Part 69 (1/2)

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 Pariks.h.i.+t 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 Ris.h.i.+s 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 Ris.h.i.+s, parts of Bhagavat Hari, who have now appeared for the removal of her load from the G.o.ddess 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 pa.s.sed 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 Ris.h.i.+.”

Sri Krishna said to Devaki: -

”At my first birth, in the Svayam-bhuva Manvantara, thou wert born as Prisni and this Vasudeva was named Praj.a.pati Sutapas I was born as your son, Prisni-garbha. I was also born of you, when you were Aditi and Vasudeva was Kasyapa, as Upendra, also called the Vamana or Dwarf Avatara. At this third birth, I am your son again, with the same body.”

X. 3 x.x.xII. to XLIII.

These are the three Incarnations of Nara Narayana, mentioned in the Bhagavata. They are certainly not the many births to which Sri Krishna alludes in the Gita. Those many births took place in previous Kalpas of which we know nothing. In this Kalpa, however, he appeared at the turning points in the Evolution of our universe. He appeared in the First Manvantara, the Manvantara of manifestation, as Prisni-garbha. We do not know the good done by Him in His first birth.

As Vamana, however, he restored the Triloki to the Devas and a.s.serted the supremacy of the spiritual forces.

The Earth was again overpowered by the Asuras. The Kalpa was about to be half over. The last struggle was to be made. Satva had to be infused into all beings, even into the materials composing them. Every thing in the universe was to be wedded to the Lord of Preservation. An upward trend was to be given to the whole course of evolution. Materialism could not be stamped out all at once. But henceforth there was to be a steady fall of Materiality and rise of Spirituality, subject to such variations as minor Cycles might cause.

Sri Krishna is therefore the greatest Avatara of our Kalpa. ”For the good of those that seek atma, Nara Narayana shall perform Tapas in Bharata Varsha, unknown to others, till the end of the Kalpa.” V. 19-9

Sri Krishna as Bhagavat is greater than the Second Purusha.