[Advaita-l] Avatar's body is transcended

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste

This is from Mahabharata. Arjuna tried to protect the Vrishni ladies but
many were kidnapped by robbers. He lost all his strength and became
incapable of fighting.

"After all the people had set out, the ocean, that home of sharks and
alligators, flooded Dvaraka, which still teemed with wealth of every
kind, with its waters. Whatever portion of the ground was passed over,
ocean immediately flooded over with his waters. Beholding this wonderful
sight, the inhabitants of Dvaraka walked faster and faster, saying,
Wonderful is the course of fate! Dhananjaya, after abandoning Dvaraka,
proceeded by slow marches, causing the Vrishni women to rest in pleasant
forests and mountains and by the sides of delightful streams. Arrived at
the country of the five waters, the puissant Dhananjaya planted a rich
encampment in the midst of a land that abounded with corn and kine and
other animals. Beholding those lordless widows escorted by Prithas son
alone O Bharata, the robbers felt a great temptation (for plunder). Then
those sinful wretches, with hearts overwhelmed by cupidity, those Abhiras
of ill omen, assembled together and held a consultation. They said, Here
there is only one bowman, Arjuna. The cavalcade consists of children and
the old. He escorts them, transgressing us. The warriors (of the
Vrishnis) are without energy. Then those robbers, numbering by thousands,
and armed with clubs, rushed towards the procession of the Vrishnis,
desirous of plunder. Urged by the perverse course of time they fell upon
that vast concourse, frightening it with loud leonine shouts and desirous
of slaughter. The son of Kunti, suddenly ceasing to advance along the
path, turned, with his followers, towards the place where the robbers had
attacked the procession. Smiling the while, that mighty-armed warrior
addressed the assailants, saying, You sinful wretches, forbear, if ye
love your lives. Ye will rue this when I pierce your bodies with my
shafts and take your lives. Though thus addressed by that hero, they
disregarded his words, and though repeatedly dissuaded, they fell upon
Arjuna. Then Arjuna endeavoured to string his large, indestructible,
celestial bow with some effort. He succeeded with great difficulty in
stringing it, when the battle had become furious. He then began to think
of his celestial weapons but they would not come to his mind. Beholding
that furious battle, the loss of the might of his arm, and the
non-appearance of his celestial weapons, Arjuna became greatly ashamed.
The Vrishni warriors including the foot-soldiers, the elephant-warriors,
and the car-men, failed to rescue those Vrishni women that were being
snatched away by the robbers. The concourse was very large. The robbers
assailed it at different points. Arjuna tried his best to protect it, but
could not succeed. In the very sightof all the warriors, many foremost of
ladies were dragged away, while others went away with the robbers of
their own accord. The puissant Arjuna, supported by the servants of the
Vrishnis, struck the robbers with shafts sped from Gandiva. Soon,
however. O king, his shafts were exhausted. In former days his shafts had
been inexhaustible. Now, however, they proved otherwise. Finding his
shafts exhausted, he became deeply afflicted with grief. The son of Indra
then began to strike the robbers with the horns of his bow. Those
Mlecchas, however, O Janamejaya, in the very sight of Partha, retreated,
taking away with them many foremost ladies of the Vrishnis and Andhakas.
The puissant Dhananjaya regarded it all as the work of destiny. Filled
with sorrow he breathed heavy sighs at the thought of the non-appearance
of his (celestial) weapons, the loss of the might of his arms, the
refusal of his bow to obey him, and the exhaustion of his shafts.
Regarding it all as the work of destiny, he became exceedingly cheerless.
He then ceased, O king, to make further efforts, saying, he had not the
power which he had before. The high-souled one, taking with him the
remnant of the Vrishni women, and the wealth that was still with them,
reached Kurukshetra. Thus bringing with him the remnant of the Vrishnis.
he established them at different places. He established the son of
Kritavarma at the city called Marttikavat, with the remnant of the women
of the Bhoja king. Escorting the remainder, with children and old men and
women, the son of Pandu established them, who were reft of heroes, in the
city of Indraprastha. The dear son of Yuyudhana, with a company of old
men and children and women, the righteous-souled Arjuna established on
the banks of the Sarasvati. The rule of Indraprastha was given to Vajra.
The widows of Akrura then desired to retire into the woods. Vajra asked
them repeatedly to desist, but they did not listen to him. Rukmini, the
princess of Gandhara, Saivya, Haimavati, and queen Jamvabati ascended the
funeral pyre. Satyabhama and other dear wives of Krishna entered the
woods, O king, resolved to set themselves to the practice of penances.
They began to live on fruits and roots and pass their time in the
contemplation of Hari. Going beyond the Himavat, they took up their abode
in a place called Kalpa. Those men who had followed Arjuna from
Dwaravati, were distributed into groups, and bestowed upon Vajra. Having
done all these acts suited to the occasion, Arjuna, with eyes bathed in
tears, then entered the retreat of Vyasa. There he beheld the Island-born
Rishi seated at his ease."

On Tue, Aug 29, 2017 at 12:50 PM, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> On Tue, Aug 29, 2017 at 8:06 AM, S Jayanarayanan via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> >  Here's the Mahabharata reference for Krishna letting go of the body and
> > "becoming" Narayana:
> >
> > http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m16/m16004.htm
> >
> > "The high-souled one, thinking of the destruction of the Vrishnis and the
> > Andhakas, as also of the previous slaughter of the Kurus, concluded that
> > the hour (for his own departure from the world) had come. He then
> > restrained his senses (in Yoga). Conversant with the truth of every
> topic,
> > Vasudeva, though he was the Supreme Deity, wished to die, for dispelling
> > all doubts and establishing a certainty of results (in the matter of
> human
> > existence), simply for upholding the three worlds and for making the
> words
> > of Atri’s son true. Having restrained all his senses, speech, and mind,
> > Krishna laid himself down in high Yoga.
> > A fierce hunter of the name of Jara then came there, desirous of deer.
> The
> > hunter, mistaking Keshava, who was stretched on the earth in high Yoga,
> for
> > a deer, pierced him at the heel with a shaft and quickly came to that
> spot
> > for capturing his prey. Coming up, Jara beheld a man dressed in yellow
> > robes, rapt in Yoga and endued with many arms. Regarding himself an
> > offender, and filled with fear, he touched the feet of Keshava. The
> > high-souled one comforted him and then ascended upwards, filling the
> entire
> > welkin with splendour. When he reached Heaven, Vasava and the twin
> Ashvinis
> > and Rudra and the Adityas and the Vasus and the Viswedevas,
>
>
>
> Here the translation should have been:  ...Rudra-s and Aditya-s....[
> rudrAdityA
> vasavashchAtha vishve ] [Rudrāścha ādityāścha rudrādityāḥ]
>
> Is there any reference to this in the Mahabharata:
>
> http://www.mythfolklore.net/india/encyclopedia/krishna.htm
>
> //Arjuna <http://www.mythfolklore.net/india/encyclopedia/arjuna.htm>
> proceeded
> to Dwaraka <http://www.mythfolklore.net/india/encyclopedia/dwaraka.htm>
> and
> performed the obsequies of Krishna . A few days afterwards the city was
> swallowed up by the sea. Five of Krishna 's widows were subsequently burnt
> upon a funeral pile in the plain of Kuru
> <http://www.mythfolklore.net/india/encyclopedia/kuru.htm>-kshetra.//
>
> regards
> subrahmanian.v
>
>
>
>
> > and Munis and Siddhas and many foremost ones among the Gandharvas, with
> > the Apsaras, advanced to receive him. Then, O king, the illustrious
> > Narayana of fierce energy, the Creator and Destroyer of all, that
> preceptor
> > of Yoga, filling Heaven with his splendour, reached his own inconceivable
> > region."
> >
> > https://sanskritdocuments.org/mirrors/mahabharata/txt/mbh16.itx
> >
> > sa chintayAno.andhakavRRiShNinAshaM; kurukShayaM chaiva mahAnubhAvaH |
> > mene tataH sa~NkramaNasya kAlaM; tatashchakArendriyasaMnirodham || 18||
> >
> > sa saMniruddhendriyavA~NmanAstu; shishye mahAyogamupetya kRRiShNaH |
> > jarAtha taM deshamupAjagAma; lubdhastadAnIM mRRigalipsurugraH || 19||
> >
> > sa keshavaM yogayuktaM shayAnaM; mRRigAsha~NkI lubdhakaH sAyakena |
> > jarAvidhyatpAdatale tvarAvAM;staM chAbhitastajjighRRikShurjagAma || 20||
> >
> > athApashyatpuruShaM yogayuktaM; pItAmbaraM lubdhako.anekabAhum || 20||
> >
> > matvAtmAnamaparAddhaM sa tasya; jagrAha pAdau shirasA chArtarUpaH |
> > AshvAsayattaM mahAtmA tadAnIM; gachChannUrdhvaM rodasI vyApya lakShmyA ||
> > 21||
> >
> > divaM prAptaM vAsavo.athAshvinau cha; rudrAdityA vasavashchAtha vishve |
> > pratyudyayurmunayashchApi siddhA; gandharvamukhyAshcha sahApsarobhiH ||
> > 22||
> >
> > tato rAjanbhagavAnugratejA; nArAyaNaH prabhavashchAvyayashcha |
> > yogAchAryo rodasI vyApya lakShmyA; sthAnaM prApa svaM mahAtmAprameyam ||
> > 23||
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-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh