Who was Krishna's best friend, Sudama or Arjun?

 Sudama!

Sudama was extremely poor despite being a brahmin. He was so poor that he didn’t even have enough money to feed his children. So one day, with his wife’s advice, he finally decides to pay his childhood Best Friend Lord Krishna a visit to ask him for his help.

So when Sudama goes to the palace, he is denied entry and is asked by the guards to return from wherever he came as according to them, there’s no way a poor guy like him can ever be a friend of Dwarkadheesh ( Lord Krishna).

Disappointed, Sudama turns back and decides to return.

When Lord Krishna comes to know about this, he comes out of his royal palace crying, without his ‘footwear’ and ‘crown’ and starts running towards Sudama, catches up to him and finally stops him. Lord Krishna then hugs him and brings him to his palace.

Sudama is then treated with utmost respect in the palace where Lord Krishna himself cleans his feet. He is then given the best hospitality and is treated royally by Lord Krishna and his wives.

Overwhelmed by all these, Sudama forgets to ask help from Krishna but decides not to go back again and returns to his place where he finds his hut transformed into a palace, his wife and children wearing new clothes and all healthy, waiting for him to arrive. Lord Krishna already knew about his conditions and changed everything before his return. So great was their Friendship.

Lord Krishna has cried many times for Sudama and the way he treated him shows how high Lord Krishna thinks of Sudama.

I have never heard of any instance where Lord Krishna did so much for Arjuna. Hence, I would say Sudama is Lord Krishna’s best friend.

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Image Source: Google Search

Are the Pandavas more dear to Krishna than the poor gopis and Radha?

 In the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan SriKrishna says:

समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रिय: ।
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ॥ 29॥

I am equally disposed to all living beings; I am neither inimical nor partial to anyone. But the devotees who worship Me with love reside in Me, and I reside in them.
[BhagavadGita, Chapter 9, Shloka 29]

So, Krishna is equal to everyone. Nobody is a favorite to Him, and nobody is an enemy to Him. Krishna blesses His devotees as per their nature. For the people who devote themselves to Him, He blesses them, gives them the true knowledge, and grants them salvation. For the people who are more into the material world and forget Krishna, they suffer in the cycle of birth and death endlessly. And the people who hate Krishna are sent to Naraka, or even worse, Andha Tamas, named hell, which is the eternal hell.

Here, both the Gopikas and the Pandavas are Krishna Bhaktas and are noble by nature, and are devatas. So, you might be thinking: why did Krishna show partiality by leaving the Gopis and going to the Pandavas? Were the Pandavas so dear to Krishna that He left the Gopis who loved Him more than their own lives? So, let me tell you, there is no such thing. Krishna appeared on this earth for the reduction of the burden on the earth.

The Bhagavata says that Mother Earth was suffering from the burden. Which burden? The burden of people who hated Bhagavan Vishnu, Mother Earth’s husband. No Pativrataa wife can bear her husband’s insult. Plus, the demons had incarnated on the earth in the form of oppressive kings. For example, Kalanemi incarnated as Kamsa; Viprachitti, named Asura, incarnated as Jarasandha; this Jarasandha had his akshouhini sainya, which were demons. Narakasura was there; mainly, Kali Purusha had incarnated as Duryodhana; Indrajit had incarnated as Dushasana; the presiding demon of atheism named Dwapara incarnated as Shakuni. There were different asuras like Pootana, Shakatasura, Trunavarta, Vatsasura, Bakasura, another Bakasura (whom Bheemasena killed), Dhenukasura, Keshi, Vyomasura, Arishtasura, Aghasura, Hamsa and Dibhika, Shishipaala, Dantavakra, Saalva, and 98 Kauravas except Duryodhana and Dushasana, and many more.

So, all these were a burden on the earth. So, Mother Earth assumed the form of a cow and went to Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma and Bhudevi (Mother Earth), along with Lord Shiva and other devatas, went to the Kshirasaagara’s coast and sat there. There, Lord Brahma sat down and did penance and contemplated on Lord Vishnu. All devatas praised the Bhagavan with Vedic hymns like the Purusha Sukta, and so on.

Finally, Bhagavan was pleased by them, and His voice came, which was clearly audible only to Lord Brahma. Lord Vishnu assured the devatas that He would be incarnating to reduce the burden of the earth. So, He incarnated as the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva. So, the main objective of Krishna’s incarnation was to end the evil people and to protect and give happiness to the noble people.

Everyone had booked their seats to participate in the Krishna leela. Devaki and Vasudeva were Aditidevi and Sage Kashyapa, who had done penance to get Krishna as their son. So, Krishna appeared as their son. Yashoda and Nandagopa were Dharanidevi (the presiding deity for all tirtha kshetras), and Drona named Vasu. So, both of them had done penance to get Krishna as their child. And hence, Krishna came to Gokula to be the beloved child of Yashoda and Nandagopa.

The Gopikas were Apsara Strees who had done penance to get Krishna’s angasanga, even before His upanayana or thread ceremony. In that too, Neela, the daughter of Kumbhaka (brother of Yashoda), had done penance to marry Krishna and become His first wife even before His upanayana. So, as per their wishes, Krishna gave happiness and fulfilled their wishes by performing Raasakreeda, Jalakreeda, and Naukakreeda (boat riding) with them.

After their wishes were fulfilled, Krishna went to Mathura, killed Kamsa, and then started the further leela of reducing the burden of the earth. Already He had started that mission from the very beginning as a baby by killing Pootana, and then the other demons sent by Kamsa. And even the devatas like Yama Dharmaraja, Mukhyaprana Vayudeva, Indra, and Ashvini Devatas had incarnated as the Pandavas. Mukhyaprana’s wife Bharatidevi had incarnated as Draupadi, and Ramayana’s trijata had incarnated as Subhadra. Yama Dharmaraja had incarnated again as Vidura; the Yadavas were the devatas. Leave all these; Saakshaat Mahalakshmi Devi, the greatest devotee of Krishna, had incarnated in Vidarbha as Rukmini and as the daughter of King Satrajita as Devi Saatraajiti (Satyabhama). All these were also waiting for Krishna. So, Krishna also had to go there.

If Krishna wouldn’t go there, then their births would be wasted. They wouldn’t get the bhaagya of doing seva to the Supreme Bhagavan, who is worshipped by great Gods like Brahma and Shiva. The Pandavas contributed to Krishna’s mission in reducing the burden of earth. Out of these, Bheemasena and Arjuna contributed a lot to doing the Bhu Bhaara Harana (reducing the burden of the earth). Bheemasena killed a lot of demons like Bakasura in Ekachakranagara, Hidimbasura, Jarasandha, Kirmeera, Manimanta, and other Krodhavasha demons; Jatasura during the Vanavaasa; Keechaka in Agyaata vaasa; the 100 sons of Gandhari, along with Duryodhana and Dushasana. Arjuna also killed major demons like Nivatakavachas and the Kalakeyas. He killed Jayadratha, Karna, etc. So, all this was possible because of the shuddha neeti of Krishna and the power of Bheemasena and Arjuna.

So, all this was possible because of Krishna’s neeti. Already, Krishna had killed Pootana, Shakatasura, Trinavarta, Vatsasura, Bakasura, Dhenukasura, Keshi, Arishtasura, Aghasura, Vyomasura, Ugrasura, Shankhachooda, Pralambasura, Chanura, Mushtika, Kamsa, his 11 brothers, Kaalayavana, Jarasandhas, and Akshouhini sainya 18 times, Srugaala Vaasudeva, Shatadhanva, the 7 bulls of King Nagnajit, who were demons in the disguise of bulls. After that, He married Neela or Nagnajiti. After that, Murasura, Narakasura, defeated Banasura and his army, Shishupaala, Saalva, and all. So, He made the Pandavas contribute to the Bhu Bhaara Harana. It is as if He had left the rest as the prasaada for the Pandavas, so that they could contribute to the Bhu Bhaara Harana of Krishna. Plus, to contribute, they also required Krishna’s neeti. Plus, the Pandavas were in trouble and were His cousins. So, to help them, He had to go to them.

Talking about the Gopikas, their love for Krishna was immense. They used to do Bhakti in Krishna by singing about His pastimes, what He did, where He sat, and what He ate. Every second, they thought of Krishna. Indeed, these Gopikas were great personalities. During the Raasakreeda, Krishna does vihaara with the Gopikas. The Gopikas grew arrogant, thinking, ‘Nobody is as lucky as us to get Krishna besides us. We are the best women in the whole universe.’

And noticing this, Krishna disappeared. The Gopikas, in the viraha of Krishna, cried sweetly, and their cry seemed as if a cuckoo was cooing. They sang in praise of Krishna, and finally, responding to their desperate desire to see Krishna and their devotion, Krishna appeared in front of them. The Gopikas came near Him. Some Gopikas saw Him with love; some stared at Him. Some were very angry upon seeing Him, and some were overjoyed and cried in His love. The Gopikas asked Krishna, ‘Why did you disappear?’ Krishna smiled and said, “When you don’t have something which you want desperately, you then know the value of the thing. But when that thing comes near you, you don’t realize the value of it. I want you to increase your love and devotion for me even more.”

The main thing is, why did Krishna leave them in Vrindavan? Because their Bhakti kaarya wasn’t complete, even though their Bhakti was complete. He wanted them to do more Bhakti of His saakaara Krishna roopa, because the more you do Bhakti for Krishna, the more you come near Him. And when Krishna is away, we get to know the value of Krishna and would be more desperate and devoted to meet Krishna. And in this way, when their Bhakti was complete, Krishna granted them Moksha.

What Krishna needs from us is not material wealth or anything, because He has everything. Nothing is in the world that He doesn’t have. He just wants your devotion. Without devotion, if you even offer pancha bhakshya paramaanna to Krishna, like how Duryodhana did, Krishna won’t even look at it; tasting it is too far. And with devotion, even if you offer a glass of milk as Vidura did, Krishna would happily accept it and would grant you even Moksha.

Here, people also have a misconception that there are two Krishnas. One remained in the Vrindavana, and another went to Mathura. Nothing such happened, as per the Bhagavata Purana, and that misconception is wrong. Sri Madhvacharya also doesn’t mention it anywhere in the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya or the Bhagavata Tatparya Nirnaya, and it is also not acceptable to Krishna. The same Krishna, who did Raasaleela with the Gopikas, went to Mathura and killed Kamsa, married Rukmini and Satyabhama, and helped the Pandavas in winning against the Kauravas.

Yeah, Krishna always has His sannidhana in Vrindavana. There is no need to posit two different Krishnas, one remaining in Vrindavana and another travelling to Mathura. The very same Supreme Krishna performed all these lilas. So, the Dwarakadheesha Rukmini-Satyabhama pati Krishna is the same as the Vrindavana Gopikavallabha Yashodanandana Krishna.

No difference at all. Bhagavan Krishna is akhanda and is full of aishvarya and maadhurya every time, be it even if He is in Vraja, or He is in Dwaraka, or in Kurukshetra, holding the rope of the chariot. And Aishvarya doesn’t mean just opulence, but also knowledge, valor, strength, and beauty, also. And even as Lakshminarayana, He has maadhurya, because He is paripoorna of all the gunas every time and in every second. So, one must never do bheda in the avataras or roopas of Bhagavan, or else it is counted as one of the nine forms of hatred in Bhagavan, as stated by SriMadhvacharya.

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

Why do some people say worshiping Krishna can lead you to Shiva? What's the connection between them?

 In the absolute reality, Shiva is Krishna, Krishna is Shiva.. These are not two, just two names but one Ultimate Brahman.

From the Advaita (non-dual) pov, the way I see this is that in Bhakti marga (devotional path) when we see different forms of the Almighty, we may have Ishta (favourite form of the divine). Some may have Shiva as the Ishta, some may have Krishna as the Ishta and so on.

For True Shaiva, the one whose Ishta is Bhagwan Shiva.. Shri Krishna would be like a Guru. So worshipping Krishna as his/her would ultimately lead him to Mahadeva. Similarly for a true Vaishnava, Bhagwan Shiva would be the Guru and he/she can worship Shiva as Guru to get Bhagwan Krishna.

Since I like Smarta philosophy the most, all of the deities are one and same for me. I am slightly inclined towards Goddess Durga whom I consider as my Ishta Devi. Navratri is my favourite festival as that is the time when I experience a next level joy. Maa Bhavani acts like a bridge in a devotion towards Shiva and Narayan. Parvati is the consort (Ardhangini) of Mahadeva

But also the sister energy (not biological relation) or the female version of Narayan (Gauri is described as Narayani, many texts state that Uma herself is Vishnu, only male and female forms differ but not the Param Tatva).

So it's Maa Lalita who aligns my devotion for Shiva and Vishnu (any form, be it Shri Ram, Shri Krishna etc.).

So because of her blessings, I see Shiva and Narayan as absolutely one and same Reality.

But as this question is asked about Krishna leading to Shiva. I would say that for a devotee of God Shiva, Shri Krishna acts as the perfect guru. For progressing in the path of Shiv Bhakti, a devotee can read about how Bhagwan Shri Krishna glorified Mahadeva as the Almighty Para Brahman in the Anushasan Parva of Mahabharata when discussing about his time with Rishi Upmanyu as his Guru while speaking to Yudhishthir Maharaj. A Shiva devotee can indeed see Krishna as his Guru and since Skanda Purana, the largest among all Puranas, declares that there is no difference between Guru and Ishwara, it would further strengthen the oneness of Hari and Hara.

Jai Shri Krishna 🙏 Har Har Mahadev 🙏

If Krishna was just 11 years old when he left Vrindavan, then how did he marry Radha at the age of 11?

 Before you understand this, let me explain you one thing. Srimati Radharaniji is the head of the Gopikas. And Krishna didn’t marry Radha at the age of 11. What actually happened, as per the Bhagavata, is this:

Neela was the daughter of Kumbhaka, the brother of Yashoda, who had kept seven bulls. These seven bulls were demons in the disguise of bulls. Krishna killed those seven bulls and then married Neela. Neela had actually done penance to marry Krishna and become His first wife before His upanayana, or thread ceremony. So, to fulfill that, Krishna married Neela. This Neela later merged into Neela, or Nagnajiti, who was one of the eight ashtabhaaryas of Lord Krishna. At that time, Krishna wasn’t even 10. After that, the Dhenukasura and Pralambasura Vadha took place. After that, the Govardhana Uddharana Leela took place (then Krishna was 7 years old).

He performed the Raasakreeda when He was 8. He even married the Gopa Kanyas who did the Katyayani Vrata to get Krishna as their husband. These Gopikas who did the Katyayani Vrata were unmarried Gopikas. And Krishna married them. And out of those, Srimati Radharani ji was one who was the head of these Gopikas. These Gopikas had the presence of Lakshmidevi, and Sri Madhvacharya also states the same. So, Srimati Radharaniji as a Gopi, definitely has the presence of Lakshmidevi within Her. Plus, Krishna doesn’t even touch a thing without Lakshmi sannidhana, because He is a Patnivrata and doesn’t marry anyone except Lakshmidevi. Either one must be Saakshaat Mahalakshmidevi, or one must have Mahalakshmidevi’s sannidhana in them to marry Krishna.

Gopikas had that Lakshmi Sannidhana within them; therefore, Krishna married them. Plus, these Gopikas were Apsara Strees who had done penance to get the sanga of Krishna. Plus, these Apsara Strees have the explicit right to worship Bhagavan Vishnu as their husband. Bhagavan Vishnu also accepts the Apsara Strees as His wives when they have Lakshmi Sannidhana. So, they incarnated in Vraja. So, now, coming to why Krishna married Radha or other Gopikas at such a small age? Let me tell you that Krishna doesn’t possess lust or a feeling like, ‘Oh, I cannot live without them’ like this. Because He is Svaramana. He doesn’t even need Lakshmidevi for His ananda. He is full of ananda in Himself. He gives ananda to Lakshmidevi.

Krishna sometimes acts as if He is missing His devotees to show how much He loves them, and He does it to give pure ananda to the devotee, not because He depends on them. Krishna is independent. Now, let this be the stage for my answer. As I said earlier, the Gopikas were Apsara strees. They had done penance to marry Krishna. Therefore, they were born as Gopikas with the special presence of Lakshmidevi within them. They did the Katyayani Vrata to get Krishna as their husband. Now, Krishna already knew He had to go to Mathura to kill Kamsa and do the further Bhu Bhaara Harana kaarya, because He appeared for that only.

So, as the fruit of Katyayani Vrata, the unmarried Gopikas married Krishna. Krishna had actually blessed the Gopikas earlier, promising to give joy to the unmarried Gopikas by marrying them, even before Balarama’s marriage and His own Upanayana. Therefore, to fulfill the wish of the Gopikas, Krishna married the Gopikas at that age. SriMadhvacharya also says in the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya:

75) Due to the boon given to them (gopa-strees) by HIMSELF earlier, even before Balarama and even before HIS own upanayana, Lord Krishna had great enjoyment during the nights; LORD is the chintamani that ensures fructification of all requests, and HE is verily without even a trace of inauspiciousness!
[Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya, Chapter 13 Kamsavadha]

So, there are people who say that ‘Krishna wanted to marry someone, married someone else’ and say ‘Adhoora Pyaar’ because He didn’t marry Radha. This is completely wrong, because Krishna even married Srimati Radharaniji (as Gopa Kanyas, having Lakshmi Sannidhana and who did the Katyayani Vrata), and even married Rukmini Devi and Satyabhama Devi, who were Mahalakshmi Devi Themselves. So, stop treating Krishna’s life as ‘Oh man! Krishna suffered a lot!’ and reduce the pastimes of Bhagavan to a simple chocolate boy lover. The Gopikas clearly knew Krishna as Bhagavan and are infinitely greater than us, and not merely lustful lovers. We are not even the dust of their feet.

But then Krishna left them…they were very sad about this. But they weren’t sad forever. That doesn’t even mean they forgot Krishna. They discussed Krishna’s pastimes and didn’t curse Krishna for leaving them. There is one incident in the Bhagavatam: Krishna disappeared during the raasaleela because the Gopikas grew arrogant, thinking, " We are the luckiest women in this universe. And then, when Krishna disappeared, the Gopikas cried sweetly and called Krishna. Krishna came back.

The Gopikas asked Krishna, ‘Why did you disappear from us?’ to which Krishna replied, ‘To obtain something very special in your life, you have to value it. But if it is always with you, then you lose the value of the thing. When it goes far away from you, you come to know the value of it. So, to make you know this, I went away.’ So, Krishna wanted to strengthen the devotion of the Gopikas more. The more Krishna is away from the Gopikas, the more viraha and devotion would increase, and at the peak of that devotion they would see Krishna. That’s why Krishna didn’t come back to Vraja and directly meet the Gopikas during the Surya Grahana, before the Kurukshetra yuddha.

Hope this clears your doubt!
Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

What were the five most powerful weapons of Shri Krishna?

 Five most powerful Weapons of Krishna in no particular order are:

1.Sharanga Bow

Sharanga bow was created by divine architect Vishwakarma for Lord Vishnu. It was used by Krishna in many of his wars.

2. Sudarshan Chakra

Lord Agni gave Sudarshan Chakra to Krishna during Khandava daha . He used it to kill Sishupala.

3. Kaumudaki Mace

Early scriptures showed Lord Vishnu holding Kaumudaki mace in his right hand.

4. Panchajanya

Sage Sandipani was the gurukul teacher of Krishna,Balarama and Sudhama. The sage’s son was kidnapped by a sea demon named Panchajanya or Shankasur who imprisoned the child in a conch shell. As part of guru dakshina, Krishna killed the sea demon and returned the child back to his parents. Sandipani presented the conch to Krishna and named it Panchajanya.

5. Nandaka sword

Lord Vishnu is called as Nandaki in Vishnu Sahastranama. It means one who wields Nandaka. It is also mentioned in Vishnu Purana and Varaha Purana.

Image Courstesy: Google

References:

1. Vishnu Purana
2. Varaha Purana
3. Vishnu Sahastranama
4. Mahabharata

What is the difference between Narayana and Krishna? Which one do you like more personally and why?

 There is no difference between Narayana and Krishna. Both are the same. SriMadhvacharya, in the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya, says that thinking there is a difference between Srihari and His avatars is a great sin and is one of the nine forms of hatred. And hatred in Bhagavan leads to Naraka, not Moksha.

110. The knowledge (belief) of non-difference between Paramatma and Jeevas; the knowledge of Paramatma having no attributes; the knowledge of Him having incomplete attributes; equating Paramatma with others; knowledge that others are higher than Him; knowledge of difference in His various forms and attributes and actions (contd)

111. The knowledge of birth and death for Him in His avatars; the hatred of His devotees; the condemnation of all those knowledge sources which proclaim His supremacy; knowledgeable people term these as the nine forms of hatred.

[Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya, Chapter 1, Sarva Shaastraartha Nirnaya]

Not only this, but the Puranas also tell the same.

यथा सर्वेश्‍वरो विष्‍णुः सर्वशक्‍तिसमन्‍वितः ।
तथैव तत्‍प्रभावाश्‍च अवतारा न संशयः ॥
Just as the Supreme Lord of all, Sri Vishnu, is completely endowed with all-pervading powers, exactly so are His glorious incarnations (avatāras). Of this, there is absolutely no doubt.

[Padma Purana]

Even in the Pancharaatra Aagamas, Lord Brahma praises Lord Vishnu as “नमस्तेस्तु नृसिंहादि मूर्त्यभेदाय विष्णवे,” which clearly tells that there is no difference between the avataras of Lord Vishnu and Lord Vishnu Himself. Be it in mood, be it in valor, be it in knowledge, be it in strength, be it in beauty, be it in opulence, be it in attributes, all avataras of Lord Vishnu are the same as Lord Vishnu Himself. The same Lord Vishnu incarnates on the earth. When Lord Vishnu incarnates on the earth, no earthly rules apply to Him. He acts as a human being to teach humanity to the humans and to delude the ignorant people.

Let me explain to you with an example. You have two lamps. You light both the lamps. Is the fire in those lamps different? No. Both are fire. We cannot say the fire in lamp 1 is superior to the fire in lamp 2. So, similarly, the Bhagavan is the same, be it Moola Roopi Narayana or Avataara roopa. There doesn’t exist any difference. In the Bhagavata, there comes an incident wherein a Brahmana’s sons go missing directly after birth. It escalates so much that Arjuna too couldn’t protect the Brahmana’s baby. Thus, Krishna and Arjuna have to go to Vaikuntha. There, Krishna enters Lord Ananta Padmanabha in Vaikuntha and merges with Him, and then brings the babies back to the Brahmana. This shows that Lord Krishna and Lord Vishnu are the same.

Another incident also comes: when, for the 18th time, Krishna defeated Jarasandha, He went to Gomantaka Parvata. There, Garuda came and crowned Krishna. Actually, in Vaikuntha, the devatas had gathered. Lord Vishnu asked all of them to close their eyes. Then Bali comes there and steals Lord Vishnu’s crown and runs away. Garuda chases Bali, defeats him, takes the crown from him, and reaches the Gomantaka Parvata, where Krishna was there. Garuda crowns that crown on Krishna’s head, thus proving Narayana Himself is Krishna.

Even when Lord Narayana comes on the earth as Srinivasa, and Lakshmi comes as Padmavati, in the first meeting of Srinivasa and Padmavati, Padmavati asks Srinivasa to introduce Himself. Srinivasa says, “My name is Krishna. I am from Chandravamsha. My mother is Devaki, and my father is Vasudeva. Subhadra is my sister. Arjuna is my friend. Pandavas are my cousins.” Thus, this also proves that Krishna and Narayana/Srinivasa are the same. Plus, Lord Vishnu, in the Bhavishyottara Purana Srinivasa Kalyana, shows a lot of dramas like not marrying Padmavati without Lakshmi coming from Kolhapura, etc. Therefore, He is paripoorna in every mood.

Now coming to which one do I like more personally, and why? I like Lord Vishnu and Krishna both. Actually, I should not say this, because both are the same. So, even if I say I like Lord Vishnu, it means I like Lord Krishna automatically, and even if I say I like Lord Krishna, then it would mean I like Lord Vishnu too. It is basically like saying, ‘There is a man named X who wears red goggles. He wore green goggles today. Whom do you like? The red-goggled person or the green-goggled person?’ Does that even make sense? No.

So, for me and the shaastras, both are the same and have no difference. I call Lord Vishnu by the name of Lord Krishna, and Lord Krishna by the name of Lord Vishnu. Today, I went to the Dhuma Lakshmi Narasimha temple, which is our Kuladevata. We had given a pooja seva, so we got the opportunity to do pooja to Lord Narasimha. I did the archana of tulasi to Lord Narasimha, chanting the Krishna Ashtottara Shatanamavali, and read Arjuna Kruta Durga stotra for Lakshmidevi. I kept calling Narasimha as ‘Krishna '! Krishna!’ like this. So, I don’t see any difference between any avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Even for Lakshmidevi, be it any avatara, be it Sitadevi, Rukmini Devi, Satyabhama Devi, Sridevi, Bhudevi, Durgadevi, Tulasi, Jayanti, Harani, Jayaa, Maya, Kruti, Shanti, etc., all are the same Mahalakshmi Devi only. There is no difference between the Moola Roopa and Avataara roopas of Lakshminarayana. Be it SitaRama, be it Rukmini Satyabhama Sameta Krishna, or Gopika Krishna (Gopikas having the presence of Lakshmi within them), LakshmiNarasimha, they all are the same Lakshminarayana, and not different from Him.

In simplest terms, you have Lord Vishnu. If the four arms become two arms and the same Vishnu wears a peacock feather and holds a flute, He is Krishna, and if He removes that peacock feather and flute and holds a bow and arrow, He is Rama. Coming to why I consider that? Because, first of all, the shaastras say so, the acharyas say so, and personally, I also feel the same, and it makes a lot of sense.

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
SriAnantaroopadhara SriLakshmiNarayana Abhinna ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

Why did Krishna let the Draupadi vastaharan sequence happen when he knew what happened everywhere?

 Good Question. There is a reason why Krishna let the Draupadi Vastraharan sequence happen. He knew what happened everywhere because He is the all-knowing, all-pervading Lord Vishnu Himself. This answer is based on the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya of SriMadhvacharya. The few reasons why Krishna allowed the Draupadi Vastraharan to happen are:

TO EXPOSE THE EVIL NATURE OF DURYODHANA AND THE KAURAVAS
From the beginning itself, Duryodhana and his brothers had been troubling the Pandavas. Their major aim was to kill Bheemasena because He was the strongest among all the Pandavas and was their backbone. So, Duryodhana thought to kill Bheemasena first, and then he would look for the other Pandava brothers. For that, Duryodhana tried a lot to kill Bheemasena by feeding him a laddoo that had halahala visha in it. Shakuni had pleased Shukracharya and had gotten some poison from him. That didn’t work on Bheemasena. Then he tried to put snakes on Bheemasena to kill him. But Bheemasena broke the fangs of the snakes and killed the owner of the snake.

He even threw Bheemasena into the Pramaanakoti, a deep place within the Ganga River. From there, Bheemasena also came out unaffected. These were some incidents that weren’t very famous at that time. He even sent and tried to kill the Pandavas in the Vaaranavata Laakshaagraha, but nothing happened. Then, people also cursed Duryodhana and all. But now, when they tried to do Draupadi Vastraharana, it was not just the vastraharana of the princess of Panchala, or the daughter of Drupada, but the queen of the whole Aryavarta or Bhaaratadesha.

Krishna let that happen because He wanted to expose the evil and deceitful nature of Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, and Shakuni. Why? So that people would know how evil they were. This was necessary because, in the future, the way in which the Kauravas, Bhishma, Drona, and Karna died should not be disputed and should be clear to the people as to why these people were killed unjustly. Actually, what Krishna did in the Mahabharata yuddha is completely correct because Adharmik people must be killed by using Adharma, and that is Dharma. If you kill Adharmis by Dharma, it is a sin. The Paingi Shruti itself says this.

TO DISTRIBUTE THE PUNYA OF THE RAAJASUYA YAGYA TO THE PAANDAVAS
Dharmaraja did the Raajasuya yagya. But the fruit of the Raajasuya yagya was such that Dharmaraja was not capable of sustaining that much punya. Therefore, to distribute it among the Pandavas, Krishna made this happen. SriMadhvacharya says that the fruit of the Raajasuya Yagya is Brahma Padavi. Also, Bheemasena is Vayu avatara. The Garuda Purana itself says:

अतो रोचननामासौ मरुदंशः प्रकीर्तितः ।
रामावतारे हनुमान्रामकार्यार्थसाधकः ॥
स एव भीमसेनस्तु जातो भूम्यां महाबलः ॥
He (the cosmic soul) is known as the amsha (portion/incarnation) of Marut (Vayu). In the Rama avatara, he became Hanuman to accomplish the divine tasks of Shri Rama. The very same entity was later born on Earth as the highly powerful Bheemasena.
[Garuda Purana]

So, here it was Bheemasena Himself who was Hanuman in His previous birth (as stated in the Garuda Purana). Yes, Hanuman is the elder brother to Bheemasena in one sense, because both are known as the sons of Vayu. But both are also incarnations of Vayudeva. Plus, there is no difference between Vayudeva and His avatars. So, Hanuma is the same as Vayudeva; Bheemasena is the same as Vayudeva. So, this Vayudeva is eligible for Brahma Padavi. For this, the Valmiki Ramayana is itself the proof. It says:

सर्वासु विद्यासु तपोविधाने प्रस्पर्धते ऽयो हि गुरुं सुराणाम् ।
सो ऽयं नवव्याकरणार्थवेत्ता ब्रह्मा भविष्यत्यपि ते प्रसादात् ॥

Indeed, in all branches of learning and in the performance of austerities, this Hanuman rivals even Brihaspati, the preceptor of the Gods. This very person, who is the knower of the deep meaning of the nine systems of grammar, will definitely become Brahma in the future by your grace.

[Valmiki Ramayana, Uttara Kanda, Sarga 36, Verse 48]

Thus, it is Vayudeva who is eligible for the Brahma Padavi. The previous Brahma will attain Moksha. And Bheemasena is Vayudeva’s incarnation. Even the Vayu Purana also states that Bheemasena is Vayudeva’s avatara. So, the Raajasuya yagya’s maximum punya should reach Bheemasena and Draupadi, because Draupadi is the incarnation of Bhaarati Devi, the wife of Vayudeva. So, She will be the future Sarasvati Devi. So, therefore, for the transfer of the maximum punya to Bheemasena and Draupadi, Krishna made that happen. That’s why Dharmaraja was silent during the Draupadi Vastraharana episode, and because he was silent, the punya got transferred to the other Pandavas.

Therefore, it was Bheemasena who thoroughly criticized the Kauravas. He even criticized Dharmaraja by asking Sahadeva to bring fire to burn Dharmaraja’s hands. Arjuna stops Bheemasena and calms Him down. Bheemasena says to Arjuna, “I won’t do this literally, but I am doing this because, even though elders commit anything bad, we must not keep silent but should criticize them. I am just criticizing him, but won’t do that literally.” At this, Duryodhana says, “If you accept that everything which is going on here happened due to Dharmaraja, then I will leave all of you.” At this, Bheemasena said, “Nobody is as Dharmatma as my elder brother Dharmaraja. Plus, I am the elder brother to all of you. If you have guts, then come, fight me.”

He even vowed to break the thighs of Duryodhana and tear the chest of Dushasana very aptly (not as a fanatic, but I felt it was very apt). He did criticize the Kauravas. Plus, Draupadi was thoroughly devoted to Krishna and remembered Krishna throughout the Vastraharana episode. Therefore, the maximum punya was given to Bheemasena and Draupadi. Plus, the Pandavas had remained silent out of respect for Dharmaraja. The Pandavas, led by Bheemasena and Arjuna, could have destroyed the Kauravas, but Dharmaraja, with his eye-coordination, had stopped them and asked them to sit down. Because previously he had vowed that he wouldn’t scold anyone, wouldn’t abuse anyone, wouldn’t refuse anyone, and wouldn’t criticize anyone.

TO TRANSFER THE TAPAS SHAKTI OF THE KURU VRUDDHAS TO THE PANDAVAS:
The Kuruvruddhas like Bhishma, Drona, Krupa, Dhritarashtra, etc. had remained silent during the Draupadi Vastraharana. Why was it like that? Because SriMadhvacharya explains that Kali Purusha had entered all of them. Only a few people were there who were not affected by Kali Purusha. These were the Pandavas (except Dharmaraja), Draupadi, Kunti, and Vidura. Rest all were full of Kali Purusha’s Avesha. SriMadhvacharya mentions this in the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya. But why could Kali Purusha enter people except some people? Because all these, like Kunti, the rest of the Pandavas, Draupadi, and Vidura, had Nishthura Dharma. Nishthura Dharma means, Adharmi must be punished, and Dharma must be followed at any time. But Dharmaraja had Daakshinya Dharma, which means his heart used to melt at anyone’s plea or cry.

So, because Kunti, Vidura, etc. had perfect Kathina/ Nishthura Dharma nishtha, they were not affected by Kali Purusha baadha. So, due to this, others except these people were affected by Kali Purusha Avesha and hence remained silent. Duryodhana himself was Kali Purusha. The Mahabharata itself mentions it. So, he was now controlling the whole dyuta sabha except these few people. So, since these elders or kuruvruddhas were silent, for that reason, the tapas shakti had transferred to the Pandavas. These Kuruvruddhas were great tapasvis and knowledgeable personalities. But due to this one mistake, their punya or tapas shakti was transferred to the Pandavas.

Thus, the Pandavas had their own tapas shakti and punya, plus they had the Kuruvruddhas ’ punya with them, plus they too had the Rajasuya’s yagya’s punya (maximum to Bheemasena and Draupadi). So, that’s another reason why Krishna let the Draupadi Vastraharan episode happen. Plus, Krishna Himself protected Draupadi by giving Her Akshayavastra.

TO INCREASE THE SINS OF DURYODHANA AND KAURAVAS:
There is a rule that, until a fixed number of papas are done, they aren’t killed. So, Duryodhana was already a sinner. At birth, the Mahabharata mentions that he cried like a donkey. The other donkeys from the surroundings had gathered and were braying aloud on hearing Duryodhana’s cry. And at that time, Vidura himself tells Dhritarashtra to kill that baby because it can lead to the destruction of the whole Kuruvamsha. But Dhritarashtra wanted to be reputed as the father of 100 sons. So, he didn’t kill him at that time. From the beginning, Duryodhana was jealous and was a sinner.

Because of this act of Duryodhana, he should not just go to hell and come back, but he should receive eternal hell itself, where he stays for an unlimited period of time, experiencing eternal sorrow. So, that many sins he must incur. So, since they incurred a lot of sin by their acts, they were sent to hell. Though Duryodhana first attained heaven because he had some sukha prarabdha, he was pushed to Andha Tamas hell afterwards. Plus, by this, Krishna wanted to warn us that, ‘Now that you have seen the cruel acts of these sinners, don’t accuse me of what I did in the Mahabharata Yuddha. Because Adharmis must be killed by using Adharma and not Dharma. So, what I (Krishna) did in the Mahabharata yuddha was completely correct.’

NOTE: Thus, we must not just read the Mahabharata as a political history of the fight between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. But we should see the spiritual meaning behind it, because it is not just a normal history book, but our divine history, which is real. The Puranas are for the support the incidents that are not mentioned in the Itihasas. They help in connecting the dots if we get any confusion in the Itihasas. Therefore, I also used the Puranas. SriMadhvacharya, had read the Mahabharata granthas across India, and had identified the corrections and interpolations, and then wrote the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya. Therefore, understanding the spiritual meaning behind every incident is important.

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!