At Dvaraka, we find Sri Krishna as the Lord of the Universe, a Kalpic
Avatara, and as such something more than the historical Krishna.
_Sri Krishna as an Avatara._
It is time that we should know something definitely of Sri Krishna as an
Avatara.
To restore the Brahmana boys, Sri Krishna went with Arjuna to the abode
of Purusha. Purusha smiled and said: -- "I brought the Brahmana boys,
that I might see you both. For the protection of Dharma on the Earth,
you have incarnated as my parts (Kala). Kill the Asuras that oppress the
Earth and come back soon to Me. Satiated are your own desires, O you
Rishis, Nara and Narayana, but for the preservation of the universe do
that which others may follow."
The Purusha is the Virat Purusha of our universe, the Second Purusha or
the Second Logos.
When the first Purusha woke up, the process of transformation went on
and the material creation was completed. The materials could not however
unite to form individual bodies. Purusha infused the material creation
and became known as the Second Purusha or Virat Purusha, As regards this
Virat Purusha, the Bhagavata Purana says as follows: --
"He is the resting place and eternal seed of all Avataras. Brahma is His
part, Marichi and other Rishis are parts of His part. Devas, animals and
men are brought into manifestation by parts of His part." Bhagavata I.
3-5.
"He is the primal, unborn Purusha, who in every Kalpa creates, preserves
and destroys self (objective) as self (nominative), in self (locative),
by self (instrumental)." II. 6 XXXVII.
"He is the primal Purusha Avatara of the Supreme." II. 6 XL.
He is also called the Thousand-Limbed and the Egg-born. II. 5, XXXV.,
III. 6, VI.
This Virat Purusha upholds the manifested universe. All materials are in
Him and all individuals take their rise from Him and end in Him. He is
the one ocean of endless bubbles which have their beginning and end in
Him. The Avataras also all rest on the bosom of Virat Purusha.
We have looked at Virat Purusha from the standpoint of the First
Purusha. Now let us proceed upwards from below.
The Brihat Aranayaka Upanishad thus speaks of Virat Purusha, at the
beginning of the Fourth Brahmana of the first chapter: --
"This was before soul, bearing the shape of a man. Looking round he
beheld nothing but himself. He said first: -- 'This am I.' Hence the
name of I was produced. And, because he as the first of all of them
consumed by fire all the sins, therefore he is called Purusha. He verily
consumes him who, before this, strives to obtain the state of Prajapati,
he, namely who, thus knows."
The following is the commentary of Sankaracharya.
"This was before the soul." The soul is here defined as Prajapati, the
first born from the Egg, the embodied soul, as resulting from his
knowledge and works in accordance with the Vedas. He was what? "This,"
produced by the division of the body, "was the soul" not separated from
the body of Prajapati, "before" the production of other bodies. He was
"also bearing the shape of man", which means that he was endowed with
head, hands and other members, he was the Viraj, the first born.
"Looking round reflecting who am I, and of what nature, he beheld
nothing but himself", the fulness of life, the organism of causes and
effects. He beheld only himself as the Universal soul. Then, endowed
with the recollection of his Vedic knowledge in a former birth, "he said
first: This am I" _viz_., Prajapati, the universal soul. "Hence,"
because from the recollection of his knowledge in a former world he
called himself I, therefore his name was I "And because he" -- Prajapati
in a former birth, which is the cause, as the first of those who were
desirous of obtaining the state of Prajapati by the exercise of
reflection on works and knowledge _viz_. "as the first of all of them,"
of all that were desirous of obtaining the state of Prajapati, consumed
by the perfect exercise of reflection on works and knowledge of all the
sins of contact which are obstacles to the acquirement of the state of
Prajapati, -- because such was the case, therefore he is called Purusha,
because he is _Purvam Aushad_, (first burnt). As that Prajapati, by
consuming all opposite sins, became this Purusha Prajapati, so also any
other consumes, reduces all to ashes by the fire of the practice of
reflection on knowledge and works, or only by the force of his
knowledge, and He verily "consumes" Whom? "Him who before this sage
strives to obtain the state of Prajapati." The sage is pointed out as he
who thus knows, who according to his power manifests his reflection on
knowledge. "But is it not useless for any one to strive for the state of
Prajapati, if he is consumed by one who thus knows? There is no fault in
this; for consuming means here only that the highest state, that of
Prajapati, is not obtained, because the eminence of reflection on
knowledge is wanting. Therefore by the words, "He consumes him" is
meant, that the perfect performer obtains the highest state of
Prajapati; he who is less perfect does not obtain it, and by no means
that the less perfect performer is actually consumed by the perfect;
thus it is said in common life, that a warrior who first rushes into
battle, consumes his combatants, which means that he exceeds them in
prowess.
In order to understand this better, let us consider the scheme of human
evolution.
Atma is the same in all beings and, when free from the limitations of
individual life, it becomes all pervading.
Sympathy and compassion open the door to the liberation of Atma.
The Upadhi, or vehicle of Atma, or the body of its manifestation,
becomes less and less gross, as Atma proceeds in its course of
liberation, the body becomes better able to do good to all mankind and
it does not act as a barrier to communion with the real self.
The most highly evolved beings become universal and not individual, and
they live normally on the spiritual plane.
They at last reach the state of divinity. Then they may become Avataras.
When these Avataras have to work on the physical and intellectual
planes, they assume a body and become born, like ordinary beings. They
have then to _come down_ from their normal state, but their vision and
power remain undestroyed. When their mission is over, they reach again
their normal state. The Avataras have not to work out their own Karma.
They are liberated Atmas, staying back for the liberation of other
individuals in the universe. Karma-less themselves, they bear the Karma
of the universe upon their shoulders. The thin veil that separates their
state from the state of the absolute Brahma is Maya, which is the
highest manifestation of Prakriti which enables them to assume cosmic
responsibility out of their unbounded compassion for all beings.
The Avataras may cast off their veil at will, but as long as they choose
to keep that veil, the whole universe is at their command and they guide
the whole course of universal evolution.
Now of all Avataras one takes upon himself to hold all individuals in
His bosom, to sustain them all and to make Him the field of their
Involution and Evolution, in the Kalpa.
He is called Virat Purusha. He is practically the Ishvara of our
universe.
The body of this Purusha, called the First Avatara, the Second or Virat
Purusha, and the Egg-born, is formed by the Tatvas, numbered twenty-four
in the Sankhya philosophy. These Tatvas collect together to form an Egg
and the Second Purusha breaks forth from that Egg and becomes the
Thousand-headed Purusha of the Upanishads. For the sake of meditation,
He is imagined to be seated on the Serpent Ananta. The lotus stalk grew
out of his navel.
The Tatvas themselves are brought into manifestation by the awaking of
the First Purusha.
The Second Purusha enters into all beings as their Atma, becoming
three-fold in his aspect _viz_. Adhi-Atma, Adhi-bhuta and Adhi-deva.
Then He is called the Third Purusha. Says the Satvata Tantra, as quoted
by Sridhara: --
"There are three forms of Vishnu known as Purusha -- the first is the
creator of Mahat, the Second is the permeator of the cosmic Egg, and the
third is the permeator of all beings." Virat Purusha is the seat af all
Avataras. Therefore all Avataras are called parts of the Virat Purusha.
Speaking of other Lila Avataras, Bhagavata calls them parts and aspects
of the Second Purusha; "but Krishna is Bhagavat Himself."
Bhagavat is here the First Purusha. I. 3 XXVIII.
In the Tenth Skandha, Raja Parikshit says: "Tell us the mighty deeds of
Vishnu, incarnated as a _part_ in the line of Yadu." X. 1 II. Later on
again: --
"The supreme Purusha, Bhagavat Himself, shall be born in the house of
Vasudeva." X. 1 XXIII.
The Devas said, addressing Devaki: -- "Rejoice mother, the Supreme
Purusha, Bhagavat Himself, is in thy womb _by His part_" X. 2 XII.
The Purusha, seated on Ananta, addressed Arjuna and Krishna as Nara and
Narayana.
The Mahabharata also calls them Incarnations of Nara and Narayana. These
Rishis are invoked all throughout the Mahabharata. They were the sons of
Dharma by Murti, daughter of Daksha.
Nara and Narayana are looked upon as two in one and they were adored by
the Devas, as manifestations of Purusha Himself. (IV. 1 XLVI).
They went after their birth to Gandha Madana. (IV. 1 XLVIII.) It is
these Rishis, parts of Bhagavat Hari, who have now appeared for the
removal of her load from the Goddess Earth, as Krishnas, in the lines of
Yadu and Kuru. (IV. 1 XLIX.)
Krishna in the line of Kuru is Arjuna.
In explaining this Sloka, Sridhara quotes the following from a Vaishnava
Tantra: --
"In Arjuna, there is only the Avesa (suffusing) of Nara. Krishna is
Narayana Himself."
Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: -- "I have passed through many births as
well as thou. I know them all. Not so thou."
This shows that Arjuna was not Nara himself, the supplement of Narayana,
for in that case he would have remembered his previous births. But, as
the Tantra says, "Arjuna was possessed by the Nara aspect of the dual
Rishi."