Krishna Narayana

Maharishi Śuka continued, “At the time of Krishna’s birth, Vasudeva had mentally donated cows to Vedic Brahmins. However, he could not complete the donation as the cows, which he had wanted to donate, had been unlawfully seized by Kamsa. The large-hearted Vasudeva recollected his promise and now fulfilled the same by donating cows to Brahmins”.

At times of duress/ distress, a person is entitled to make mental donations, provided, he fulfills the obligation subsequently during good times. Non-fulfilment of mental promise transforms into an indebtedness. For instance, a person who has no money with him can say, ‘Ok, I have mentally given you Rs. 100/- today in charity’. However, his donation fructifies only if he actually gives away the amount. In other words, when he has the resources, he should first and foremost, fulfill this obligation and donate Rs. 100/- as promised.

“Upon completion of the thread-ceremony, Krishna and Balarama obtained their second birth. They then took on the sacred vows and abided by them dutifully. Mahamuni Garga, who was the spiritual Guru for the Yadavas, initiated Krishna and Balarama into the very powerful and sacred Gayatri mantra. The brothers then strictly abided by the vow of celibacy (brahmacharya vrata)”.

In the past, the naming ceremony and other rituals had been performed secretively for Krishna and Balarama. Now the rituals were performed on a grand befitting scale.

“The two brothers who are the storehouse for all forms of knowledge, who are the rulers of the universe and who are omnipotent, enacted the ways of normal human beings and perfectly concealed their inherent pure-knowledge”.

Having concealed their inherent Self-knowledge, they enacted like ordinary human beings. They adhered to all disciplines akin to other human beings, they chanted Gayatri mantra just as humans do. They spoke of dualities such as heat, cold, sorrows and joys, just like humans. They mentioned that they were suffering due to headache, fever, common cold exactly as others do.

“Balarama and Krishna desired to complete their formal education under the tutelage of a Guru. As such they approached Guru Sāndipani, who belonged to the Kashyapa Gotra and who resided in the city of Avanti. Through their exemplary behaviour they showed the way in which one’s Guru must be served. With absolute devotion and reverence, they served their Guru considering him to be the Lord himself”.

Guru Sāndipani was a truly fortunate teacher who could obtain the Lord himself as his student! The fact that Krishna desired to be taught only by Guru Sāndipani makes it clear that Sandipani was no ordinary teacher. What perhaps could have been the meritorious deeds performed by him in his many past births that bestowed him with the fortune of teaching the Lord himself? Even in his master’s home, Krishna exhibited many transcendental sports. Even in the past when He had to kill the demons, He would throw everyone into an illusion and would pretend to be merely a valorous human being without giving even the slightest inclination of His transcendental state.

“Immensely pleased with the exemplary services offered to him by Krishna and Balarama, Guru Sāndipani taught to them all the four Vedas. In addition he also imparted the knowledge of all the Vedangas and Upanishads”.

Here was the Lord who was the master of all Vedas. To be frank, He was the embodiment of Vedas. Nevertheless, in this human incarnation He, in the form of Balarama and Krishna, mastered all the Vedas under the tutelage of Guru Sāndipani. This itself is one sportive activity of the Lord.

“Guru Sāndipani taught to them the knowledge of Dhanurveda (military-science) coupled with the appropriate mantras for their usage. He also taught to them the Dharma-shastras (scriptures dealing with righteous actions), Mimamsa and other philosophical theories, the traditional system of logic and debate (tarka) as well as the political science (raja vidya) which comprises of six divisions known as sandhi, viraha, yāna, āsana, dvaidha and samśaya”.

Sāndipani was adept in all these branches of knowledge and he taught them in entirety to the Lord. The Supreme Lord himself had blessed Sāndipani with this knowledge which, he was now passing back to the Lord. Since the Lord had incarnated in a human form, Sāndipani too taught him as if he were teaching a human.

“Balarama and Krishna, the best among humans, were also the original propagators all forms of knowledge in this universe. As such they assimilated the knowledge of every subject as soon as it was explained to them only once”.

This is called eka-sandha-grahi i.e. to absorb the knowledge at one go without necessity of second repetition. They themselves were the knowledge of the universe; here they were enacting as if they had the necessity to learn them all.

“The two brothers, who had absolute control over their minds, learned the sixty-four types of arts which includes music, playing instruments and the like, in sixty-four days”.

In sixty-four days they mastered sixty-four different arts.

“Then they prayed to their teacher Guru Sandipani and forced him to choose any Guru-dakshina (remuneration). Initially Sāndipani was reluctant. Nevertheless, the brothers forced him. Having witnessed their extra-ordinary glories and their superhuman capabilities and wisdom, Guru Sāndipani consulted his wife.”

‘Who could they be who had in them the ability to master 64 types of knowledge in 64 days?’ Thinking thus, he sought to know his wife’s opinion on the ideal remuneration that they should demand from him.

“In the past, Guru Sāndipani’s son had died in the ocean on the banks of Prabhasa teertha. He asked the brothers to restore his dead son back to life”.

Initially the Guru refused to seek any remuneration, but when the brothers persistently pestered him, he asked for the impossible. He asked them to restore their dead son back to life.

“Balarama and Krishna, the mighty charioteers whose prowess was unlimited, immediately mounted their chariot and travelled towards Prabhasa Kshetra. Upon reaching their destination they walked towards the ocean and for a second sat on its banks. Immediately the Lord of the ocean came to know of their arrival. At once he approached them holding the puja materials.

Krishna then said to the Lord of the ocean, “I have heard that you have, with your huge waves, swallowed our Guru’s son. Hand him over to us this very instant”.

The Lord of the ocean replied, ‘O Supreme Lord! O Srikrishna! I have not kidnapped him. The terrible demon Pancajana, who belongs to Diti’s lineage and who in the form of a conch swims in the ocean has abducted him. He is responsible for this’.”

Krishna Narayana