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ShivaFan
17 December 2012, 04:51 PM
The Uddhava Gita
"The Final Teachings of Krishna"

Translated by Swami Ambikananda Saraswati

Ulysses Press, Berkeley CA 2002

Namaste

Swami Ambikananda Saraswati trained with Swami Venkatesananda who was a Himalayan monk. He has a webpage on Myspace which reads (regarding himself):

"I am a monk of the Saraswati branch of the Dasnami Vedantic order. In India I stay at the Yoga-Vedanta Kutir, Allahabad. While in America I am based at Kali Mandir, a traditional Hindu temple dedicated to the Divine Mother in Laguna Beach, California, where I am privliged to serve the awakened deity of Ma Dakshineswari Kali and Her devotees. WWW.KALIMANDIR.ORG"

I am going to give some information on this LB CA temple in the temple section, but first, I found a copy of Sw. Ambikananda's book in my local library yesterday. He can translate sanskrit.

Here is his picture:

http://cache.msm-images.myspacecdn.com/msm80jpg75/profile01/122/m_af9302fe6566456487398cc444b7edb5.jpg

Some may not be familiar with this Uddhava Gita which is part of the Bhagavatha Purana, I know I didn't recognize the title when I pulled it from a library shelf, though I recall reading a translation a few decades ago once I read the prefix.

As per this translation, the Uddhava Gita takes place in Dwaraka in the Palace of Krishna, after the battle of Kurukshetra, and is narrated by Shuka the son of Veda Vyasa.

The following Devatas and Suras came to Dwaraka at that time:

Brahma, Shiva, Indra, also various angels and celestials.

Shiva, Brahma and Indra offered Krishna the Prince a garland each. It is not said which flower, other than the flowers were from heaven. They were said to be "faded" flowers next to the "golden streak" on the bosom of Krishna where the Goddess of Fortune rests.

Krishna was declared as Purushottama by these Three from which is born the golden orb held by 7 sheaths called earth, water, fire, air, space, ego and mind.

Brahma asked Krishna to return to Vaikuntha since for Krishna, now 125 years old, nothing remains to be done since "In the dark age that is about to descend, people will have your life and deeds to light their way to a life beyond ignorance".

Krishna looked from a view point of His palace, and saw signs of destruction and a curse. He told His assembly of wise, elders and advisors, that "you must now retreat with Me to a sacred place".

His servant and devotee Uddava listened and approached Krishna. He asked to be taken with Krishna when He leaves the world.

Krishna advised the devotee to be free from attachments, and that "whatever you see, hear or touch, know that you cannot know it for what it is", and to see the self as all and the self in Him. It was advised that the human life is precious as it is an open door to liberation. It was also warned, "Beware Uddava, if someone is well versed in the scriptures but does not have knowledge of the self, then that one is not wise".

Association (with the wise and devotees) is the sure path to control the mind, better than yoga or samkhya. "Satsang is the Supreme means of Salvation" said Krishna to Uddhava.

Krishna said an interesting thing that caught my attention, being that Lord Hanuman is my Ishta Lord. He said Hanuman (along with a long list of others) did not study the scriptures (when joining with Ram), but He did have Association with the Lord, Sages and Devotees.

That seemed to be more important, according to the instruction by Krishna to Uddhava.

In Association, which can lead to association with the Divine, days and nights pass like they are moments, but in absence of Association they will seem like years.

Krishna said many other things to Uddhava, but I do not need to read it all again or again. You can read if you like by obtaining this edition, it seems a great translation. I just hope your associations are with devotees. If not, it is good you find some Association. Be careful before them, they are beloved by many, including the Divine.

The last thing Krishna says to Uddhava is, upon instructing him to go to Badarika and gaze upon the great Alakananda River, "Engage yourself in such actions that will be pleasing to Me. In this manner you will transcend the three destinies that nature offers - celestial, human or animal - which are dictated by the three gunas, and you will instead merge with Me". These were His last words transcending destinies which are dictated by gunas.

In the Annapurnastakam the last lines of the song are "My mother is Pārvatī, my father is Maheśvara, my friends are the devotees of Śiva, and my Motherland is the universe".

The best friends are devotees.

Om Namah Sivaya