A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 56

Before making any remarks of my own, it will be necessary to draw upon the Upanishads.

Gopala Tapani is one of the chief Upanishads dealing with Krishna. The work is divided into two parts. The first part gives one yantra for the Upasana of Krishna. The second part gives a narration. The women of Vraja asked Krishna to name some Brahmana to whom they could make offerings of food. Krishna named Durvasas. "But how can we approach him without crossing the Yamuna?" asked the Gopis.

"Take my name, that of Krishna, a Brahmacharin, and the Yamuna shall give you way" So it was. The Gopis crossed the Yamuna and went to the asrama of Durvasas, the incarnation of Rudra. They offered the sweet things to the Ris.h.i.+ and when he partook of these, he permitted the Gopis to retire. "But how can we cross the Yamuna?"

The Ris.h.i.+ replied: - "Remember me, the eater of Durva (a kind of gra.s.s) and the river shall give way."

"Krishna a Brahmacharin! And thou an eater of Durva only? How can that be?" asked the chief Gopi and she asked a number of other questions.

(According to the common exoteric notion Sri Krishna is the lord of many women and Durvasas is a voracious Ris.h.i.+. This is the cause of the wonder.)

Durvasas first explained that Krishna was the all-pervading Purusha, underlying all. Then further on, there are seven _Sakamya_ Puris or places, on the top of Meru, as well as seven _nishkamya_ Puris.

(The commentator Visvesvara explains "Sakamya," as regions where desires fructify. As on the Meru there are seven such Puris, so there are seven Nishkamya or Moksha-producing Puri's). On the earth, these, are seven Sakamya Puris (Ayodhya, Mathura and others.) Of these Gopala Puri (Mathura) is the direct abode of Brahma.

As the lotus floats on the lake, Mathura rears itself up on the earth, protected by Chakra, the disc of Vishnu. Hence it is called Gopala Puri.

This Puri is surrounded by twelve forests: -

Brihat Vana (from Brihat or great, large).

Madhu Vana (From Madhu, a daitya).

Tala Vana (Tala or palm tree).

Bahula Vana (From Bahula, a kind of tree).

k.u.mud Vana (From k.u.mud, flower).

Khadira Vana (From Khadira or the catechu plant).

Bhadra Vana (From Bhadra, a kind of tree).

Bhandira Vana (From Bhandira, the name of a religious fig tree).

Sri Vana (From Sri or Lakshmi).

Loha-vana (from Loha, the name of an Asura.)

And Vrindavana (from Vrinda or Tulasi plant.)

These twelve forests are presided over by the 12 adityas, 11 Rudras, eight Vasus, seven Ris.h.i.+s, Brahma, Narada, the five Vinayakas (Moda, Pramoda, amoda, Sumukha and Durmukha), Viresvara, Rudresvara, Visvesvara, Gopalesvara, Bhadresvara, and 24 other Siva Lingas.

There are two chief forests, Krishnavana and Bhadra vana. The 12 forests are included in these. They are all sacred, some of them most sacred.

There are four forms of Vishnu (Murtis) in these forests, Rama (Sankarshana), Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Krishna (Vasudeva).

There are twelve other Murtis in Mathura:

_Roudri_ adored by the Rudras.

_Brahmi_, by Brahma.

_Devi_, by the sons of Brahma.

_Manavi_, by the Maruts.

_Vighna nasini_, by the Yinayakas.

_Kamya_, by the Vasus.

_ars.h.i.+_, by the Ris.h.i.+s.

_Gandharvi_, by the Gandharvas.

_Go_, by the Apsarasas.

_Antardhanastha_ remains hidden.

_Svapadangata_ is at the supreme abode of Vishnu.

_Bhumisitha_ remains on the earth (Bhumi).

Those who wors.h.i.+p _Bhumistha_ know no death, they become liberated.

Gopa is Jiva (Ego).

Gopala = Gopa (Jiva) + ala (acceptor).

Gopala is he who accepts the Jivas as his own.

He who realises "I am Gopala" attains Moksha. Gopala always remains at Mathura. Mathura is the place for devotion.

The Lotus of the heart is Mathura with its eight petals. The two feet of Narayana are there marked with the divine Symbols (flag, umbrella &c.).

The object of meditation there is either Krishna, with Srivatsa, with Kaustubha, with four hands, bearing Sankha, Chakra, Padma, and Gada, with arms adorned by Keyura, with the neck adorned by a garland, with a crown on the head and with Makara-shaped Kundalas on the ears; or it is Krishna with, two hands, bearing a flute and horn.

Mathura is from _Math_, to put down, because materiality is put down there by divine wisdom. The eight Dikpalas (Indra, Agni, Vayu, Varuna and others) preside over the eight petals of the Lotus in the heart.

The "flags" have the glow of the Sun and the Moon.

The umbrella is Brahma Loka.

The two feet are "above" and "below."

Kaustubha is that light which overpowers all other lights _viz._, Surya, Agni, Vak and Chandra.

The "four hands" are Satva, Rajas, Tamas and Ahankara.

"Sankha," consisting of the five Bhutas, is held by the hand representing Rajas.