Slokam 11

Nandagopa had invited brahmins to invoke the Supreme for the protection of the Child (not realizing that the it is the Paramathma Himself that they were holding in their hands).  The brahmins performed the auspicious rites for Sri Krishna’s birthday.

We all invoke the Paramathma and pray for the welfare of our families,  but none of us ever pray for the wellbeing and welfare of the Paramathma Himself.  Nandagopa and the residents of Vraja are placed in that unique situation,  without being aware of what they are doing.

The brahmins invoke the Supreme, for the welfare of the Supreme, but without knowing what is transpiring.  Similarly, when we work towards spiritual progress,  we are actually trying to merge  our Jiva Atma with the Paramathma.  As we discard our illusory layers one by one,  we finally eliminate our identity and the true form of the Paramathma who has all along been the only one behind all our actions, thoughts and intents is revealed,  as the Paramathma Himself in the singular state without any duality. 

All our prayers, meditation, sacrifices, are all ultimately meant to strengthen the hands of the Paramathma and enable Him to take possession of what really was, is, and will be, only His, now and forever. 

Like the residents of Vraja,  we are praying and performing for the welfare and well being of the Paramathma,  without actually always realizing what we are actually doing. 

When we realize that all our actions are directed towards His welfare and well being,  our existence is elevated to a state of selflessness.  When we attain this state of selflessness,  our consciousness is no longer attacked by asuras. It attains tranquility that is unchanging. There is no greed, no ownership, no relationship other than the one with the Paramathma. 

The key lessons from the fate of Puthana and Shakatasura is that both the asura quality within us and deva quality within us ultimately merge into its source, which is the Paramathma Himself.

Both the asura and deva within us are aspects of the Paramathma that are the means to churn the ocean of milk within us, which is our consciousness,  into activity.   From the stirring of our consciousness emerges the poison that puts us into trials and tribulations.  These trials and tribulations are the asuras.  The deva within us takes root,  when the futility of pursuing the path of transient pleasure becomes apparent.  The deva develops as the control mechanism to refrain the asura from taking over the seat of consciousness.  The deva takes the form of sacrifice, selflessness, compassion to counter the greed, selfishness,  and dominance of the asura. The asura, as the power of temptation, is the stronger force,  and can, in most of us, easily overcome the deva within us. 

Our buddhi or intellect concludes that the battle will be won by the asura,  after which devastation and ruination will follow. It then uses the expansive and unlimited power of consciousness to reach out to the Paramathma for support.  The Pandavas always choose the assistance of the Paramathma Himself, rather than His immense and powerful Yadava army.

The Paramathma, once convinced of our dedication to the path of dharma,  will annihilate the asura and absolve us of misery and clear our pathway for evolution.

May we ever dedicate our lives to the protection, care and nurturing of the physically dimunitive but all knowing and all powerful Paramathma within us.