Sa Shreekrushnaha Param Brahman Bhagawan Purushottomaha |
Upasya Ishtadevo Naha Sarvavirbhavakaranam ||108||
Lord Swaminarayan explains that that Ishwara is none other than Lord Krishna. He is Parabrahman - Purushottam (the supreme God), who is the cause of creation of all. He is our Upasya Deva or God that is worthy of worship, service and devotion. He is ‘Ishtadev’ personal or favoured God for worship.
He is worthy of devotion by all, as he is the best - Parabrahman. Shree Krishna is Paramatma - the highest form. ‘There is none other, to my knowledge, greater than Shree Krishna.’
Gita explains, ‘My womb is the Mahad (great) Brahman which is my Prakriti (Prakriti consists of earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect and ego)’. In this way Brahman is defined. ‘Those renounced ones with a steady nature attain the heaven called Brahman.’
Beyond this Mahad-Brahman is Akshar-Brahman. ‘He is as brilliant as the sun and beyond all darkness.’ ‘He is beyond Maya and Akshar.’ ‘He is that which all the Vedas glorify.’ In this way, Parabrahman is explained.
Bhagavaniti Bhagshabdavachya Ye Gunaste Sanatyasyeti Bhagavan - ‘Bhagwan is he who is endowed with “Bhag” qualities.’ Narad explains these qualities, ‘The six qualities of Bhag are entirety, divine or godliness, dutiful, reputed, prosperity, knowledge and asceticism.’ ‘Bhagwan is he who knows of creation and dissolution, birth, death, knowledge and ignorance of people.’
He is Purusha - Puru meaning he who fulfils the desires of a Bhakta; Sa meaning He who suppresses the antagonists of Bhaktas. Similarly he is Purusha as he gives more than one desires or because he burns away one’s sins. Consequently He is called Purusha because he has the form of Man.
The very best is Uttama. Similarly that which is without ignorance, discrimination and delusion is Uttama. Therefore Purushschasavutamascha Purushottama - Purushottama is the best Purusha. Also, Purushottama is He who is the best and who is beyond Kshara and Akshara.
Kshara - Akshara are explained in Bhagwat Gita: ‘There are two kinds of persons (Purushas) spoken of in Shastras - the perishable (Kshara) and the imperishable (Akshara). The perishable are all beings and the imperishable are called the unchanging (Kutastha).’ ‘Because I transcend the perishable person and am also higher than the imperishable person, therefore I am styled in the Smruti and the Vedas as the supreme person (Purushottama).’
Purushottama Paramatma is the cause of all other manifestations - Vasudeva, Keshava and other Vyuhas as well as Varaha and other incarnations (Avatars). Dharmasansthapanarthaya Sambhavami Yuge Yuge - ‘I manifest from time to time in order to establish Dharma.’
‘He is Lord of the Universe and the protector of all.’ ‘All this is of his divine form.’ That Lord is none other than Parameshwar Shri Krishna - ‘He who you see as your dear friend and cousin is none other than the source of all bliss - Parabrahman.’ Krushnastu Bhagwan Swayam - ‘Krishna is none other that God (Bhagwan).’
‘That Krishna is the eternal being (Sanatan Purusha). He is one without a second and resides in the soul of all.’ Lord Krishna in Bhagwat Gita himself states this fact: ‘He who thus knows the truth of My divine birth and actions is not reborn after leaving the body; he will come to me, O Arjuna.’
Krishna further explains the consequence of those who do not accept or understand his greatness, ‘Fools disregard Me, dwelling in a human form, not knowing my higher nature, as the supreme Lord of all beings. Senseless men entertain a nature that is deluding akin to that of Rakshasas (fiends) and Asuras (monsters). Their hopes are in vain, acts are in vain and knowledge is in vain.’
‘Those haters, cruel, the vilest and the most inauspicious of mankind, I haul these forever into the cycle of births and deaths, into the wombs of demons. Fallen into demoniac wombs in birth after birth, these deluded men, not attaining Me, further sink down to the lowest level, O Arjuna.’
For this reason, Krishna has been accepted by Lord Swaminarayan, as his ‘Upasya Istadeva’ - God worthy of worship.
Shatanand then concludes the commentary of this Shloka by stating the fact that the same Shri Krishna, here mentioned as beyond Kshara-Akshara is none other than Lord Shri Swaminarayan. He uses ‘Shri Krishna’ here but that Shree Krishna should be understood without question as Himself. Lord Swaminarayan is the fountainhead of all other incarnations and should be accepted as our Upasya Deva.
Shree Swaminarayan, whose every action was divine stood out as Great through the various incidents of His lifetime and so suggest that he truly was God Supreme.
His nature, attitude, teachings and kindness are all worthy of praise and paramount in supporting the fact that he is God Supreme. This truly was a great incarnation that brought peace of mind and tranquillity to the masses. He continues to shower his blessings upon us even today, such is the greatness of Lord Swaminarayan.