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M K Sudarshan • June 24, 1997 


srimathE lakshmi-nrsumha parabrahmaNE namaha
sri vedanta guravE namaha

Dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s", 
 
In the last post we asked ourselves a question:

"How did the dying Bhishma conclude that Krishna, who appeared him before
him beside the "shara-tantra", was the same "para-brahmham" who had
guaranteed many aeons ago (through the "varaha-charama-shlOka") that He will
unfailingly appear before His devotees in the moment of their
"antima-prayANam" and grant them His "smriti" even without their seeking it
through "sva-prayatnam" ?"

We had said the answer to the question lies somewhere in the "vEda-vEdanta
pramANam".

If you peruse the ancient "Rk-s" of the famous "purusha-sUktam" you will
come across a very meaningful stanza in Verse 3 of the "uttara-anUvAkam". It
will read as follows :

  prajApatischarati garBhE~antha-ha ajAya-mAnO bahuDhA vijAyathE  I
   tasya DhIrA-ha parijAnanti yOnim~im marIchInAm padamiChhanti vEdhasa-ha II  

(Translation : In the midst of this huge conception and projection of the
cosmic Universe, the formless One moves about in the shape of all. Although
birthless ("ajAya-mAnO") He is born as all ("bahuDha vijAyathE"). The wise
and high-souled persons ("DhIrA"), through sheer dint of self-control,
worship and Yogic discipline ("parijAnanti"), understand how God is the
source of all ("tasya yOnim"). Desiring ("ichanti") such exalted states of
awareness that seers like Marichi and the original PrajApatis have attained,
the Wise ones ("dhIrA"), too, attain it and become creators themselves !) 

When we examine the substance of the majestic verse of the "purusha-suktam"
above, we are momentarily tempted to believe it may have been actually
composed keeping BhishmAchArya-r in mind. The expressions used in this "rk"
fit the "pitAmaha-r" so aptly !

The epithet "DhIrA" admirably suits Bhishma who, as per the "itihAsA", was
undoubtedly a great-souled, wise and worshipful one. He was known as the
foremost amongst "gnyAni-s" of those times --- the "agrEsara-r" amongst
"gnyAni-s"! He was also known as a formidable exponent of many lofty
"dharmA-s" --- a venerable "dharmAdhikAri"! He was also a devout "upAsaka"
of the Lord --- a true "bhAgavatOttamA" ! 

It is therefore no wonder that Bhishma, in his final moments in life, truly
understood (as much as Sage Marichi or the Prajapati-s of the
"purusha-suktam" had done before him) the esotericism of
"avatara-rahasya-mArga" alias "tasya yOnim" ! It is no wonder then that he
attained the Lord's "antima-smriti", experienced "mOkshAnandam" even before
extricating himself from mortal coils and, finally, also achieved
"uttama-gathi" (exalted state of Being) described in the "suktam" as
"vedhasa-ha marIchInAm padam" !!

The question remains : But what did SriBhishmachArya actually understand ?

Bhishma understood that the "avatara" of Krishna, who stood beside him in
the moment of his final departure, to be identical with the One described by
the "purusha-suktam" as "ajAya-mAnO bahuDhA vijAyathE!" i.e. the One who
conceived and projected all the Universe and the One, too, who being ever
'unborn', nevertheless, is 'born' ("avatara-s"), again and again, in all
forms of Creation!

(Something of this same feeling of Bhishma, was echoed in modern times, I
believe, by the genius of Albert Einstein who is quoted to have once said,
"With every fresh secret the vast, silent Universe unravels to me, I am more
and more convinced that it is all a single great Idea rather than a single
great Machine". Whenever I read this statement of his I cannot help
wondering if Einstein, too, wasn't a kind of enlightened Advaitin !)

Now, there is an apparent contradiction between the phrase "ajAya-mAnO"
(unborn) and "bahuDhA vijAyathE!"(born repeatedly) which makes us ask how
BhishmAchArya-r could make any sense out of a seeming conundrum ! 

How could the one who has been "born" as Krishna, the Yadava-offspring of
Devaki, and standing in person before Bhishma by his death-bed, yet be the
One who is 'unborn' ?

What absurdity !!

Such a thought which occurs today to even lay students and spiritual
aspirants like ourselves was echoed, too, many centuries ago even in ancient
"vedic" discourse !
 
Adi Sankara Bhagavath-pAdA-l, for instance, is said to have commented
extensively on this very matter phrased by the great Gaudapada in strict
"advaitic" terms of "mayA" as follows :

       nEha nAnEti chAmrAyAth indrO mAyABhirityapi  I
       ajAya-mAnO bahuDhA jAyathE mAyayA tu saha   II 

(Meaning: There is no plurality in the Universe; but the One assumes
numerous forms through "mAyA" (Energy). Hence though 'unborn', He assumes
many 'births' (forms).")     
 
SriVaishnava tradition, too, while buttressing this line of thought of the
"advaitic" school, explains the seeming anomaly between "ajAya-mAnO" and
"bahuDhA jAyathE" by alluding to actual "pramANam" texts. 

While explaining how Bhishma-r perceived the truth of Lord Krishna's "birth"
and "un-birth" (and reflected it in his "stuthi" through the term
"yatBhava-pravAha- ha") our "AchAryA-s" emphasise the alternate route of
examining "pramAN-ic" texts !

In the next post, we will examine that "route" ("mArga') shown by our
"AchAryA-s" to be leading to "avatara-rahasya". 

srimathe srivan satagopa sri narayana yathindra mahadesikaya namaha
sudarshan