntam, He wanted to redeem all, by taking Sri Krishna avatar, but all there did not agree. As they were performing pooja and offering the sambharani (frnkincense), which gives that fragrant smoke, He used the smoke as a screen and escaped to the earth and performed all He wanted to do in Sri Krishna avatar. After completing that He returned back, but the pooja was still going on, not knowing that He had finished Sri Krishna avatar!! [Sootu nan malaigal.. verse can be remembered]. If we meditate on His drinking milk from His mother's breasts , we will have no more such situation, that is no more births for us. If we meditate on the bind in which He was tied by His mother, our bonds in this world will vanish, that is we will have no rebirths. If we meditate on His stealing butter, our sins will be stolen and we would be freed from birth cycle. This is the import of the 9th sloka. Kulasekara Alwar imagines him to be Devaki and yearns for all those pranks she missed, but were enjoyed by Yasoda. The birth of the Lord can not be compared with the births we see in our life. This is the Avatara rahasya.

                                                                                            (continued)