Shri Krishna's wives

Shri Krishna had eight princely wives, hence he was called Ashtabharya (ashta=eight, bharya=wife). Different scriptures list their names differently. According to Bhagavata puran names of the eight wives in order wereRukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti, Bhadra and Lakshmana.Apart from these eight, he had 16100 other wives.

So why did the lord have so many wives ? The story goes..

The son of mother earth was called Bhaumasura (Bhumi = Earth and Asura = Demon).The demon king Bhaumasura had kidnapped 16,100 women and held them in his captivity in his capital Pragjyotisha. Bhaumasura had stolen the ear-rings of Aditi (daughter of brahma, first nascent being), her sons demigods were unable to fight against Bhaumasura. Upon their request, Shri Krishna along with his wife Sathyabhama attacked Pragjyotisha on his vehicle Garuda (eagle) and fought a fierce battle against the demons, in that war, many powerful demons were slayed by Shri Krishna. Most important of those were Mura and Bhaumasur. Bhaumasura had the curse of being killed by his own mother. Sathyabhama is considered the incarnation of mother earth, thus she killed Bhaumasura.

After killing Bhaumasura, Shri Krishna released 16,100 women that he had in captivity. When Shri Krishna asked them to return to their houses, they refused. They were aware that the society of that age would not take back those who were taken by another man. So they were left with nowhere to go. When Shri Krishna asked them what they wanted to do, they all wanted Shri Krishna to marry them. Shri Krishna married them all at the same auspicious time assuming that many bodies, so they could gain status of married women and live in the society with honour again. Krishna constructed them each a palace with huge gardens full of colourful flowers and birds. It was impossible to live with each of them so he created 16100 forms of himself so that he could treat them all in the same manner as his eight wives.

Shri Krishna is the supreme god himself. He is the only sanctuary of the manifested material world. He knows everything and is all that is knowable. He is above the material modes. With limitless forms, he pervades the whole cosmos. He is immeasurable. 

Temple tales

I spent two years of my childhood in a small town called Chalisgoan, in Maharashtra. Both my maternal and paternal grandparents lived there. In Marathi, we call our grandparents Aji and Azoba. The years that I spent with my Ajis and Azobas were the most enriching in my life. There is this special type of love and care, that only grandparents are capable of !

During those days, most of the outings with my grandparents were to temples. If we were short on time, we'd go to a temple nearby and if we had the whole day, we'd pack our lunch and go to temples around the town. Ever since that time, I have a fascination for temples. There was an ancient temple called Patnadevi, which was my favorite !

I was always told, that God is in everyone of us,he is omnipresent, but somehow, I always felt a stronger presence in the temples and other places of worship. I assumed, it was the ambiance of the place - the deity, devotional music, incense, flowers and all, that contributed to the experience. All that did, but there was one more thing which I was unaware of until recently. It was the temple architecture of ancient India.

The ancient Indian temples were based on combinations of symbolic figures, which signified a summery of the universe and a center of energy.The cosmos is represented by mathematical formulas. Everything that exists can be reduced to proportions (ratios)between energy elements that can be measured, whether they are planets, atoms, matter or life. The temple architecture was a branch of science in itself. Where specific rules were laid down for selecting the site to building the structure, however, the aesthetics were left to the artisans. The Vedic temples were designed to be more than mere places of worship and meditation, they were built strategically at places where the positive cosmic energy is in abundance because of the magnetic and electric fields.

The ancient Indians believed that there are five energy sources- water, air, fire, space and earth. These elements played an important part in the design,construction and rituals of a temple. If these five elements are placed as specified by the Vedic science,it can turn the temples into powerhouses of positive energy. It can harness the solar energy from the sun & the magnetic energy from the earth. That's why when we go to temples, particularly the ancient ones, we feel the vibrations of positive energy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_temple_architecture

These days, most of us are lost between the malls,movies, restaurants and markets. But I have decided to make an effort, any try and take my kids to see ancient temples as often as possible, because I want them to experience the divine energy in these splendid works of art.

~ Poonam Patil Kalra