chap30 chapter29.html chapter30.html chapter31.html Vedic Roots of Hindu Iconography R. Nagaswamy CHAPTER-30 Kṛṣṇa Sadhana
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Kṛṣṇa Sadhana There is an important text in Sanskrit called “Yamala Tantra”. It seems to have been popular in Bengal early. The Yāmala Tantra is oriented towards worship of Bhairava and Bhairavi cult, but it seems to answer some very intricate points about Hindu culture. There are number of chapters in it as “Kṛṣṇa Sādhana”. Worship of Kṛṣṇa. This is a bit difficult text as it gives Yantras, seed chants, Mantras Yogas etc in mystic language. but the meaning is clear. This seems to give me a clue to Kṛṣṇāism. First of all it speaks of Kṛṣṇa and his worship form a different angle, namely purely Yoga. So it is Kṛṣṇa Sādhana. Kṛṣṇa is considered the primordial Sakti and with this Sakti are two allied Saktis Rākini and Rādha. Rādha and Rākini are sometimes spoken of as one. Kṛṣṇa worship is personal and not external. The Power of Kṛṣṇa is in every human being in the form of Kuṇdalini yoga. The svādhiṣṭāna cakra is his abode where he should be invoked. There are elaborate process of this invocation which is akin to external pratimā āvāhāna etc., The text says once Kṛṣṇa sādhana is undertaken, the man should not do external worship and everything is only mantra. That means Kṛṣṇa worship is metaphysical pure and simple. The mantra is “om kṛṣṇāya paramātmane namaḥ”. Here the concept is Kṛṣṇa is Paramātmā. this is the essential appraoch. Rādha and Rākini are his accomplices, again it metaphysical. There is Rākini sahasranāma also that is the Power of Kṛṣṇa. Those who follow this Yoga reach Daiva bhāva. He becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious. and it is that level all metaphysical sports are visualized. among the many bhavas of Kṛṣṇa is also “Balarāma bhāva” that is Kṛṣṇa and Balrāma are one. There is no question of discarding Balarāma but integrating Balarāma with Kṛṣṇa. It is the case with all Avatars. So one reaches Jñāna. One who is immersed in Kṛṣṇa conscious becomes Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. So the Bengali Krsishna Caitanya movement, by Jayadeva movement etc., are all rooted in this early tradition. The term Kṛṣṇa Caitanya occurs in this text that has been adopted later by historic Kṛṣṇa Caitanya 16th cent. So that Kṛṣṇa is Paramātamā is seen in this work clearly. If one does not understand this yogic nature of Kṛṣṇa worship he will misunderstand all about Kṛṣṇa. I think in this level of visualization Brahma, Viṣṇu, and Śiva etc., all merge. So Bhairava worship is considered Kṛṣṇa worship and It is known that Bhairava means “supreme Knowledge”. There is no need to be apologetic about anything in Hinduism. There is one interesting thing that this book says. It says it is your own vital breadth (prāṇa) that creates articulating voice from your mūlādhāra. The voice is articulated from subtle to gross form, in stges in your body. The voice becomes words and meanings through which you understand and live in this world. The same words in another place or linquistic zone gives a different meaning. So the names you give is only your environent and your own. All gods and the material you identify remain so long as your prāna is active; when it departs or let us say dies all these gods and other things you know disappear, so far as you are concerned. They are alive so long as you are alive and not beyond. So the bliss thou are seeking must be directed towards experiencing when you are alive. It may be a fleeting bliss still it is worth while when we are alive. One need not be dreaming of what will hapen after sahasrara bhedana etc., that will lead to sluggishness and postponement. But even little effort to realize that bliss by realizing that “my Prāṇa” Vital breadth is Kṛṣṇa and everything is Kṛṣṇa. That approach seams to me the yogic approach, mentioned in this book. This seems to be a convincing book not talking rubbish about miraculous powers etc. Let me follow the book more. Seems to give in simple words what is Yoga and also what do they mean by union etc., It does not deal with sexual or physical pleasures but a pleasure passes through your nerves in an exalted thinking.
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