Spark from a Smouldering Altar

SPARK FROM A SMOULDERING ALTARtc "SPARK FROM A SMOULDERING ALTAR"
(Visva Roopa Sandarsanam)

Prof. Sitarama Murty

“The Supreme Being, the One only without a second, (ekam eva adviteeyam), wills to become Many.

With Him will and its fulfillment are simultaneous. Whatever be the magnitude and variety of the contents of His conception, His will has such potency as to materialise it in all its fullness and splendour. This entire universe –the extensive earth, the majestic mountains, the gurgling rivers, the verdant woods, the numerous species of colourful animals and birds, flies and insects, the expansive seas of unfathomable depth, with rising billows floating foam, the over-arching sky with its brilliant planets and sparkling stars and pleasant celestial regions and horrid nether worlds —- comes into existence. And finally –crowning this magnificent creation appears the human personality with handsome physical frame and features, invested with sensitive senses, a strong mind, a vigorous intellect, a mellowed heart and a live consciousness and a luminous conscience. God’s love for this Self-manifestation forges an inalienable link with Nature as the Transcendental Supreme (Para Brahma) andwith human beings as the immanent Lord (Paramatma). He clings closer to human soul, lodges Himself in his conscience to provide guidance to him in his life and conduct

Man forgets his real nature as the Lord’s beloved offspring and falls a prey to the temptations of the world’s glamour and indulges in greedy pursuits of pelf and power, suppressing the voice of conscience not to stray from the path of Virtue and Righteousness; and thus creates chaos in world order. It is then that the Supreme feels obliged to incarnate in the world in a suitable form to destroy wickedness, to protect the virtuous, and to restore Righteousness on a firm foundation.

There are certain situations in man’s history when the Lord while playing the role of a Human Personality in combating with forces, inimical to right approachto challenges, has to manifest His Divinity as the Supreme Being in all its magnificent splendour. Krishna is obliged to present His real nature as Bhagavan (Saakshat Parabrahma)on three occasions through  Visions Beatific -Splendorous Cosmic Manifestations (Visvaroopa Sandarsanam)

Lord Krishna arrives at the Kaurava Court as the Ambassador of Pandavas to plead for conciliation, to persuade king Dhitarashtra to concede the modest demands of Pandavas and thus avoid war, which involves bloodshed on a massive scale. But the king remains passive; and his son, Duryodhana flatly refuses the deal proposed and challenges his cousins to settle their claims in war. Not content with this denial, he arrogantly flings into air the prescribed code of conduct towards those engaged in embassy in the royal court. He considers that Krishna is a mere human being; and that he can easily manage to take him captive. He believes too much in his strength and power; he has vast armies to lend him support in his ventures; and he can easily manage whatever he wishes with ease, by employing brute force. Lord Krishna, on his own initiative, chooses to terrify those engaged in mutiny with the intention of shattering their arrogance by a Terrific Manifestation of His Supreme Divine Personality in its Cosmic Splendour. ( bheeshanam bheshananaam) The purpose intended is to cause discomfiture of vice and wickedness, to frustrate revolt against the Deity and to overpower Duryodhana’s arrogant self-sufficiency. The entire court falls into a swoon including the perpetrators of this revolt against Divinity: Only those who believe in Krishna as lord incarnate, like Bhishnma and Vidura and Drona withstand this paralysing crisis. Though they lack power of sight to witness this glorious vision, they perceive with devotional intensity the splendor of Krishna’s Divinity. The blind King prays that he be enabled to see this Manifestation and Krishna generously grants him sight for the nonce. This manifestation takes place before the war, in fact, to obviate that catastrophe.

But what is the effect of this Manifestation on Duryodhana, the veritable personification of cussed Tamoguna in all its massive langour, and insensitivity to sparks of Divinity? He deems this act as another instance of Krishna’s prowess in magic, in creating delusion for a moment; and continues his demoniac machinations against the Pandavas. The blind King derives no benefit from this vision; his infatuation for his son continues unabated. Duryodhana’s misdemeanours suffer no check, no protest, from his father whose blindness to virtue, despite the Divine Vision, becomes an additional advantage to him. Preparations progress to wage the war.

Despite his offensive misdemeanour towards Krishna in court, Duryodhana makes a strategic move to mollify him by seeking a favour from him. He approaches Krishna to request help from him in the war; finding him immersed in sleep in his bed-room, he settles down in a chair placed at the head of the bedstead. Arjuna also arrives for enlisting Krishna’s aid for his side and gets seated in a chair at the foot of the bedstead. As Krishna wakes up and opens his eyes, his looks directly fall upon Arjuna; and then as he casts looks on all the sides he notices Duryodhana. He extends warm greetings to both the visitors and enquires their purpose in meeting him. They place their requests for help from him. Krishna is ever ready to grant favours to those who approach him, without taking into account their past records of amenability or hostility towards him. He puts before them two alternative proposals:

(i) He will not arm himself with any weapon and will not engage himself in the fight;

(ii) His Yadava legions fully armed, is ready to participate in war.
And he tells them that Arjuna will be given the option of choice, because he has seen him first and also because he is the younger of the two. Duryodhana sees that Krishna is playing his usual mischievous trick in giving priority of choice to Arjuna; for, only a fool will choose the first alternative of having an unarmed Krishna on his side. But Arjuna prefers to have Krishna, as he believes that he is God-incarnate and that his mere presence on his side, his counsel and guidance, are more potent than the armed contingents. Duryodhana, who believes in superiority of numbers of fighting forces is mightily pleased to have the Yadava legions to help him in the war. He cavils at Arjuna’s stupidity in his preferential choice.

The hostile forces assemble in the vast plains of Kurukshetra to try their strength- eleven legions of warriors on Kaurava side ranged against seven legions on Pandavas. As the battle is about to begin, Arjuna urges Krishna, his charioteer, to drive the chariot to the forefront and makes a review of the enemy forces. He notice among them revered personalities and preceptors –Bhishma, Drona, Asvathama and his cousins. He feels miserable that he has to wage a relentless battle against those who are dear to him; his heart sinks; depression holds him under sway; he drops his bow and arrows and declines to fight. Arjuna seeks advice and guidance from Krishna. Krishna deprecates this sudden development in a hero of repute, who has faced several hostile forces in the past. He encourages him to do his duty as a Kshatriya; to fight evil forces and restore order as an inescapable obligation. He clears Arjuna’s doubts with an elaborate exposition of the tenets of Dharma and its implications: Bhagavad Gita is the result. During this discourse, Arjuna, who has complete faith in Krishna as the Supreme Incarnate, prays that he be blessed with a Vision of his Divinity. Krishna tells him that even seasoned sages, savants, yogis and saints cannot bear to see its splendour; and imparts a divine glow to his eyes to make them capable to look at this Beatific Cosmic Manifestation. Krishna’s purpose is to eliminate Arjuna’s self-distrust and waywardness of will, to stimulate him to action with detachment from its consequences, to eliminate his inopportune lapse into sattva guna at a time when Rajo guna should predominate. This Beatific Vision presents all the vast and varied richness of the entire concrete universe, with nothing outside, and the panorama of events, past, present and future. It projects a gargantuan cavernous mouth sucking in the armies of both sides including Bhishma, Drona and other heroes of repute. The result is a fresh witness to the glory of God - head; and Arjuna makes a plea to Krishna to withdraw this Vision. He now realises how he has thought low of himself, how he has believed too little of his prowess, how he has degenerated into a moral weakling through casuistry. Now he has regained his strength; he can now assert with determination that Krishna is the Lord in whom he reposes trust as his Refuge and Guide. He gets ready to fight the enemy.

After the conclusion of the war, with Pandavas securing the victory Krishna leaves for Dwaraka, and on his-way visits the-Hermitage (Ashram) of Sage Udanka. Udanka is an adept in spiritual quest; he has reached the heights of self-realization by intense and devout meditation. He looks at the disorder prevalent in the world and becomes upset. His strong disposition composed of sattva guna, serenity in all its abundance, gives way to despair. He feels miserable and expresses misgivings about the workings of Divine government. He makes an earnest appeal to Krishna to remedy the situation and present his real nature as the Supreme Being. Krishna feels sad that Udanka has unfortunately suffered a lapse from his natural sobriety (sattva guna) and came to a wrong judgment about Providential Working. This is an occasion for Krishna to display his Cosmic Manifestation in all its splendour to assure the sage of the prevalence of Moral Law, despite apparent contradictions on the surface. “God is in His Heaven and all is right with the world.” After witnessing afresh this Manifestation of God’s Glory (mahima) the sage regrets how mistaken he was in usurping the seat of judgment and denouncing world-order by too much belief in appearances.

To conclude
The first time Krishna presents his Divine Cosmic Manifestation in all its splendor is on his own initiative (suo motu) with the purpose to strike awe in Kaurava court and frighten Duryodhana and his ilk not to think lightly of God, not to indulge in vice and wickedness, not to depend entirely on brute force.

It is in response to the request of Arjuna, that Krishna projects his Cosmic Manifestation a second time to enable him to witness God’s glory and thereby enlighten his will to control its waywardness and to aid him in his resolve to do his prescribed duty without regard for its consequences.

Again, the third occasion for displaying his Cosmic Manifestation arises to correct sage Udanka when he lapses from Sattva guna and, comments on the neglect of providential action to set things right, and to give him assurance that the Divine Order is ever at work to rectify disorder. The sage is purified and regains his sobriety by visioning God’s glory.

The lessons that we can draw from these three situations are salutary in their effect. We should not stray from virtuous life; pride of pelf and power leads to wickedness, which works finally to bring disaster. We should not warp from duty under the mistaken belief that we lack competence but discharge it without regard to consequences and with faith in God’s will and grace. We should never warp our judgment by consideration of superficial circumstances but keep steady with faith that Divine Order is ever at work to remedy things and restore order.

To accomplish this illumined state of serenity, steady and sturdy faith in providential design and a gracious belief in the Supreme Lord is essential.