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en govindhan gunam paadi aavi kaaththiruppen - post 6

From the Bhakti List Archives

M.G.Vasudevan • January 29, 2002 


Dear Srivaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

In the previous post we were singing the medicinal guNam of krishna, the
gOvindhan's touch. "kaark kadal vaNNan enbaan oruvan kai kaNda yOgam
thadavath theerum" is aaNdaaL's singing. Why is it so? Is he a doctor?
Answer is a very firm yes. See sri vishNu sahasra naamam. 

vEdhyO vaidhyas sadhaa yOgee veera: maadhavomadhu: is one line

thrisaamaa saamagas saama nirvaaNam BhEshajam Bhishak is another line

praNavam vaidhyaaya nama: is the naama 164 in the 1000 naamas - meaning: the
supreme doctor who can administer cures and different medicines to the
world, suffering from many ills out of their ego and misconceptions of ego
centric behaviour.

praNavam sadhaa yOginE nama:  is the naama 165 in the 1000 naamas meaning-
one who is an ever yOgin- if we consider remedy as the meaning of yOga, then
he is the supreme curer or remedy provider. He is the one and only ever
ready provider of this cure to all ills without exception.

praNavam BhEshajaaya nama: - naama 578 - meaning -medicine- he is the
medicine for even very special diseases, cure for all the diseases caused by
this life -samsaara.

praNavam BhishajE nama: - naama 579- the supreme physician- the dhanvanthri-
born with the nectar - amirtham - at the time of milk ocean churning. He is
considered the chief of all systems of Indian medicine.

So naturally such a doctor krishNa if he touches all diseases will fly away
including the lovelorn disease of seeking himself- that seeking will go,
what is to be attained is he and once he touches that is it- no more is
required.
 
But then why aaNdaaL wants to reach yamuna banks - to see her doctor? In
that kaaLiya's poison surcharged atmosphere- that amrutham kannan is there
doing that curing act on the kaaliya. Further any river bank will have fresh
air, forest green will be  there, that blossomed kadamba tree is there which
had the bhaagyam of having had the touch that krishna. The tree has become a
bhagavatha - so she wants to touch the tree and the bhaagavatha samslEsham.

This blossoming of kadamba tree is confirmed by aaNdaaL herself. We just saw
that swamy dEsikan saying the tree sprouted and blossomed. Now see her
verse- 
aaichchimaargaLum aayarum anchidap
pooththa neeL kadambu Erip pugap paainthu
vaaiththa kaaLiyan mEl nadam aadiya 
kooththanaar varil koodidu koodalE 4-4 naachchiyar thirumozhi

meaning: the women of aaippadi - krishna's village, the men folk all were
afraid when krishna climbed the fully blossomed kadamba tree and plunged
into yamuna. Then he danced on the hoods of kaaLiyan- oh coins please join
if such a krishna comes here.

oh bhakthaas- Please note the words - pooththa - fully blossomed tree. Also
it is a long tree- neeL kadambu. For the tree it is kaNNan kaal kaNda yOgam.
For aaNdaaL it is govindhan kai kaNda yOgam, for us it is naa suvaiththa
yOgam- the tongue tasted medicine-  krishna naamam -gOvindha naamam - that
is the medicine.

Smt. Raji sridhar in a private mail wanted why balarama was left out when
krishna went to subdue kaaLiyan the snake- is it because balarama was also
the snake - aadhiseshan avathaaram - since a snake is likely to have
sympathy for members of his clan. 

It was clarified that srimadh bhagavatham and sri yaadhava abhyudhayam were
clear that balarama did not go with krishna this time and reason could be as
stated by her as there was no explanation as reason for this going alone.
Later a subtle point came up and that is being added for consumption of all.
First the slokams referred in mail of Smt Rajisridhar-

In 108th slokam of chapter 4 of sri yaadhava abhyudhayam sri swamy desikan
says
 "vinaiva raamENa viBhu: kadhaachith sanchaarayan dhEnugaNam savathsam/
vanasriyaa dhoorivilOBhithaaksha: kanchith yayou kachchamadhrushtapoorvam//.

meaning- another time without balaraama accompanying the supreme lord
krishna went grazing the cows and calves into the forest being attracted by
the beauty of the banks of the yamuna river hitherto not seen by him.

In srimadh bhagavatham - sloka 13- 16th chapter dhasama skandham poorva
ardham - the sloka reads 
"thaanaalakshya bhayOdhvignaa gOpaa nandhapurOgamaa:/ 
vina raamENa gaa krushNam gnaathvaa charayithum gatham//"

This "vina raamENa" makes clear with out any trace of doubt in both places,
that balaraama was not there when krishna took upon kaaliya for the fight
initially and then danced on his hoods. 

Now the point: This "kuRai onRum illaadha gOvindhan" krishNan had a
manakkuRai over the happenings in the earlier raama avathaaram. That was
removed in this episode of kaaLiya subduing. 

Raama had lakshmaNa accompanying him always as well known to all of us. In
the instance of war with indhrajith also he was there in the first stage of
war. The aadhi sesha avathaaram lakshmaNan was there when indhrajith stuck
raama and lakshmana with naagaasthiram - the snake weapon- then bound raama
and lakshmaNa, made them unconscious. Then sugreeva vibheeshana, jaambavaan,
hanumaan and sushENan et al all decided to request and call the snake killer
garuda to come to help and give the relief to rama and lakshmana. When
garuda came, then only that naagaasthiram effect on raama and lakshmaNa was
removed. 

Further raama had all the armoury at his disposal when he was fighting, and
that too as an adult more than 25 years in age [14 years vanavaasam + 14
years at the time of seetha vivaaham so a minimum of 25 or 26 when war went
through]. That vilveeran raama who subdued 16000 raakshasas including karan
and dhooshanan single handedly can not stand a snake asthiram of indhrajith.
This was the manak kuRai- in spite of all that I was subdued by the snake
asthiram. This kuRai of "I became stuck with a snake, even though the king
snake was by my side this assistant garuda of mine have to be called for my
relief from the snake menace" was there in raama.

So he decided, at least in the next avathaaram of krishna, I must remove
this kuRai and prove that I can go without the help of these two assistants,
without armoury and at an young age and prove to people that I can subdue
this snake clan if I want. 

Now, Here the young krishna, a boy aged 7 or 8, goes into yamunaa, without
any armoury in hand, [may be a small bamboo flute, and a stick which drives
cows and calves as armoury] to subdue the snake kaaLiya. As periyaazhvaar -
the mother yasOdhaa - says "kudaiyum seruppum kodaathE dhaamodharanai kanRin
pin pOkkinEn" - not even an umbrella and footwear in the legs krishna goes
to fight the menacing snake. [of course raama also did not have his footwear
since other brother took away- so that way equal]

That is why krishna went alone for kaaLiya as well as agaasura vadham and
thereby got his manak kuRai removed and thus became kuRai illaadha
gOvindhan. 

[note: Garuda can not be called to the kaaLindhee madu- banks of river
yamuna- yamunaa is also known as kaaLindhee- the daughter of sooryan- sun
god. For he had a curse from soubari maharishi. About this saabham kaaLiya
also knew and that is why he was so atrocious in the area and happy to live
in the ghat of yamuna till krishna subdued him] 

Now sing this krishna's glory - such a gOvindhan guNam of incomparable
veeram - at such an young age- better when compared with raama the mighty
who killed raavaNa- then ilankai kOmaanaich cherra manaththukku iniyaanaiyum
vida better - of going alone without any armour. Krishna krishna
Dhaasan 

Vasudevan M.G.



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