SRI KRISHNA NAMASKAR
Jagad hitaya Krishnaya Govindaya Namo Namah||”
This verse is found in Santhi Parva of Mahabharata. It is said that this verse must be chanted in the morning on getting up from bed.
Some details about this Sloka:
Our primary duty is to seek the welfare of the whole world.
In the case of sloka starting with ‘Svasti prajabhyah’, it ends with ‘Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu’. In this sloka, though the welfare of the world is generally sought, why is it specially mentioned that cows and brahmanas should be protected and they should be prosperous? They also form part of the world. Hence the reason for singling them out may appear unclear. In the verse of Gnanasambandha Swami ending with ‘Vaiyagam tuyar tirgave’, it is specially mentioned that ‘vazhga andanar vazhga aaninam’. We should enquire as to the reason for this special mention.
This is found to be a common principle among Saivaites, Vaishnavaites and Vedantists. Now we are obliged to look for the answer to this question and understand the principle. Whoever may ask any question anywhere in the world, suitable reply is available in Gita sastra.
“Sarvopanishado gavo dogdha Gopalanandanah|
Partho vatsah sudhir bhokta dugdham Gitamritam mahat||” (Gita: Mangalacharanam 4)
“All Upanishads are cows; Bhagavan Sri Krishna is the cowherd; Arjuna is the calf; the milk is the great nectar of Gita; Scholars drink that milk.” If a cowherd wants to milk a cow, he has to take the calf also along with the cow. Just as milk is useful for the calf as well as others, Gita sastra will remove any kind of doubt raised by anybody. Whoever may ask any question, the reply will be there.
Even when there are many books, there is an important reason to especially consider certain books in such situations. In the present times is it not that all are agreed that Gita is a lofty book of philosophy? None disagrees with the principles enunciated therein. If we get a proper answer from such a book accepted by great men to the doubt raised earlier, all will have faith in it.
Let us look at the way we humans live on this earth. If a particular material grows in a particular place in plenty, we send that material to places where it is not grown. We similarly buy another material not grown in our place but grown in that place. Tradesmen like carpenter and blacksmith do some work for us. We give them in turn money for their livelihood. We feed cows with grass; they give us milk. We pay tax to the government; they run the police such that no harm befalls us. The whole world thus works on the principle of exchange. Similarly, we are making some exchanges with other worlds. Engineers channelize the rain water properly into rivers and streams, but they cannot make it rain. If we have to make it rain, we have to send certain materials to Devaloka.
Here rain is only an example; all powers needed for man’s use come to us from a place beyond our intellect. The duty we owe to that place is the observance of karmas which we offer as laid down in Vedas. Gita mentions this only.
“Sahayagnah prajassrushtva purovacha Prajapatih|
Anena prasavishyadhvam esha vostvishtakamadhuk||
Devan bhavayatanena te Deva bhavayantu vah|
Parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha||” (Gita: III 10-11)
Meaning: Bhagavan says: When Brahma created beings initially, he also created yagna. He said to the beings at that time: “You perform this yagna and attain prosperity and happiness. May this yagna fulfill your needs. You satisfy the Devas with this yagna. Let those Devas give you the prosperity you need. By helping each other this way, you attain a superior state.”
Yagna has three forms- mantra, Devata, havis. Of these, the mantra has to be chanted by brahmana. For performing homam, the primary requirement is cow’s ghee. Nowadays Brahmanas generally study English. They do not study Vedas. Having studied English, even if they wish to study Vedas later, they are unable to pronounce mantras properly.
Hence in the present times, there is no power of mantras with Brahmanas. As nobody does karmas properly, Vedic study is also not proper. Cow’s milk goes generally into the preparation of coffee. Hence pure cow’s ghee is also not available. Hence the power of materials is also missing.
As brahmana studies mantras required for yagnas and cow provides ghee, the material required for homam, we have to conclude that brahmanas and cows are especially honored in all places as in the above-mentioned slokas and the verses of Tirugnanasambandar. The prosperity obtained through yagnas is not limited to brahmanas and cows. Yagna bestows prosperity on all beings in the world. The world will be prosperous only by doing yagnas. If yagna has to be performed properly, brahmanas and cows should be comfortable.
This is the true cause of the prosperity of the world. Brahmanas’ duty is to seek the welfare of the world without being selfish.
Whatever be the difficulty I may face, true service of the world lies in my observance of karmas as laid down in Vedas and working hard for the true welfare of the world through that. Bhagavan’s grace is the foundation for this service. Service by the observance of karmas founded on it is alone capable of resolving the agitation plaguing the world now.
This is in fact the common principle of all theistic persuasions like Saiva, Vaishnava and Sakta. Hence what is required first is the grace of Bhagavan. Every day on waking from sleep we should chant this sloka:
“Namo Brahmanyadevaya Gobrahmanahitaya cha|
Jagadhitaya Krishnaya Govindaya Namo Namah||” and offer our three organs of action (mind, speech and body) to Bhagavan.
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