Vamsi’s Tabloid

I have one wonderful reader of my blog, Kali who commented that he/she has been reading a lot of literature about Hindusim, and was a bit confused as to why the different “Avatars” are being wordshipped by the Hindus.

Lord Shiva

 Goddess Durga

Goddess Gayathri

Eventhough, there are many “Schools of thought” in Hindusim … some of whom worship Lord Shiva as the “Greatest God” … or some worship “Goddess Durga” as the “Greatest God” and consider her as the mother of all the universe … and some worship Goddess Gayathri as the “Supreme Mother”.  Some still consider Goddess Kali as the Mother of all the universe.

I would say, all these are correct interpretions, as all these Gods and Goddesses are part and parcel of that same “Paramatma” … or the “Single Source” from where the Universe came into being.

I have written a blogpost Understanding Hindu Gods and Goddesses sometime back, and in that blogpost i was dealing with the “Nature of Gurus or Prophets”, and the “Nature of Hindu Gods and Goddesses” was not disscussed, contrary to the title of the blogpost, which i intend to discuss in this blogpost.

I am a Vaishnavite, and hence i consider Lord Vishnu as the “Supreme Personality of Godhead” … or call him Lord Krishna as in the Bhagawad Gita … its one and the same. Its because eventhough Lord Krishna is considered as an Avatar of Lord Vishnu, he is considered as an Absolute Incarnation or a Purnavataar with 100% Lord Vishnu in him.

A comment came in my blog by Mr. Hamza Khurshid, as to why Lord Rama is not the “Supreme Personality of Godhead” and why Lord Krishna is … inspite of the fact that they are both avatars of Lord Vishnu.

It must be understood that the lord descends on this earth to fulfill some activities … and in the Avatar of Lord Rama … its said that he was 70% of Lord Vishnu, as explained in this ARTICLE of hindujagruti.com … and Lord Krishna is 100% Lord Vishnu. Its only some “qualities” that are required for the purpose of his avatar, that are ingrained in this personality, and hence Lord Krishna Avatar (100% vishnu) is considered as more potent than Lord Rama Avatar (70% vishnu).

But, as the Sanskrit Sloka states

Om pUrNamadah pUrNamidam 
pUrNAt pUrNamudachyate 
pUrNasya pUrNamAdAya
pUrNamevAvashiShyate
Om shAntih, shAntih, shAntihi

[Completeness is that, completeness is this,
from completeness, completeness comes forth.
Completeness from completeness taken away,
completeness to completeness added,
completeness alone remains.
Peace, peace, peace!]

One just cannot “measure” the potency of 70% or 100% of the Lord’s qualities … and hence its “impossible” to consider Lord Krishna to be “superior” to Lord Rama … and hence we see both Lord Rama and Lord Krishna worshipped in the equal measure. The same applies to Lord Narashimha, as he also has some portion of the “Divine Being” in him.

So, the names Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna, Lord Narashimha or Lord Rama can be used “interchangably” for the same “Supreme Being” or the “Aadi Purusha” … who is Lord Krishna in Bhagawad Gita.

Moreover, i would take the “Word” of Lord Krishna in the Bhagawad Gita that he is the “Supereme Personality of Godhead” … as its the word of a guru … and his showing Vishwaroop on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra is just enough for me to believe whatever he says !

Lord Dattatreya and Goddess Vaishodevi

In the Bhagawad Gita. Lord Krishna says that the Supreme Being has both Masculine as well as Feminine aspect. And hence, Goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati are his own parts, as well as Lord Vishnu Brahma Shiva. Perhaps this characteristic of the Lord can be see in the Avatar of Lord Dattatreya which is the pure culmination of the Masculine aspect of the Lord.

Lord Dattatreya

And we have Goddess Vaisho Devi who is considered to be the “fusion” of the energies and potencies of Goddesses Maha Saraswati, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Kali. When these three different feminine energies are “amalgamated into one” it results in the “complete feminine aspect of god”.

The three pindis of the three holy goddesses in Vaishno Mata Shrine in Katra

The Nav-Kanya of Goddess Vaisho Devi

Also, Goddess Vaisho Devi is represented by 9 more “Mini-Goddesses” called Nav Kanya … and when the energies of these Nav-Kanya merge … we have the same equalant of the “complete feminine aspect of god” … or Goddess Vaishno Devi … or Goddess Durga … or Goddess Gayathri.

A Painter would know how to use his colors !

Confused ? … Consider this … if you are a painter, you would know that a certain combination of different colors would result in the “White Color” … White Color can also be got using VIBGYOR, when we have “white light” refracted through a prism !

Its the same way, the different natures of the “Supreme Personality of Godhead” … fuse, mingle, add, and subtract with each other … resulting in an avatar … either a Male, Female or both ! … taking into consideration the job to be done in that particular avatar. Its infinite number of Permutations and Combinations  of the energies of the primeval lord !

Ardhanareeshwara - represents both Masculine and Feminine aspect of God !

Take your own example as an Avatar

You are a person, either a man or a women. When you are in your house, you can be “worshipped” as  son/daughter of your parents. When you are in office, you can be “worshipped” as the Manager of your team by your “team members”. When you love your spouse just before sleep, you are being “worshipped” by your spouse considering your Masculine/Feminine aspects that you have ingrained in this human birth that you have !

When you are in Office, certainly your Team Members wont worship you the way you are being worshipped by your children ! … right ?

The Avatars of God are also like this, Lord Krishna manifests himself in many avatars … and the different avatars we see in different gods and goddesses are according to a specific purpose of his avatar.

For example, Goddess Durga is called Mahishasura Mardini, after she slayed the Demon Mahishasura.

I hope its not confusing even after this explanation !

Symbolisms in the Pictures of Hindu Gods

The religion of Hinduism is immersed in much of the Symbolism irt the Avatars, and we can see in the pictures of the Hindu Gods.

Lord Vishnu

For example, we see Lord Vishnu with a serpent having 1000 heads over him. One can interpert that the Serpent is the same as him … or some might see that serpent “Sesha Sai” as a seperate “being” as in the story of Lord Krishna’s childhood, when he was carried away from the Jail of Kamsa whe he was born by his father Vasudeva. Some see this serpant as taking the avatar of Lakshmana the younger brother of Lord Rama.

This pircute gives the impression that the “Serpent” is like a “Bodyguard” of the lord … which it is … and it is also a “part” of the lord !

Its just the “leelas” of the Supreme Lord. The serpents have the nature of quick agility, poison spewing character and very dangerous. This is also the nature of the Lord. And since this is also a “Spiritual Nature” of the lord, it has the power to manifest in the form of a serpant, called Sesha Sai or human like Lakshmana !

Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead

 Lord Krishna is always a Playful Boy – The Supreme Personality of Godhead !

Now, since Bhagawad Gita is considered as the “Cream of Vedas” … and the knowledge contained in the Vedas are the sole basis for the creation, maintenance and annihiliation of the whole of the universe … as stated by Shri Krishna himself … and since he says that all gods and goddesses are his own parts and he is the “Supreme Being” … and since all the gods and goddesses are eager to merge within himself and attain “salvation or peace” like any normal “soul” in the Bhagawad Gita … I consider Lord Krishna as the “Superme Personality of Godhead”.

Vamsi