He appears to enhance happiness of world and to reduce burdens of life
By Sri Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa Prabhu
The Unborn is born! This act of the Lord is His causeless mercy on us. His appearance spreads all auspiciousness in the world. Bhagavad Gita declares that the Lord appears in order to annihilate the miscreants and to protect His devotees. He appears to enhance the happiness of the world and to reduce the burdens of life. On this auspicious occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, let’s remember the glories of the lord and purify the soul within.
His Holiness Adi Shankaracharya summed up his Gita-Mahatmya by writing –
ekaṁśāstraṁdevakī-putra-gītam
ekodevodevakī-putraeva
eko mantras tasyanāmāniyāni
karmāpyekaṁtasyadevasyasevā
(Gītā-māhātmya 7)
In this verse, Adi Shankaracharya explains his theory of oneness:
Let there be ONE god: Devaki Putra i.e, Krishna
Let there be ONE scripture: Devaki Putra Gitami, Krishna’s Gitam – Bhagavad-Gita
Let there be ONE mantra: Krishna’s Name
Let there be ONE Karma: Krishna’s seva
Shankaracharya wanted to glorify ONLY ONE: Krishna. Krishna Himself proclaims in Bhagavad-Gita (9.17): “PitahamasyaJagato”, I am the father of the entire world or universe.
He is the almighty father and the Supreme Personality of Godhead and naturally for everyone. Some may call Him by a different name, but Supreme father is one. He & His Bhagavad-Gita are meant for the entire universe, nay, entire existence.
He declares in Bhagavad Gita (10.8)
ahamsarvasyaprabhavo
mattahsarvampravartate
itimatvabhajante mam
budha bhava-samanvitah
“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.”
Vedanta or Ultimate Truth is Krishna
vedais ca sarvairahamevavedyo
vedanta-krdveda-vid evacaham
“By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” (BG 15.15).
Vyasadeva, a powerful incarnation of Narayana, is the compiler of Vedanta-Sutra. A Sutra means that it has to be universally applicable. After compiling the Vedanta-Sutra, Vyasadeva wrote commentary of these sutras in the form of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is naturally universally applicable, which declares emphatically “Krishnastu Bhagavan Svayam” (SB 1.3.28)
Krishna is the original source of everything, Supreme Brahman, the possessor of six opulences in full, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Unborn and Supreme lover of all living entities. He enjoys unlimited pastimes with His unlimited devotees in the spiritual planets which exist beyond BrahmaJyoti.
Though many religions proclaim that almighty cannot come to our midst, Vedic literature gives the full information: Krishna descends! Since He is the Supreme, no one can place any conditions on Him including the condition that He cannot descend.
When Lord appears, He does so using His internal potency. He doesn’t come under the control of material laws and material potency. He always assisted by His own atma-maya or Internal potency which is distinct from the energy that works in this world.
When Lord appeared in front of His father & mother in the prison house of Kamsa, what His father saw was described in the eternal Srimad-Bhagavatam:
tam adbhutaṁbālakamambujekṣaṇaṁ
catur-bhujaṁśaṅkha-gadādy-udāyudham
śrīvatsa-lakṣmaṁ gala-śobhi-kaustubhaṁ
pītāmbaraṁsāndra-payoda-saubhagam
mahārha-vaidūrya-kirīṭa-kuṇḍala
tviṣāpariṣvakta-sahasra-kuntala
muddāma-kāñcy-aṅgada-kaṅkaṇādibhir
virocamānaṁvasudevaaikṣata
Translation: Vasudeva then saw the newborn child, who had very wonderful lotuslike eyes and who bore in His four hands the four weapons śaṅkha, cakra, gadāand padma. On His chest was the mark of Śrīvatsa and on His neck the brilliant Kaustubha gem. Dressed in yellow, His body blackish like a dense cloud, His scattered hair fully grown, and His helmet and earrings sparkling uncommonly with the valuable gem Vaidūrya, the child, decorated with a brilliant belt, armlets, bangles and other ornaments, appeared very wonderful. (ŚB 10.3.9-10)
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna appears in this world only once in a day of Lord Brahma. In one day of Lord Brahma, there are 1000 Maha Yugas (a cycle of Satya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali Yuga) and Krishna appears in one of the Dwapara Yugas. We are fortunate to be in that Maha-Yuga cycle wherein Krishna appeared just 5000 years ago and currently, we are in the immediate Kali Yuga.
What is the ultimate knowledge and goal of life?
Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna movement, explains –
The Vedānta-sūtra consists of four chapters. The first two chapters discuss the relationship of the living entity with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as sambandha-jñāna, or knowledge of the relationship. The third chapter describes how one can act in his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and is called abhidheya-jñāna. The relationship of the living entity with the Supreme Lord is described by ŚrīCaitanya Mahāprabhu: jīvera ‘svarūpa’ hayakṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’. Therefore, to act in that relationship one must perform sādhana-bhakti, or the prescribed duties of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called abhidheya-jñāna. The fourth chapter describes the result of such devotional service (prayojana-jñāna). This ultimate goal of life is to go back home, back to Godhead. The words anāvṛttiḥśabdāt in the Vedānta-sūtra indicate this ultimate goal.
Krishna spoke Bhagavad-Gita and at the end, declares His final message (BG 18.66):
sarva-dharmānparityajya
māmekaṁśaraṇaṁvraja
ahaṁtvāṁsarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmimāśucaḥ
Translation: “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”
In order to achieve the ultimate goal of life, one should surrender to Krishna and render loving devotional service to Him. One who perfects His devotion to Krishna can go back to our eternal home, the abode of God or Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada, the Parampara Acharya in Krishna’s line, quotes that one should chant the Holy Names of God incessantly in order to achieve perfection of life. One should Chant Holy Names of God as revealed in your scriptures and avoid sin.
One should chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna KrishnaKrishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama RamaRama Hare Hare
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