Vamana avatara -10

• Courtesy: His Holiness Sri Sri Vishwapriyatheerta Swamiji
• Compilation: Dr. Vamshikrishna Acharya Purohit
• Translation: Sandesh Upadhyaya K.
• Illustration : Shrinidhi V. Kanakapura

Read Part 9 here

In order to further evoke the enthusiasm of his soldiers, Guru Shukracharya gave Bali the conch. Using it, Bali Chakravarti blew conch. The conch sound motivated his soldiers to fight. The opponents began to tremble. The popular saying ēkakriyā dvyarthakarī babhūva means one action produced two benefits.

For example, a man rang the bell in the temple. Another person was waiting for a sign to begin his work on a positive note. He went on to begin his work with an interpretation that the ring of bells is an auspicious sign wishing him luck. Ringing of the bell was an independent event and had nothing to do with the person awaiting a sign.

In the same way, the conch sound motivated the soldiers of Bali and diminished the confidence of the opponents. Having obtained one such conch from his guru Shukracharya, Bali Chakravarti headed towards Indra in the east direction. Bali Chakravarti began his journey. His soldiers followed his chariot. His troops which followed him are illustrated as follows.

Tulyaiśvaryasamaśrībhiḥ svayūthaiḥ daityayūthapaiḥ : Bali Chakravarti proceeded with soldiers who were as brave and capable as himself. If we view this with a spiritual sense, Bali can be considered as the soul (jīva) which is filled with enthusiasm in the form of conch. Bali gets motivated by the conch and here the conch itself is the motivation for Jīva. The various tatvvābhimānidēvatas present in the entire body itself is the Jīva’s army. Their sole motive is to protect the Jīva as soldiers like that of Bali. These tatvvābhimānidēvata’s are present throughout our bodies in their designated positions. If we realize it and show our respect to their contributions through (tatvan’yāsa) it will help us attain spiritual bliss.

A Similar analogy of considering tatvvābhimānidēvatas as an army can be seen with the instance of Kamsa. When Lord Kr̥ṣṇa entered Mathura, he destroyed the demons one by one as he entered the courtyard. Kamsa who was seated on the throne ordered – Kr̥ṣṇaṁ mannagarāt bahiṣkuruta i.e, send Lord Kr̥ṣṇa who is surrounded by an army of the cowherds (Gopalakas) out of my city. This is interpreted by Sri Vādirājaru with two different perspectives. One gives the direct meaning and the other explains its spiritual significance.

The Jīva called Kamsa wanted to throw Kr̥ṣṇa out of his body. Overall, by ordering that the Lord’s form which dwelt in him be thrown out, Kansa’s order was indicative of his death. He specifically ordered to throw Kr̥ṣṇa out along with the army of Gopalakas. Here, Kr̥ṣṇa’s army means tatvvābhimānidēvatas inside one’s body. In the same way, the army of various forms of Lord (tatvvābhimānidēvatas) present inside our body follows jīva (Bali) to the mundane life (battlefield) to reach the pinnacle (to fight Indra). In conclusion, Bali Chakravarti with an army which was as determined and strong as himself, set out to the battlefield.

Sandesh Upadhyaya

A seeker of Madhva philosophy. Hails from Rupyapeeta (Udupi).

|| विष्णो: सर्वोत्तमत्वं च सर्वदा प्रतिपादय ||

(Hari sarvothama Vayu jeevothama tatva)