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Poorn Avataar

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Why Krishn is Called Poorn Avataar?
Taken from a   Web Site

Lord Krishn was not a human but was God Himself. He is the Purush at the center of the lunar orbit known as Purush. His elder brother is Shesh Naag or the Adhik-maas, which makes way for the Shuddh lunar months. We cannot have Shuddh lunar months if we do not have Adhik-maas. Thus Adhik-maas which comes first is the elder brother of Krishn (Purush of Shuddh Maas). Total, there are about 33 lunar months from one Adhik-maas to another one. When we multiply this by 30 days in each month we have, about 990 days or say, about 1000 days. This one thousand days is represented by 1000 arms of His Vishwa Roop, which was shown to Arjun before the MBH war started. Raamaayan is the story of one year (Bhaarat Varsh) and MBH is the story of about 3 years from one Adhik-maas to another Adhik-maas. Thus both these epics are legends to illustrate certain spiritual facts and are never the history as many people are prone to believe. Mahaatmaa Gandhi also thought them both to be allegorical legends. There is a difference of one day between one solar and the one lunar month. This remainder 1 day adds to 11 days in one year and to 30 days in about three years. Remainder is known as 'Shesh'. Thus the 33rd month which is the Adhik-maas or extra month becomes like a sleeping Naag Konas the Shesh Naag of the Sun or Vishnu. This Shesh Naag representing the difference of the solar and the lunar months is Balaraam.

People say that Krishn was Poorn Avataar : an absolute incarnation. What is the meaning of Poorn Avataar? In fact Poorn Avataar is not an Avataar in real meaning, but The Lord Himself; hence it should possess all the characteristics of The Lord. Some special features and missions of Lord Krishn are enumerated below.

1. Implied meaning of some members of the family and relatives :
1.1 The brother : Balaraam was Krishn’s brother. He carries a plough shaped like ‘ ८ ’ (8) the number eight in Sanskrit in His hand. This implies that He has control over Prakriti consisting of the eight principles. The eight principles of Prakriti are the five basic cosmic elements, the mind, the subconscious mind and the intellect.

1.2 The maternal uncle : Kans was the brother of Krishn’s mother Devakee. Once when King Ugrasen had gone on a battle, a demon expressed the desire to have intercourse with his queen, Pavankumari. In response she said, “I am willing provided the child born from this union will become an emperor.” The demon agreed to this and so Kansa was born. Kansa thus had a demoniacal rather than a Saatwik attitude unlike King Ugrasen. Later Krishn slew Kans. Literally in arithmetic Kans means a bracket ( ) which symbolizes limitation. Since Kans’s prowess was limited, he could not withstand Krishn.

1.3 The wives : Rukminee was Krishn’s chief queen. His seven other main queens were Satyabhaamaa, Jaambavatee, Kaalindee, Mitravindaa, Satyaa, Bhadraa and Lakshmanaa. These eight queens represent the eightfold Prakriti. The implied meaning is that the eight principles are within the control of Krishn. Krishn married the 16,000 princesses imprisoned by Narakaasur after freeing them, so that they acquired social status. The 16,000 princesses represent the 16,000 spiritual energy flow channels (Naadees) in the body. Marrying them means activating them.

2. Special features and mission :
2.1 Childhood : From birth till the naming : Devakee and Vasudev were the parents of Krishn. On the command of Lord Vishnu, the Great Illusion (Yog Maayaa) placed the seventh child of Devakee in the womb of Vasudev’s second wife, Rohinee and Herself entered the womb of Devakee. After birth when Kans came to kill Her, She escaped from his clutches and left for Her abode. Krishn is Devakee’s eighth child. After He was born, Vasudev took Him to the home of Nand and Yashoda in Gokul. Vasudev also sent Rohinee along with her son to Gokul. The priest of the Yadu dynasty, Sage Garg at the request of Vasudev, secretly performed the naming ceremony of both the children, Rohinee’s son as Raam and Devakee’s as Krishn. Later Raam came to be known as Balaraam because of the tremendous strength that He possessed.

2.2. Childhood only for 11 years : Krishn went to Mathura to slay Kans at the age of 11 years. It was then that His childhood ended.
The region on the outskirts of Mathura is called Vrij (व्रज). ‘व्रजन्‍ति गावो यस्‍मिन्‍निति व्रज:|’
means the place where cattle graze and roam is Vrij. Since Infant Krishn’s divine play took place here, this place is said to be sacred.

2.3 Intelligent : After the slaying of Kans and the thread ceremony, Balaraam and Krishn went to the Aashram of Guru Saandeepan in the city of Avantee. There within a span of sixty-four days He learnt the fourteen types of sciences (Vidyaa) and the sixty-four arts (Kalaa).

2.4 Elders heeded His advice : He was close even to people who were much older than Him. At the age of just seven Krishn did not allow the milkmaids to go to Mathura because He did not want the money that was procured by selling milk to evil Kans. Since then, the elders began to heed His advice and He proved true to their faith.

3. Bestower of spiritual experiences :
3.1 Once the cowherds (Gop) told Yashodaa, “Krishn has swallowed mud.” So, she asked Krishn to open His mouth. When He opened it, she got the vision of the entire universe in it. This example illustrates how an incarnation carries out its mission even in childhood.
3.2 On a moonlit night in autumn (Sharad) He performed the Raas dance (Raas Kreedaa) with Gopee (wives of the cowherds) in Gokul. At that time they experienced Bliss (Brahmaanand).
3.3 When Akroor Jee were taking Balaraam and Krishn to Mathuraa for Kans' Dhanush Yagya, He showed him His real firm and Lok under Yamunaa waters.

4. Physical :
4.1 Krishn’s beauty was unparalleled. All would get enticed by it.
4.2 He lifted Govardhan Parvat on the little finger of His left hand for 7 days and 7 nights continuously. The then only Kans doubted 4.3 that He was not an ordinary child, and he must be the 8th child of Devakee.
4.4 They killed Chaanoor and Mushtik like wrestler at a tender age of 12.

5. Historical :
5.1 To capture Krishn, Jarasandha’s armies surrounded Mathuraa 18 times - each time with 20 Akshauhinee army. Nowhere in the world have so many attempts been made to capture an individual.
5.2 Kans ferried 280 elephants on wooden rafts across the Yamunaa river. He surrounded Mathuraa for three months, but Krishn could not be captured because He would change His home everyday. Apart from this the thousand children living in Mathura wore peacock feathers in their hair to resemble Krishn. Kans’ soldiers assaulted them, yet they did not reveal ‘who the real Krishn was’.

6. Familial :
6.1 The ideal son : Krishn always behaved in such a way which pleased both His parents Vasudev and Devakee and His guardians Nand and Yashodaa.
6.2 The ideal brother : Krishn would always respect His elder brother, Balaraam.
6.3 The ideal husband : When it is so difficult to please just one wife, Krishn pleased 16,008 wives. Naarad’s attempts to create strife between them failed.
6.4 The ideal father : Because His sons behaved unrighteously, He Himself slew them during the battle of the Yadus.
6.5 The ideal friend : Krishn affectionately welcomed His poverty-stricken childhood friend Sudaamaa even when He became the ruler of Dwaarakaa. Due to His friendship with the Paandav, He constantly rushed to their aid. The Paandav worshipped Krishn as a friend (Sakhya Bhakti).

7. A lover of arts :
Krishn loved the arts of dance, music, etc and was an expert in them. His playing of the flute and His performance of the Raas dance (Raas Kreedaa) are famous. Even the animals and birds would get enticed when He played the flute.

8. Social :
8.1 The one who did not tolerate injustice (valorous) : Krishn either fought Himself or assisted others in fighting the injustice caused by Kans, Jaraasandh, the Kaurav, etc.
8.2 The one who was conscientious about His duties towards society : Realizing that the 16,000 princesses released from Narakaasur’s prison would not have any social standing which would result in several problems, Krishn married them.
8.3 The one who worked for the welfare of others : Some people criticize Krishn’s behavior. However all that He did was for others’ welfare. At times, He even broke norms, for instance, when slaying Jaraasandh, during the abduction of Subhadraa so that she could marry Arjun, abducting Rukminee so that she could use her right to choose her husband, marrying the 16,000 women, etc. During the MBH war He had pledged that ‘He would not wield a weapon’. Yet to fulfill Bheeshm’s vow that ‘I will make Krishn wield a weapon’, Krishn broke His vow and attacked Bheeshm with a weapon (a wheel).
8.4 The one who guided others for the welfare of society : ‘Protection of society was His objective and He had realized that it was necessary to annihilate the troublemakers and evildoers to achieve this end. Destruction of evildoers is never possible by remaining steadfast unto truth and purity alone. Realizing this sad shortcoming in the history of mankind, to protect truth and purity they have to be curbed in worldly interactions. If that is not done, then in this lawless world, cruel demons triumph, society deteriorates and the subjects are destroyed. This was the firm decision of His intellect. It is because of this that many a time “Often the untruth seems superior to the truth”, “One has to give up Righteousness (Dharm) and fight”, “Bheemsen will not be successful if he fights righteously, it is essential to fight un-righteously”, was the advice that He often preached.’

9. An expert politician
9.1 An excellent orator : With His eloquent speeches, Krishn was able to win over several people in the camp of the Paandav.
9.2 An ideal ambassador : Krishn presented the case of the Paandav in the royal court of the Kaurav in an excellent manner when He went there as a Peace messenger.
9.3 The one who made good use of psychology : Krishn told Karn the secret of his birth at an appropriate moment only so that it can upset his mental composure and he can defect himself from Kaurav's side.

9. Regarding battle :
9.1 An expert in warfare:
--A master in archery : Akin to Arjun, Krishn won over His queen Lakshmanaa by striking the eye of a fish with His arrow.
--A master in wielding the mace : Krishn slew Vakradant in a fight using mace.
--A master wrestler : Krishn slew Chaanoor in a fist fight (Mushti Yuddh).
--A master in chariot driving : everybody knows that he was the chariot driver of Arjun. Even Karn acknowledged His excellence when he requested Shalya to become his charioteer, "Arjun has an expert chariot driver, but I don't. If you will become my chariot driver, I will fight with him with confidence."
9.2 Brave and valiant : Krishn slew several evil monarchs and demons possessing illusory powers.
9.3 Brave : Though Jaraasandh and Kaalayavan, two powerful kings attacked at the same time, Krishn bravely protected the Yaadav and killed Kaalayavan too at the same time
9.4 An excellent charioteer : In the MBH war Krishn skillfully steered Arjun’s chariot.

10. Selfless :
Krishn slew Kans and several other kings, established the golden city of Dwaarakaa, yet did not ascend the throne. Despite this undoubtedly He was the uncrowned emperor of His times.

11.  Politeness :
During the Raajsooya sacrificial fire (Yagya) of the Paandav, Krishn washed the feet of the Braahman and even cleared up the leftovers food from others’ plates.

12. A great philosopher :
The philosophy preached by Krishn is given in the Geetaa. ‘In His philosophy Krishn has shown the appropriate admixture of attachment and detachment. He has accepted the Path of Action (Karm Yog) according to the Ved, Path of Knowledge according to the Saankhya philosophy, suppression of the tendencies of the subconscious mind according to the Path of Yog and renunciation (Sanyaas) according to the Vedaant, but has opposed the view that each one of them is the ultimate by itself as proposed by them. He balanced the appropriate significant part of each one harmoniously and created a new doctrine based on actions devoid of expectations or results. In the Bhagvad Geetaa He has mainly preached how one should carry out one’s duty. The scriptures decide what one’s duties should be, but He has explained excellently how to execute them well. In the Bhagvad Geetaa He has narrated to Arjun how to convert attachment to detachment and vice versa and how man should execute his duties.’

After the war, Arjun requests Krishn to tell him Geetaa once more as he did not remember it because at that he was in different mood. Krishn politely said - "I cannot also repeat it as it is, because that was a different occasion, but then he preached him another time that is known as Anu Geetaa.

13. The Guru :
Krishn eliminated Arjun’s doubts by narrating the Geetaa to him verbally and imparting him with spiritual experiences which are beyond words. During the MBH war Krishn had adopted the Gyaan Mudraa (Mudraa of knowledge).

14. The one with the attributes of God :
1. Supernatural powers and a peacock feather : Krishn had eighteen supernatural powers in all, eight being the eight great supernatural powers (Asht Siddhi) - His eight wives and the rest His own (God’s) 10 supernatural powers. It was with one of these 10 supernatural powers that Krishn assuming a form of the provider of clothes saved Droupadi’s honor by providing clothing to her when she was being stripped in the court of the Kaurav.

The centre of minute observation is the focus of super sensory energy. When it gets activated the house of Vaishwaanar and the horoscope in it assume the form of a peacock feather. The peacock feather adorned by Lord Krishn signified that this center in Him was perpetually active.
For more information on this refer ‘Science of Spirituality : Vol. 18 - Path of Activation of Spiritual Energy (Kundalini Yoga) and Path of Transfer of Energy (Shaktipat Yog)’.

2. A lover of all living beings : When the king of bears Jaambvant, requested Krishn to marry his daughter Jaambavatee, despite opposition from others, He married her. It is difficult for one to even conceive of such an idea.

15.  Effects of His Special features :
The following examples will illustrate the effects of all His special features on others.

(1) In the MBH war, no one ventured to attack Krishn, only the other charioteers were attacked.
(2) After the war, there was a conversation between a vulture and a fox about the deceased. In it, they have discussed the faults of all men, including those of Yudhishthir; but not a single one of Krishn.

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta On 05/27/04
Contact: sushmajee@yahoo.com
Modified on 08/05/12