“’O naughty child, now try going from here, if you can.’ Having spoken thus, she returned to her household duties.” (Vishnu Purana, 5.6.15)

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यदि शक्नोषि गच्छ त्वम् अतिचञ्चलचेष्टित
इत्य् उक्त्वा च निजं कर्म सा चकार कुटुम्बिनी

yadi śaknoṣi gaccha tvam aticañcalaceṣṭita
ity uktvā ca nijaṃ karma sā cakāra kuṭumbinī

The Sanskrit is lila-smaranam. This might even be a name given to a newly initiated disciple, in the tradition of spirituality known as Vaishnavism. Vaishnava refers to devotion to Vishnu, which is a name for the Almighty, specifically referencing a person. God in this understanding is an individual. He is Bhagavan, which refers to the collection of full beauty, wealth, strength, fame, wisdom, and renunciation in a single individual. He does not have to go around collecting powerups or weapons. He does not need to refuel when things get tough. He is always complete in Himself. He does not require companionship, either. He is atmarama, which means “satisfied in the self.”

If Bhagavan has everything, why does He have to pass the training mission with the sage known as Vishvamitra? Why does the avatara of Vishnu known as Rama receive the upavita, or the sacred thread through initiation, in the relationship with the spiritual master? Why does Rama need special weapons that are called upon with secret mantras?

बधी ताड़का राम जानि सब लायक
बिद्या मंत्र रहस्य दिए मुनिनायक

badhī tāṛakā rāma jāni saba lāyaka
bidyā mantra rahasya di’e munināyaka

“Rama showed His tremendous knowledge of fighting by killing the demon Tataka. The muni then gave to Him knowledge of secret mantras to be used in fighting.” (Janaki Mangala, 36)

Lila-smaranam refers to remembering the Divine pastimes. You see, we can identify God. We can acknowledge God. We can worship God. But most importantly, we can remember God. Those who maintain that memory while quitting the body, during the moment known as anta-kale, or the very end, achieve a nature just like His. They become liberated and no longer have to suffer through birth and death.

अन्त-काले च माम् एव
स्मरन् मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्
यः प्रयाति स मद्-भावं
याति नास्त्य् अत्र संशयः

anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ

“And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.5)

This seems straightforward enough. Just remember. But what, exactly? Well, there is the lila. These are the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just where do we go to learn about the lila? Smaranam is possible only after shravanam. First we hear, then we can remember. To hear, we approach a tattva-darshi. This is someone who has seen the truth. In a humble manner, we render some service to them. We politely make inquiries, without challenging, and have our confusions removed.

तद् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन
परिप्रश्नेन सेवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं
ज्ञानिनस् तत्त्व-दर्शिनः

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

Okay, but where does the tattva-darshi get their information? They have their own spiritual guide. This passing of the baton, so to speak, is known as parampara. It is disciplic succession. The original source of knowledge is the play itself. There are events which take place. For instance, with the avatara of Vishnu known as Krishna, there are notable events occurring in places like Mathura, Gokula-Vrindavana, Dvaraka, and Kurukshetra.

The accounts and descriptions of what Krishna does in the manifest realm are preserved in multiple places. It is not that there is a single book of authority, to the exclusion of others, though there is no harm in choosing one such work and using it as the entire focus for remembrance. The information is never limited, precisely because Krishna Himself is unlimited, ananta.

1. Bhagavata Purana

Originally, there is only one Veda. This is the equivalent of the original scriptural tradition of the universe. We might be surprised to learn that people in past ages were more advanced than the people of today. This runs contrary to the modern-day speculation, but just see how ancient structures still standing today cannot be recreated. Man throws their hands in the air. If it is impossible today, how was it possible thousands of years ago? The people must have had more intelligence. They must have been tapped into a superior mode of living.

The Supreme Lord is so kind that He allows for additional avenues of entry into transcendental life to correspond with the degrading conditions. The partial incarnation known as Vyasa assumes the task of dividing the original Veda into four parts. He also compiles many histories known as Puranas. It is in the Purana known as Bhagavata that we get an entire section dedicated to Krishna-lila.

Bhagavata Purana is known as the spotless Purana. There are no hints of material advancement. There is no information which might be later set aside due to advancing to a higher state. Bhagavata Purana describes the highest state, and so it is also esteemed as Shrimad Bhagavatam.

2. Vishnu Purana

Vyasadeva has many Puranas to his name. Why would there be more than one? Why not stick to a single work? The different Puranas might cover the same subject matter, but in different ways. We have the hypothetical case of an elderly individual, who is working on their memoirs. They try to include as much information as possible in their book, to describe different events of their past.

On the subsequent media tour to promote the book, the author sprinkles in new details here and there. They might review an important event, but only mention it briefly. These new discussions could themselves turn into books, if the author so desired. The same applies to Krishna-lila, as seen in the description of the incident involving Damodara.

Bhagavata Purana goes into great detail, describing what was happening that day in the home of mother Yashoda. She was tending to some items in the kitchen, and that brief moment of neglect made the young Krishna angry enough to break a pot of yogurt. Yashoda then chased after Him and eventually tied Him to a mortar as punishment. It was a mild rebuke, meant more to keep Krishna in one place than to actually punish Him.

When Yashoda returned to the kitchen, young Krishna managed to drag the mortar with Him. Krishna used the mortar to knock down two trees. They had been standing there for a while. The two trees were actually two demigods, who had been cursed for a previous offense. Krishna essentially liberated them.

Vishnu Purana describes the same incident, but only briefly. Yashoda tied Krishna to keep Him from moving here and there. She essentially taunted Him with a rhetorical question. Now that He was tied up, He should try moving, which He was otherwise fond of doing. Vishnu Purana does not describe the identity of the trees. The event is only covered briefly, but this does not mean the nectar is missing.

3. Hari-vamsha

The literal translation to the title of this work is “the dynasty of Vishnu.” Hari is another name for Vishnu. Puranas typically cover lineage to some degree. Vishnu appears on earth within a family. That family has a past. The figures are noteworthy. They tend to be of high character; hence the decision for God to appear within such a family.

Hari-vamsha is also regarded as an appendix to the larger work known as Mahabharata, which is also attributed to Vyasadeva. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that Mahabharata is generally for the less intelligent, who are more interested in stories. That may be the case, but through Mahabharata there is the opportunity to access both Bhagavad-gita and Hari-vamsha. Since there is a narrative covering the appearance and activities of Krishna, Hari-vamsha is sometimes considered a Purana.

4. Garga-samhita

Shri Krishna appeared in Mathura. That is the janma-bhumi, or the birthplace. Immediately thereafter, Krishna shifted to Gokula. This is where the leader named Nanda lived, along with his wife Yashoda. The transfer took place in the dead of night, and so Yashoda was unaware that Krishna was only her foster child. The parents treated Krishna like their own, and so there was the customary invitation to a saintly person, to conduct the horoscope and give insight into the nature of the child.

The person invited was Garga Muni. He knew the Divine nature of Krishna, but described it to the parents in a way such that the direct correlation with Vishnu would not be revealed. Garga-samhita is a collection of verses composed by Garga Muni, and it goes into great detail about both Krishna and His eternal consort, Shrimati Radharani.

5. Oral tradition

When visiting sacred places like Vrindavan and Mathura today, we might hear legends and tales that do not directly correlate with written word. This does not necessarily invalidate the authenticity, as originally everything was passed along in an oral tradition. Even the Puranas were spoken and discussed. All of this is to say that there are several avenues into the lila of Krishna through hearing the stories which are passed along, which are then held safely to be revealed to future inquisitive and sincere souls.

In Closing:

Time to rest and relax,
Free from constant attacks.

On the mind drawn and dragged,
But now for lila-smaranam tagged.

Whereupon pastimes to delight,
Puranas creating the sight.

Theater with characters stage,
Adventure on every page.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, hinduism, history, poem, poems, poetry