365bet娱乐

1.1 The incarnations of Krsna The Brahmana texts speak of Prajapati assuming forms of animals saves the distressed creation. Gradually, Narayana and finally Visnu took up this work. Visnu is the only god in the Rigveda who has the ability to become the centre of avatara or incarnation, as he had fewer characteristicss i.e, his personality had the requisite vaccum which could be filled in with suitable traits. He takes up another form quite different from that of his own². Visnu was not thought of as the supreme god in the Vedas; still he was conceived as such by his worshippers. He began to rise in eminence during the Brahmana period. But during the epic and Puranic period he rose to the position of the supreme spirit. The concept of avatara has indeed proved to be one of the most fruitful sources of Hindu mythology. The Puranas and the upa-puranas give various myths and legends relating to the ten avataras of Visnu. Bhakti images in temples, personal attachment to one incarnate form or another, communal democracy, ecstatic experience, music and the predominance of aesthetic ritual, dance all these characterize the Visnu-Krsna cult. When Visnu incarnates himself as man, he takes his birth and dies like an ordinary human being. Thus, Krsna's incarnation is the starting point of the Vaisnaviteincarnation theory. In the puranas the main cause of the concept of incarnation is said to relieve the burden of the earth. Invariably the gods take the help of the one God Visnu for the protection of the earth³. The ten chief incarnations, however, are of a special type, for in them the full essence of the god is believed to have taken flesh to save the world from imminent danger of 2. Mishra, R. P., Growth of the theory of incarnation P. 3. Ibid, p.193 186 11

total destruction 4. Krsna, the teacher of the Gita becomes indentified with Visnu the ancient presiding deity over the terminary the Sun and Narayana an ancient God of cosmic character and the goal or resting place of gods and men 5. Krsna, of course though included in the Avataras, stands on independent grounds. Thus Vaisnavism, the religion of the avataras develops from the Krsna cult, where Krsna is accepted as the full incarnation of Visnu, the latter being regarded as the protector of the world. Here he is also accepted as the supreme God. But at the same time his deeds prompt us to accept him as a human being with supernatural power 7. The erotic multiplication of Krsna takes him from the level of a simple strong man to that of the cosmic and universal god that he is in Indian mythology. Krsna is god, he takes human form and is also a strong man and hero, but foremost he is still God and keeps manifesting this fact throughout his life. Thus Krsna is raised to the status of the supreme God from that of a cowherd boy with super human power and a Vrsni hero through the stage of an incarnation of Visnu. Though it is difficult to find out when the worship of Gopala-Krsna was inaugurated but through the help of historical proves we can say its time as first century. In the Gargasamhita the time of incarnation of Krsna is directed as Krsna also incarnate himself in the prapanca. There are twenty-eight groups of caturyugas in a Vaivasvata Manvantara of Svetavaraha 4. Mishra, R.P., Grwoth of the theory of incarnation, p.194 5. Ibid, p. 265 6. Bhandarkar, R. G., Vaisnavism, Saivism&C, p.59 7. Mishra,R.P., Growth of the theory of incarnation, p.249 8. Ibid, p.252 9. Patnaik, Asutosh, Vaisnava Sahityatattva, p.21 12

kalpa 10. During these twenty-four groups of four-era when a Dvaparayuga comes rotationally named as Subahu that is the time of incarnation of Krsna on this earth 11. He is the central figure of Indian religion and literature. And above. all the incarnation of Krsna is the starting point of the vaisnavite theory of incarnation ¹². There are many verses about the incarnation in the Vedas. Lord 12 Srihari manifested himself in many forms/ shapes to protect the dharma in each era. His birth is mysterious. In the Krsnavatara he evidents himself with the glory of full-moon and holding the sixteen kalas or the sixteen divine symbols of his body in the prison house of the demon Kamsa. In the Bhagavadgita, Krsna frequently says to Arjuna that he has taken many incarnations and live as an earthly creature. But his life is not controlled by the illusion like others. His incarnated life is divine, under self-control and made for the welfare of others and to establish the virtuous qualities like peace, honesty, dutifulness, truth, sacrifice and kindness 13. In the Chandogyopanisad Srikrsna is named as Devakiputra. So the incarnation of Krsna is still mysterious and some scholars do not accept all the Krsna characters narrated in different texts as one incarnation 14. Above all Krsna is accepted as one of the heroic figures who devote their lives in fighting all kinds of evil represented in the shapes of wicked men, terrible animals and powerful demons and who champion the cause of the good and the righteous. 15 In the Bhaktirasamrtasindhu, the character of Krsna, his glorious incarnations, divine qualities are beautifully described. The theory 10. These names present some puranic / historical period of time, for detail see glossary. 11. Rath, Minati, Gargasamhitarahasyam, pp. 31-37 12. Mishra, R.P., Growth of the theory of incarnation, p.254 13. Srimad Bhagabadgita, iv.9 14. Upadhyaya, Baladeva, Bharatiya Vanmayame Sriradha, p.32 15. Gonda, J., Aspects of early visnuism, p.156 13

of incarnation has also been propagated by Srikrsna in the Gita. The Lord says. to Arjuna - Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, reason and also the ego-these constitute my nature eightfold divided. This is my lower (insentient) nature, the other than this, by which the whole universe is sustained, know it as my higher (sentient) nature in the form of the Jiva/the life principle.16