[Advaita-l] Sri Krishna Karnaamrutam - 4

[Kuntimaddi Sadananda]

PraNAms

 

Continuingthe series on the occasion of Sri Krishna Jayanthi – Pages from my book – Self andthe Supreme – published by the Indic Academy.

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SriKrishna Karnaamrutam -IV

TheSupreme Lord, born to Devaki-Vasudeva is growing as a child, as a cowherd boyin the house of Nanadabaaba and Yasoda mayyaa. Yasoda mayyaa and the whole ofGokul are enjoying the pranks of the Lord as a child without knowing that it isthe supreme Lord that is now in the form of a little child. One day Yasodamayyaa is trying put Krishna to sleep, and like any child, Krishna asked – mayyaa! Can you tell me a story so that I can sleep? In India, mothersalways used to tell all Pouraanic stories for the children, teaching in a waythat the Lord is always there to protect them when they are in trouble. When Iwas a child, my grandmother used to take me to a temple where daily there was SatSangh where Puranas were being narrated. There was one great pandit by namePuttaparti Sreenivasa Charlu, who was very popular in town, in telling thepuranic stories, since he used to interject many short stories in between toadd spices to the main story. My mother had Devi-Group, where she used to readTelugu Bhagavatam or Ramayan daily and explain to all the ladies. I also usedto listen until the ladies expelled me from their group.  The son ofPuttaparti Sreenivasa Charlu was the well-known Telugu poet in Andhra–Puttaparti Narayanacharlu, who earned the title of ‘Saraswati Putra,’ and hewas my father’s classmate. 
 
Well, coming back to the main story, little Krishna wanted Yasoda mayyaato tell him the story so that he can sleep. Yasoda mayyaa was telling Ramayanstory to little Krishna. This is the scene imagined by Leelasuka and thisincident he described in a poetic form.

रामोनाम बभूव, हुम्,तदबला सीतेति, हुम्, तम् पितु 

द्वाचा पन्चवटीतटे विहरतस्तस्याहरद् रावणः|

निद्रार्तम् जननी कथाम्इति हरेर् हुम्कारतः शृण्व्तः 

सौमित्रे! क्व धनुर्धनुर्धनु रिति व्यग्रागिरः पान्तु नः



raamonaama babhuuva,hum, tadabalaa seeteti, hum, tam pitu
dvaacaa pancavaTeetaTe viharatas tasyaaharad raavaNaH|
nidraartham jananee kathaam iti harer humkaarataH shRiNvataH
soumitre! kva dhanu rdhanu rdhanu riti vyagraagiraH paantu naH||

nidraartham jananee kathaam iti – for the inducing sleep to the childKrishna, the mother Yasoda was telling this story. Raamonaama babhuuva–once upon a time there was a prince by name Rama. Leelasuka says – childKrishna while listening to this story or should we say his own story of hispast life, says – hum – as though he was keenly listening to some newstory. Hum- sounds are interjected in the sloka as the response of thechild Krishna. Yasoda continues with the story. She says – tat abalaa seetaiti – The name of his wife was Seeta – hum. tam pitudvaacaapancavateetate viharataH, tasya tam aharat raavanaH – He, abiding in hisfather’s words, went to the forest and moving around in the Pancavati when hiswife was kidnapped by Ravana – when Yasoda maayya said this, instead ofregular –hum- Krishna jumped out of bed and shouted angrily –Lakshmaanaa! Where is my dhanus, my dhanus, my dhanus –thus shouted in anger filled with urgency? One can imagine how Yasoda mayyaamight have responded to her child’s outburst without knowing who Krishna reallyis. Leelasuka says that Krishna, who is ever on guard to protect dharma - paantunaH – may he protect us all. 

Here the author is pointing to us two things. The love of Rama to Seeta, eventhough that incarnation is over, his love is so intense that he, in the form oflittle Krishna, could not stand someone kidnaping his beloved Seeta when he wasRama. Generations must have passed by then. Still, after hearing that hisbeloved was kidnapped was intolerable.  Second is his love for Lakshmana,who served him like his shadow. Lakshmana is so involved in the service of Ramato the extent that Rama depended on him for everything. Rama did not know wherethe bow and arrows were unless Lakshmana was there to give. It is said thatRama will not return back to his abode as long as Lakshmana was there. Hence asituation was created to separate Lakshmana from Rama by sending Durvasa to seeRama when he was having private discussions with a Yama, who came in disguise.Lakshmana had to leave, and once Lakshmana left, Rama had no more desire toremain there. 

Mother Yasoda must have got frightened by the Child’s act of suddenly jumpingfrom the bed and calling for Lakshmana to bring his bow and arrows. It was saidthat Shree Kulashekara Alwar was also so involved in the story of Ramayan whilelistening to the part that Rama was on the way to Lanka to fight with Ravana,immediately got up from his chair and asked his commander in the army to getready to go to Lanka to help Rama to fight Ravana. 

In another poem, Leelasuka tells that while Yasoda mayyaa was puttinglittle Krishna to sleep, Gods above wanted to visit him, at least in his dream.Lord Shiva comes first, and Krishna says, Oh! Shabho! Please come and have aseat. Then Pitamaha Brahmaji comes who is invited to sit on his left side. Indracomes – Krishna says – Oh! Indra! Long time no see! Must not be getting intoany troubles now as days! Like that, Krishna is inviting each God that isvisiting. Yasoda, who was admiring her sleeping son with a smile on his face,suddenly hears – Oh! Shambo! Oh! Brahma! Oh! Indra! etc., while the child isstill sleeping. Thinking that the child has some bad dreams, she holds her Krishnatight and as concerned mother shouts– what happened to my child – what happenedto my child - and then does - – thuu- thuu – as raksha for thechild to protect the child from bad dreams. 

 

शम्भो! स्वगत मास्यताम्इत, इतो वामेन पद्मासन!

क्रौन्चारे! कुशलम्?सुखम्? शुरपते! वित्तेष! नोदृस्येसे!

इत्तम् स्वपन गतस्यकैटभजितः श्रुत्व यसोदा गिरः

किम् किम् बालक! जल्पसीति रचितम्, थू! थू! कृतम् पातु नः

shambhO!svaagata maasyataam ita, ito vaamena padmaasana!
krouncaare! kushalam? sukham? surapate! Vittesha! nodRusyase!
ittham svapna gatasya kaiTabhajitaH shRitvaa yasodaa giraH
kim kim baalaka! Jalpaseeti rachitam, thuu! thuu!, kRitam paatu naH|

That playful Krishna may he protect us.

 

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Hari Om!
Sadananda