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This thread started as a discussion on Bharat Rakshak (as is the case with most of my posts). Then was published on twitter. It was received well there. So posting it here for posterity and ease of access. 🙏🙏
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We have begun to think of “God” as Abrahmics (Xians and Muslims). We Hindus should try and unlearn this meticulously. For it is affecting us. Just after Duryodhana tried to arrest Krishna, he had seen his virāTa-rūpa. He knew this is vishNu himself. Yet it didn’t bother him much. Because we view “God” very differently. God IS NOT above karma. If you have done a karma (good bad whatever), nothing in this existence has power to stop its consequences getting back to you. Not even an all powerful omnipotent omniscient omnipresent Lord.
Which leads to the question whether the said entity is actually “omni- all that” at all? So Duryodhana’s journey after being revealed that Krishna is vishNU - actually teaches how Hindus view Gods and Deities. Gods can’t interfere in cycle of Karma. Duryodhana is part of a karmic chain reaction started long ago with Shantanu’s decision to deprive Bhishma of kinghood. Only Duryodhana could’ve stopped it if only he had decided not be an asshole & let pānDavas be at peace after partition.
But molestation of Draupadi had sealed his fate. No matter what, Kauravas were marked men, the moment they touched Draupadi. Even Krishna knew it during his final attempt for peace that was impossible to stop this chain reaction just before the final explosion. It was inevitable. Only question was - will Duryodhan take only 102 men down with him (karNa and Shakuni included) or will Duryodhana take down 4 million men down with him. He very methodically tied his fate with other 4 million poor buggers. Duryodhana thought that by tying himself with the system, he would become “too big to fail”. I cannot blame him for thinking this way. This is what we see in our daily lives. And the system had become so rigid that they could not uncouple the karma of this marked person with other 4 million bystanders. Their karma. What else.... He just misjudged the purpose of avatāra - to reset the order. Not to just troubleshoot and bug fix.
Hence dear Hindus : Never wish for an avatāra
You never know what all you will lose, in short and long term if vishNu decides to “come down” and do the system reset. Just do your job & hold the dharma as long as you can (one birth at a time) & keep vishNu asleep in Kshirasāgara. It’ll happen when it has to happen. Only Muslims and Xians wish to hasten their judgement day. They remind me of Duryodhana. Unfortunately our lives are tied with them in given times. So if their Qayamat happens, they will die. That is what they want. We will be left with damaged earth. If abrahmic qayamat has to happen, the question in front of us is how to keep us and our sacred land and dharma relatively untouched for as far as possible. Then There is always a possibility of some ātatāyi terrorist like ashwatthāma to pull the trigger of doomsday weapon.
So the question arises - whom do we pray to? What do we pray for? What is the role of dèvatā in our existence?
we pray to our ishtadevata, kuladevata, vāstudevata, sthānadevata, grāmadevata and others too. What do we usually pray for? Do we pray to save our souls (SOS)? Or do we pray for us getting anything and everything along with moksha? In my opinion, it is Latter. Herein lies main difference. In dire need, we also pray for saving us too difficult situations too. Eg. gajéndramoksha. When divine intervention happens in such instances, it is usually via some agent or direct. But will you call shri Hari saving Gajendra from crocodile as him taking an avatāra? No. Moment we are relieved of our predicament, we thank the gods for their help and move on with our karma. If there is no intervention, we accept it as our Sanchita-karma and move on with strife.
Avatāra happens when things are broken so badly that it is hopeless. Things broke so badly and things became so hopeless because? Because we (ancestors, previous births) did not do our karma and did not upheld the dharma by doing the right thing. Tell me if Bhishma had not taken than vow, would mahabhārata happen? If Shantanu had kept control over his desires? If citizens of mathurā had rebelled and overthrown Kansa after his adhārmik usurping of power, will shri Hari need to come down? It is when we abandon the right path and things start getting hopelessly bad that avatāra needs to happen. Because there are some things more valuable than existence of Srishti which needs to be protected. It is to save that thing.
ParitrāNāya sādhūnām doesn’t translate as “to save good people”. Rather it is very lazy translation. It actually means to save that/them which/who is/are so exalted and sacred that its worth saving at all costs. Even if that cost is pralaya. Or world war. Or systemic reset. All those who died in presence of bhagawaan went to swarga. But all of those who died then were ill-fated (due to their past bad karma) to live in such adhaarmik times where even the queens are disrobed in public and suffer the consequence of that age and times. If such thing can happen to a lady as exalted as Draupadi what must be ordinary women going through? All those who got to see hear touch Krishna in Mathura and Vrindavan must have gotten good gati and it was as a result of some powerful accumulated puNya.
But they had to live under tyrants like Kansa and Jarasandha who sent assassins to murder new born kids en masse. Think of how many murders Putanā committed before meeting her end at hands of Krishna? What about those parents who were fortunate enough to live in presence of bhagwaan. But unfortunate enough to lose their new born babies? Do you call it a good fortune? 😊 Is it not better if one by one’s sādhana gets a similar good gati, perhaps darshan of that same devatā while living in a dhārmik society. Instead of living in turbulent times invited by our own actions or inactions?
मा ते संगोस्तु अकर्मणिं..... Never indulge in Akarma (dodging one’s duties and responsibility towards dharma).