The body of this Purusha, called the First Avatara, the Second or Virat Purusha, and the Egg-born, is formed by the Tatvas, numbered twenty-four in the Sankhya philosophy. These Tatvas collect together to form an Egg and the Second Purusha breaks forth from that Egg and becomes the Thousand-headed Purusha of the Upanishads. For the sake of meditation, He is imagined to be seated on the Serpent Ananta. The lotus stalk grew out of his navel.

The Tatvas themselves are brought into manifestation by the awaking of the First Purusha.

The Second Purusha enters into all beings as their atma, becoming three-fold in his aspect _viz_. Adhi-atma, Adhi-bhuta and Adhi-deva.

Then He is called the Third Purusha. Says the Satvata Tantra, as quoted by Sridhara: -

"There are three forms of Vishnu known as Purusha - the first is the creator of Mahat, the Second is the permeator of the cosmic Egg, and the third is the permeator of all beings." Virat Purusha is the seat af all Avataras. Therefore all Avataras are called parts of the Virat Purusha.

Speaking of other Lila Avataras, Bhagavata calls them parts and aspects of the Second Purusha; "but Krishna is Bhagavat Himself."

Bhagavat is here the First Purusha. I. 3 XXVIII.

In the Tenth Skandha, Raja Pariks.h.i.t says: "Tell us the mighty deeds of Vishnu, incarnated as a _part_ in the line of Yadu." X. 1 II. Later on again: -

"The supreme Purusha, Bhagavat Himself, shall be born in the house of Vasudeva." X. 1 XXIII.

The Devas said, addressing Devaki: - "Rejoice mother, the Supreme Purusha, Bhagavat Himself, is in thy womb _by His part_" X. 2 XII.

The Purusha, seated on Ananta, addressed Arjuna and Krishna as Nara and Narayana.

The Mahabharata also calls them Incarnations of Nara and Narayana. These Rishis are invoked all throughout the Mahabharata. They were the sons of Dharma by Murti, daughter of Daksha.

Nara and Narayana are looked upon as two in one and they were adored by the Devas, as manifestations of Purusha Himself. (IV. 1 XLVI).

They went after their birth to Gandha Madana. (IV. 1 XLVIII.) It is these Rishis, parts of Bhagavat Hari, who have now appeared for the removal of her load from the G.o.ddess Earth, as Krishnas, in the lines of Yadu and Kuru. (IV. 1 XLIX.)

Krishna in the line of Kuru is Arjuna.

In explaining this Sloka, Sridhara quotes the following from a Vaishnava Tantra: -

"In Arjuna, there is only the avesa (suffusing) of Nara. Krishna is Narayana Himself."

Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: - "I have pa.s.sed through many births as well as thou. I know them all. Not so thou."

This shows that Arjuna was not Nara himself, the supplement of Narayana, for in that case he would have remembered his previous births. But, as the Tantra says, "Arjuna was possessed by the Nara aspect of the dual Rishi."

Sri Krishna said to Devaki: -

"At my first birth, in the Svayam-bhuva Manvantara, thou wert born as Prisni and this Vasudeva was named Praj.a.pati Sutapas I was born as your son, Prisni-garbha. I was also born of you, when you were Aditi and Vasudeva was Kasyapa, as Upendra, also called the Vamana or Dwarf Avatara. At this third birth, I am your son again, with the same body."

X. 3 x.x.xII. to XLIII.

These are the three Incarnations of Nara Narayana, mentioned in the Bhagavata. They are certainly not the many births to which Sri Krishna alludes in the Gita. Those many births took place in previous Kalpas of which we know nothing. In this Kalpa, however, he appeared at the turning points in the Evolution of our universe. He appeared in the First Manvantara, the Manvantara of manifestation, as Prisni-garbha. We do not know the good done by Him in His first birth.

As Vamana, however, he restored the Triloki to the Devas and a.s.serted the supremacy of the spiritual forces.

The Earth was again overpowered by the Asuras. The Kalpa was about to be half over. The last struggle was to be made. Satva had to be infused into all beings, even into the materials composing them. Every thing in the universe was to be wedded to the Lord of Preservation. An upward trend was to be given to the whole course of evolution. Materialism could not be stamped out all at once. But henceforth there was to be a steady fall of Materiality and rise of Spirituality, subject to such variations as minor Cycles might cause.

Sri Krishna is therefore the greatest Avatara of our Kalpa. "For the good of those that seek atma, Nara Narayana shall perform Tapas in Bharata Varsha, unknown to others, till the end of the Kalpa." V. 19-9

Sri Krishna as Bhagavat is greater than the Second Purusha.

To the devotees, he is greater than the Purusha manifestation.

He now appeared as the preserver of the Universe, the embodiment of Satva, the force of ascent. And the Tatvas had to be wedded to him, so that they might acquire the energy of higher evolution in them.

Unless there was change in the innate downward tendency of the Tatvas, the spiritual ascent of the universe was not possible.

The Lord brought about this change by permeating the whole universe with His Satva body, or becoming something like the spiritual soul in every being. Therefore Lord Krishna is in the hearts of all beings and can be perceived by all in meditation. He is everywhere, in every atom. Whether Sri Krishna is Bhagavat Himself or some manifestation of Bhagavat makes no difference whatever. By His works, He is Bhagavat. His worshippers are bound for the abode of Bhagavat. They have not to wait in Brahma or Satya Loka, till the end of Brahma's life. Those who worship. Hiranya garbha or Brahma cannot pa.s.s beyond the limits of Brahma Loka.

In answer to Raja Pariks.h.i.t, Suka Deva delineated the Paths to be followed after death.

I. The Prompt Path of Liberation (Sadyo Mukti). Those who meditate on the abstract Absolute, called Brahma, attain prompt liberation. The All-pervading principle is abstracted from the phenomenal universe, there is no thought of man, no thought of fellow beings, no thought of the universe, there is the pure abstraction by the process of "Not this." "Not this" liberates one from all phenomenal connections. This is Sadyo Mukti. (II. 2 XV. to XXI.)

II. The Deferred Path of Liberation (Krama Mukti), when one wishes to go to Brahma Loka or to the abode of the Siddhas. Where the eight siddhis are acquired, he retains the Manas and the Indriyas and goes all over the universe of Seven Lokas. II. 2 XXII.

With their Linga Sarira, these Lords of Yoga go inside and outside Triloki. II. 2 XXIII.

On their way to Brahma Loka, they are carried by Sushumna first to Agni Loka. Then they go to the farthest limit of Triloki, the Sisumara Chakra, extending over to Dhruva or the Polar star. II. 2 XXIV.

When at the end of a Kalpa, the Triloki becomes consumed by fire from the mouth of Sankarshana, they go to Brahma Loka, which lasts for two Pararddhas, and which is adorned by the chariots of great Siddhas. II. 2 XXVI.

There is no sorrow, no infirmity no death, no pain, no anxiety in Brahma Loka. But those who go there are, out of their compa.s.sion, afflicted by the endless miseries of those that do not know the path. II. 2 XXVII.

Then they pa.s.s through the seven Avaranas or covers of the Universe and, having the Vehicle of Mula Prakriti only, become full of Bliss and, when that Upadhi is destroyed, they obtain absolute bliss and do not return again. This is the attainment of the state. II. 2. XXVIII to x.x.xI.

Those who go to Brahma Loka pa.s.s through three different paths.

1. Those, who come with great merits acquired in life, get posts of duty according to their merits in the next Kalpa (_i.e._ they become Praj.a.patis, Lokapalas. Indras and so on.) 2. Those who go to Brahma Loka merely by force of their Upasana of Hiranya-Garbha become liberated, when Brahma becomes liberated at the end of his life ('extending over two Pararddhas.) 3. Those that worship Bhagavat pierce the Brahmanda at will, and rise to the abode of Vishnu. The Slokas XXVIII to x.x.xI refer to the piercing of Brahmanda by the Bhagavatas. _Sridhara_.

The worshippers of Sri Krishna attain the last state. The deferred path of Liberation is the path of all Bhaktas. It is the path of compa.s.sion, of service. The Bhaktas spurn all sorts of Mukti, even if they be offered to them. They become servants of the Lord in the preservation of the Universe.

In the Dvaraka Lila, we shall find Sri Krishna, as the greatest Avatara of the Kalpa, carrying out His work of Preservation.

The Purana does not speak of the Nara aspect of Sri Krishna as manifested in Arjuna. That is the subject matter of the Mahabharata. The study of the one is complementary to the study of the other, as the study of the Bhagavat is complementary to the study of the Gita. In one, we see the Evolution of Man, in the other we see the work of Bhagavat.

We see in both together the whole of our Lord Sri Krishna.

THE WIVES.

As Lord of the Universe, Sri Krishna became wedded to the eightfold energies of Prakriti, His eight princ.i.p.al wives, so that he might influence, through them, individuals formed by these divisions of Prakritis. These energies are: -

1. _Rukmini_ or Mula Prakriti, Buddhi.

2. _Jamba-vati_ or Mahat, Universal mind.

3. _Satya-bhama_ or Ahankara.

4. _Kalindi_ or Akasa-Tanmattra, sound, Akasa.

5. _Mitra Vinda_ or Vayu-Tanmatra, Touch, Air.