SRI VADIRAJA VIRACHITA “TEERTHA PRABANDHA” – STEP 15 ಶ್ರೀ ವಾದಿರಾಜ ವಿರಚಿತ “ತೀರ್ಥ ಪ್ರಬಂಧ”.

SRI VADIRAJA VIRACHITA “TEERTHA PRABANDHA” – STEP 15

ಶ್ರೀ ವಾದಿರಾಜ ವಿರಚಿತ “ತೀರ್ಥ ಪ್ರಬಂಧ”.

 ಚಾಂಚಲ್ಯಂ ಪ್ರುಷ್ಠದೇಶೇ ಕಠಿನಕ್ರುತಿರಧೋವಕ್ತ್ರತಾ ಕ್ವಾಪಿ ಕೋಪೋ

ಯಾಂಜ್ಞಾ ಕಸ್ಮಾದಕಸ್ಮಾದಪಕೃತಿರುಪಕಾರಿಷ್ವಪಿ ಪ್ರಾಜ್ಞಮೌಲೇ|

ಸ್ತ್ರ್ಯರ್ಥೇ(s)ನ್ಯಸ್ತ್ರೀಷ್ವವಜ್ಞಾ ಕಿಮಿತಿ ರಮಣ ತೇ ಚೋರತಾ ಮಾಯಿಕತ್ವಂ

ಚಿತ್ರಂ ರೋಹಾವರೋಹಾವಿತಿ ವಿರಸಗಿರಾಪ್ಯಾದೃತಃ ಪಾತು ಕೃಷ್ಣಃ||12||

ChAnchalyam pruShThadEshE kaThinakrutiradhOvaktratA

kvApi kOpO

YAngchA kasmAdakasmAdapakrutirupakAriShwapi prAjnamaulE|

StryarthE(s)nyastreeShwavajnAkimiti ramaNa tE chOratA

mAnyastreeShwavajnAkimiti ramaNa tE chOratA mAyikatwam

Chitram rOhAvarOhAviti virasagirApyAdrutaha

pAtu KriShNaha||12|| 

The scholars have said that this stanza has multitudes of meaning. Some commentators have stated that it is quite difficult to explore, explain and perceive all the meanings that are hidden in this stanza. 

Sri Krishna is a very romantic person. He would love one Gopika for some time and shift his attention to another. He would sometimes remain silent, bend his head without bothering to respond; he pretends to be angry with some; he would bless someone with a rich mansion and may give a small cottage to someone else, as a token of his blessing. Therefore, Krishna is very dubious, discriminatory, elusive, cunning and frail. May that frail Krishna protect us.

Oh Lord Krishna, during your Matsya Avatar or incarnation as Fish, you were volatile; during Koorma Avatar, your back was very hard; during Varaha Avatar, your face was bent towards the ground; during Nrusihma Avatar you were ferocious; during Vamana Avatar, you begged for the sake of your devotee Indra; in your incarnation as Parashurama, you wronged your mother and other family members too; in your incarnation as Srirama, you ignored all the women for the sake of Seetha and stuck to the principle of monogamy; in your Avatar as Krishna, you displayed the skills of stealing butter as a pretext of bestowing your grace on pious people; in your incarnation as Buddha, you lured the Asuras; in your incarnation as Kalki, you exhibited the skills of horse riding. By narrating all these special qualities, Sri Krishna is pleased and may that impressed Krishna bless us.

Omnipresent Krishna has the habit of roaming about everywhere and being unstable. When Lord Rudra sought his help after being chased by Bhasmasura, Sri Hari lured the demon with sweet words and killed him. This was one kind of hard task you accomplished. When you rest on the Serpent Shesha and created the entire Brahmanda, it is perhaps another kind of hard task which is beyond common comprehension. Sitting on the shoulders of Garuda, you killed great many demons, which is one more astonishing hard task. Earlier, when Lord Eshwara was doing penance, some wicked powers called Yogini came to trouble Lord Eshwara, who sought your help, Lord Hari and you assumed the form of Narasihma, rode on the sheep, a form assumed then by Lord Eshwara and killed the Yogini clan of demons. This is an exemplary task which only Lord Hari can do. This story is indicated the word DuShTashakti- sahasrabhuk that is mentioned in Nrusihma Sahasra Nama. In the Avatar of Shimshumara, it was Lord Hari who could alone behold the Disc of Radiation (Jyotishchakra) from the reverse side. When Jaravyadha and other devotees committed crimes, Lord Hari did not punish them like he does with non-devotees. On the contrary, he graced them. In spite of being the protector of Rudra, he pretentiously undertakes a pilgrimage to Kailas and offers worship to Lord Rudra.  

It was Sri Narayana who assumed the form of Narayani, a beautiful woman, to serve the Elixir (Amrit) among the deities and to deny any share to the demons. It was during this ‘Service’ that he noticed Rahu sitting stealthily among the deities. Narayana, in the guise of Narayani, instantly converted the serving spoon into a sword and beheaded the demon. When thousands of demons stood on their feet with horrible weapons, it was Narayana who killed all of them. Each and every act of Lord Narayana is bewildering, to say the least.

In addition to his eight queens, Lord Krishna is depicted as romancing with sixteen thousand Gopikas, which is only one part of astonishment. Another part is ‘Na streekrutam kashmalamashnuveeta’, which means he was untouched and unblemished with the acts related to his association with women. This is not only more astonishing but also unparalleled. Jarasandha and his 23 Akshauhini Armi fired innumerable arrows and other weapons of in describable shapes and power at Lord Krishna. He remained unhurt, pretended to be ‘escaping’ from the battlefield only to hoodwink Jarasandha so that he could accumulate another big army of demons and finally killed him with utmost ease. What a surprise!

One can recite this stanza from Smrutis:

NAyAyaNO nAma narO narANAm

prasiddhachOraha kaThitaha pruThivyAm|

AnEkajanmArjitapApasanchayam

haratyashESham smrutamAtra yEva||   

ನಾರಾಯಣೋ ನಾಮ ನರೋ ನರಾಣಾಂ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧಚೋರಃ ಕಥಿತಃ ಪೃಥಿವ್ಯಾಂ|

ಅನೇಕಜನ್ಮಾರ್ಜಿತಪಾಪಸಂಚಯಂ ಷರತ್ಯಶೇಷಂ ಸ್ಮೃತಮಾತ್ರ ಏವ||

“Beware of a thief in this universe by name Narayana, who, steals away the sins accumulated over hundreds of births by just remembering his name.”    

This is the gist of the third level of meaning of this stanza, which can be continued without any closure. Our human perception and patience is very limited and therefore we tend to say “enough” for certain things, except worldly pleasures and desires. Even then, the kindness of Lord Krishna and his innumerable incarnations, his love and affection are always infinite. Let us proceed to next stanza in the next episode.

(Meanwhile, I was not keeping well for about five days and that is why there is a delay in posting my translations. Regret for inconvenience. SDN)