Srimad Bhagavatam can be enjoyed in multiple ways, depending on the manasic and buddhi level of the individual. Bhakti automatically springs from the depths of anyone having a trace of Sattva when one listens or studies Krishnaleelas. The young Krishna dazzles our hearts with his wondrous acts and steals the butter of our atma. Yet we are going to take a completely different outlook, look at it from a point of jnana. Each encounter with an asura offers a window into the tamasic nature of every jiva, not necessarily manifest in everyone. We will briefly recount each instance and look from this prism.
Storytime:
Putana: Ever since Krishna’s arrival in Brindavan, Kamsa kept sending powerful rakshasas to eliminate Krishna. Putana was the first one to arrive on the scene. She tried to feed the few day old infant a potent toxin, ended up giving her life.
Puta means purified. Na implies Not. Contact with Krishna eliminated the Na and she became purified. Putana implies Avidya, ignorance. Every Jivatma is shrouded in Avidya, which makes its individual existence possible and at the same time puts a barrier with Paramatma. Coming in close contact with Paramatma with a one pointed mind to offer, she got elevated. Just like one who doesn’t believe in the medicine, still gets the benefit of it upon consumption; Bhagawan is Jnana, burns avidya. In our case, it is possible to achieve this by satsangha and constant study of scriptures.
Sakatasura: On the third monthly birthday of Krishna, Yasodha had arranged a grand festivity with the attendance of many Brahmanas and all the villagers. Shortly she left the drowsy infant under the shade of a cart and left to attend to the guests. The infant woke up and started kicking its tiny feet. As the cries found no response, Krishna kicked the cart so hard and toppled the cart, which fell apart into pieces along with the things kept on it. No one believed the kids who witnessed the event. While the gopas and gopis had no clue and were busy performing homas and prayers for Krishna’s protection, it was actually Sakatasura who was disguised as a cart to kill Krishna.
Sakatasura represents jadavada, materialism. When it is given preference like nowadays, Krishna or Paramatma exerts his dominance over. Time and again, Avidya, leads to materialistic outlook. Inert ideas like power, money, and fame are given higher precedence. Even relationships are nothing more than our ahamkara projections, hence in the same category. Placing the infant below the cart is symbolic of this behavior. Paramatma cannot be shrouded by such materialistic outlook.
Trinavarta: One day while Krishna was in the lap of Yashoda, the baby suddenly felt very heavy on her. She placed the sleeping infant on the ground. Shortly thereafter Trinavarta, an asura on Kamsa’s payroll came in the form of a twister. For an entire muhurta (48 minutes) the village was pummeled by a storm and had no visibility. He lifted Krishna and intended to dash him to his death. But Krishna was growing heavier by the minute and was as heavy as a mountain. The child now grabbed his neck and strangled him till he dropped down from great height and shattered into smithereens. The searching Yashoda’s wails quietened only when some gopis found the child safe on the chest of the dead asura.
Trina means grass and avarta means Twister. Trinavarta is akin to our passions. Just like kama and krodha twist us apart, Trinavarta ripped the land and its occupants apart. Jnana, applied, weighs heavily on the emotions with a strong intent to correct it from the deep roots – thoughts, words and deeds. That alone can eliminate the passions.
Vatsasura: An asura wanting to improvise the attack, found Krishna’s love for calves. He disguised himself as a calf and was awaiting a time to kill Krishna. The ever alert Krishna found him and pointed to Balarama. Silently he went near him and grabbed his hind legs and tail and whirled him around till he gave up his breath and tossed the carcass on a nearby tree.
Vatsasura
represents our affectionate attachments. They are perfect and cuddly like
the lovable young calf. But these attachments are the backdoor for our vasanas
to manifest as strong desires, which breed more desire and attachment; thus
miring us in samsara. Krishna is ever alert. The one who is
connected to the Jnana of Bhagawan is alert to one’s attachments
and does vichara to develop viveka. Viveka
along with vairagya smash the
attachments. This comes only when Buddhi is
elevated to the feet of Bhagawan.
Bakasura: Krishna and Balarama were spending their days in frolic, taking the calves to grass and play games. One day they took the calves to a lake to give them water, when they encountered a huge monstrous crane. The crane was actually Putana’s brother and Kamsa’s ally, Bakasura. He quickly swallowed Krishna, leaving the gopa boys shell-shocked. But Bakasura vomited Krishna as if he had swallowed a ball of fire. Finding Krishna unhurt, enraged, he started to attack him with his beaks. Krishna caught hold of his beaks and ripped it apart as if they were a blade of grass, bringing an end to the asura’s misery.
Bakasura represents the hypocrisy and pretentiousness in us. Just like a crane that is white and posing in meditation, snaps up its unsuspecting prey, the falsities that cloak the personalities are covered by a veneer of truth. It may be either due to societal pressures or our own nature to take advantage of this double nature. This is an offspring of the original Avidya. In front of Bhagawan or our aspiration to turn our mind towards HIM, hypocrisy drops off powerless.
Aghasura: Kamsa sent Aghasura, the brother of Putana and Bakasura, to exact revenge of their deaths and eliminate Krishna. The gopa boys played a lot of sports while grazing their calves. One day they stumbled upon Aghasura, who was disguised like a huge mountain that looked like a python with its mouth open. The curious boys, knowing Krishna’s protection is around ventured in along with all their calves to explore the cavern of his mouth. Krishna aware of the danger ahead knew that Aghasura was waiting for him to close the mouth. He went in with a plan. As soon as the mouth closed, Krishna increased his size to choke the airways of the python. A completely breathless Aghasura’s life force burst open in his head along with his breath. This incident was reported to the parents after a year.
Agha means papam. It will be wrong to use the English translation of “sin” as
there are deep philosophical differences between them. Aghasura was one who was an
embodiment of papa. Papa is that
which protects the negativeness. Papa is that which separates the jiva from Paramatma. Stemming from avidya,
this potent force tries to envelop jnana.
As soon as it comes in contact with Bhagawan,
Jnana, it gets destroyed. Bhagavatam refers Aghasura’s death as Moksha,
as he is purified by the touch of Krishna.
Brahma: Krishna led the boys to the bank of a river to continue their games and eat lunch, after the killing of Aghasura. As they were eating, the boys were alarmed at the disappearing calves. Krishna with his flute stuck in his waist, blow horn and stick in his left arm pit and balls of curd rice in his right hand and many condiments between the fingers, offered to search. Brahma, who was astonished by the wondrous aghasura demise, took away all the calves. When Krishna came back to announce, all the boys were gone by Brahma’s trick. Krishna having realized Brahma’s hand, assumed all the forms – gopa boys, calves, sticks, horns and down to the last detail as if to highlight sarvam vishnumayam. All returned back to their homes and no one noticed any difference, except that everything was more loving. Parents and cows found their young ones more charming, as it was Krishna in every form. Brahma took a moment to realize his folly which was a year for humans. Brahma got more confused as there were two sets of everything, one with him and another in the world. Krishna’s maya baffled Brahma who came to him to tender his deep apology in the form of a glorious stuthi.
Brahma represents the buddhi. Unable to fathom Bhagawan, the inquisitive buddhi can take odd steps against its own cause. But once it understands the limitations of itself and the glory of Bhagawan’s immense powers or leelas, it surrenders itself. It was for Brahma’s sake Krishnavatara took place; still this tussle happens in every spiritual aspirant. This incident highlights the limitation of buddhi when it comes to the spiritual journey. Creativity of buddhi also stems from the grace of Paramatma, unless the buddhi realizes this fact, it can at times get loggerheads with its own benefactor.
Dhenukasura: Krishna turned six and was now allowed to graze cows. This extended the range of the gopa boys. During one of their grazing, they came across a palm grove filled with sweet smelling palm fruits strewn all over the ground. But the boys were afraid of setting foot in it. The grove was occupied by an ass shaped, Dhenukasura and his retinue, who were cannibals. Balarama eager to fulfill the friends desire to eat the fruits, went in and shook the trees. The falling fruits brought Dhenukasura who wanted to kick and kill Balarama, who caught it and whirled him to his death. The angry relatives and servants of the asura came to avenge and met a similar fate at the hands of Krishna and Balarama.
Dhenukasura represents hoarding, miserliness, selfishness. Wanting to covet everything and not to share is a donkey like quality, though a real donkey may not behave so. It is figurative speech. Similarly cannibalism is mentioned as this unhealthy quality can devour all the near and dear.
Kaliya: The Kalindi (Yamuna) river was poisoned due to a large black serpent, Kaliya that terrorized everything around. Once many cows and gopa boys were killed by the poisonous waters. Krishna revived them with his glance. Later to rid this menace, he jumped in the waters one morning, when no one was noticing him. The fearful gopas and gopis arrived to the scene where they found Krishna wrestling Kaliya. Balarama forbade their attempts to intervene. Shortly they were treated to Krishna’s dance on Kaliya’s hoods, which left numerous srivatsa marks on the snake. The furious snake was gravely hurt and his wives sought the refuge and grace of Krishna, who instructed them to head out to the sea. He also assured that the srivatsa marks will give it protection from Garuda, its arch enemy.
The five senses represent the five hoods of Kaliya. In absence of Bhagawan’s contact all sense objects get under their toxic influence. Just like a weapon is good or bad depending on the hands of the user, the senses can cast their toxic influence on the sense objects around. When Bhagawan’s imprints are etched due to dharmic living, the toxicity dies out. Senses and sense objects have their innate tendency to get poisonous. We can feel this as a testament in all our own lives. The fact that Kaliya was sent out to live is a strong reminder for all of us to train our senses to live under the umbrella of Bhagawan’s thoughts.
Pralambasura: An Asura named Pralamba, disguised himself like a gopa, awaiting an opportunity to strike. Krishna aware of his plan became very friendly with him, though hatching a plan in his mind. Krishna split the boys into two teams one under him and another under Balarama. The losing team would carry the other side on their back. Unusually Krishna’s team lost and Krishna carried Sridama. Krishna ensured that Pralamba would carry Balarama. True to Krishna’s analysis, Pralamba carried Balarama far off and assumed the asura form. Balarama delivered powerful punches on the asura’s head brining him down.
Pralamba represents the greed and deception in us. Just as greed keeps growing to no end, the asura was carrying Balarama faster and further. He thought he could go a little further without raising Balarama’s suspicion; this bad attribute of the mind keeps us pushing away from Bhagawan. But a little realization of the divine nature like Balarama and also inquiring the true destination and direction of the bad emotions, can deliver a knockout punch.
Kamsa was the epitome of evil, who put his own father Ugrasena in prison, along with his sister, Devaki and brother in law, Vasudev, as they birthed the eighth child, Krishna. Kamsa was able to enact his acts of terror as he had many asuric friends who were ready to do his bidding. Born from Avidya, passion blinds us all and causes destruction all around. Holding on firmly to Bhagawan one can tide over the tumultuous passions.
Kamsa shows despite the power and terror, evil can unleash, it has shallow roots. Kamsa barely put a fight and died in a truly anti climatic way when Krishna confronted him. This also highlights that in our spiritual journey, we need to cast our net far and wide to fish out every negative tendency we have hiding in the darkest crevices of our heart. As we overcome each seemingly impossible negative trait by persistent determination and Bhagavad vichara, we keep narrowing the noose on the samsara of Kamsa. At the core of samsara, the bad vasanas of ours buttress and support it. As we replace the darker tamasic vasanas and actions with saatvic ones, we aid in the elimination of our own Kamsa.
Krishna’s childhood is fraught with many wondrous events. We can enjoy every bit of it as a bhakta, thus cleansing our heart. Yet if we are too intent upon exercising only our intellect, then this deep analysis has provided us the subtle spiritual lessons we can take and apply in our lives. These asuric traits are warning signposts in our spiritual journey. May Krishna’s grace and his feet guide us in this perilous journey, every Jiva has to take. Just like the gopas and gopis got their complete protection by his divine grace, we also will, provided we make every effort to be counted on his side by working hard at destroying these tasmasic thoughts and vasanas. May Krishna’s leelas inspire us in multiple ways to reach our final destination – his lotus feet.
ॐ तत् सत
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