The Appearance of Lord Krishna
Category: Article
Title: The Appearance of Lord Krishna
Upload date: 2006-08-15
Śivarāma Swami
We generally hear that Lord Krishna takes birth as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. And in a general narration of facts that describe the birth of the Lord, this is appropriate. However Srila Prabhupada has also revealed a more precise and more wonderful explanation of Krishna s birth on the authority of the Hari-vamsa and the commentaries of acaryas like Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.
In Kamsa s prison, Krishna appeared from Devaki s womb in His form as Lord Vishnu, because the love of Vasudeva and Devaki was mixed with knowledge of and awe for Krishna s divinity. Simultaneously, in the house of Nanda Maharaja, Krishna and Yogamaya appeared as twins from Yasoda s womb in their original forms.
Because Nanda and Yasoda s love was on the platform of pure affection, it was they who actually gave birth to the Original Personality of Godhead, svayam-bhagavan.
When Vasudeva entered Yasoda s house, where she lay sleeping was sleeping with her children, he placed his son beside Yasoda and took Yogamaya. At that time, the son of Vasudeva entered into the body of the son of Yasoda. The Yogamaya who Vasudeva took with him was but an expansion of the original. Neither Krishna, nor His eternal associates, ever leave Vrindavan.
This is the way we understand the appearance of Lord Krishna, who is the eternal son of Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja. However, because Srila Prabhupada described the conventional understanding of the lila, we should also. It is the better presentation for non-devotees or neophyte devotees. Still these truths should be known to Vaisnavas as they increase their love for the Lord. For this reason Srila Prabhupada wrote about it in his final commentaries on the 10th Canto.
Sivarama Swami
2006-08-15
In Kamsa s prison, Krishna appeared from Devaki s womb in His form as Lord Vishnu, because the love of Vasudeva and Devaki was mixed with knowledge of and awe for Krishna s divinity. Simultaneously, in the house of Nanda Maharaja, Krishna and Yogamaya appeared as twins from Yasoda s womb in their original forms.
Because Nanda and Yasoda s love was on the platform of pure affection, it was they who actually gave birth to the Original Personality of Godhead, svayam-bhagavan.
When Vasudeva entered Yasoda s house, where she lay sleeping was sleeping with her children, he placed his son beside Yasoda and took Yogamaya. At that time, the son of Vasudeva entered into the body of the son of Yasoda. The Yogamaya who Vasudeva took with him was but an expansion of the original. Neither Krishna, nor His eternal associates, ever leave Vrindavan.
This is the way we understand the appearance of Lord Krishna, who is the eternal son of Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja. However, because Srila Prabhupada described the conventional understanding of the lila, we should also. It is the better presentation for non-devotees or neophyte devotees. Still these truths should be known to Vaisnavas as they increase their love for the Lord. For this reason Srila Prabhupada wrote about it in his final commentaries on the 10th Canto.
Sivarama Swami
2006-08-15