BG17

Today the second half of 34th sloka and the first half of 35 th sloka were discussed:
api trailokya-rajyasya
hetoh kim nu mahi-krte
nihatya dhartarastran nah
ka pritih syaj janardana
Lecture was from the Chandra Pushkarini, the water tank near Sri Thayar Sannidhi. After every Uthsavam [festival] Sri Namperumal takes a bath in this tank and immediately followed by all devotees' holy dip[this is also called avabruda snanam. Something similar to a refreshing bath after a hectic work. Actually the Sri Namperumal idol taken in procession during festivals is not immersed in this tank to give a bath but there is another smaller idol meant for immersion only]. This tank is opposite the Paramapada vasal and on the bank of this tank is a Punnai tree. Sri Namperumal is believed to come here with Sri Thayar and He will bend the tree branches to pluck flowers and decorate Sri Thayar. Under this tree some 1000 years back many great Acharyas used to assemble and gleefully recollect Sri Namperumal's playful deeds and also discuss phillosophical issues. This tank is named Chandra pushkarini because once god Chandra wanted to get rid of his kshaya [TB] disease by taking bath in this tank. In sanskrit chandra means cooling and so in this tank if one takes bath one gets cooled or refreshed. On the western side all Alwars are in the Andal sannidhi and on the Eastern side the Punnai tree is there. This is an important place for Sri Ranganatha ,Who was born as Sri Rama and Sri Krishna.
Continuing Arjuna says:"Though they are ready to kill me , I am not inclined to kill them.Even if the three worlds are given for killing the children of Dridharashtra , I wll not kill them and so what pleasure I am to get for this small piece of land of Hasthinapur [ by killing these people], oh!Janardhana"
He addresses Sri Krishna first as Madusoodana and thn as Janardhana. Three worlds put together is a great kingdom. Arjuna declines that also as award for killing Duryodana and his brothers. Hasthinapur is after all a small parcel of land in this single world.[ So he feels it can not give him the happiness ]
Sri Krishna in His previous avatars had killed the two demons Madhu and Kaitapa. So by addressing Him as Madusoodana, Arjuna indicates to Him that He got such acolades for killing demons while Arjuna is to get illfame for killing his Acharya and relatives. How this is justified, he seems to be asking.
North of Thirvananthapuram some 100 kilometres away is a kshethram called Varkala on the sea shore. Here the Lord is in a standing posture and from his left palm water sprouts and flows into the ocean. Janardhana means destroyer of people. Here ordinary public is not meant but those people who give hinderance to His devotees. Janimi in sanskrit means rebirth and He destroys rebirth of those who surrender to Him , due to this also He is Janardhana.
In Sri Rama avatara the Lord was full of compassion and mercy. In the Dasavatharam sthothram, Swamy Sri Desikan aptly describes Sri Rama with an adjective thus: Karuna Kakuthsa. The Rama Ravana battle was over in seven days and after Ravana had been killed, all devas [gods] appear before Sri Rama and Bramha says that their request has been fulfilled and so Sri Rama could return to Sri Vaikuntam. During that time Sri Rama requests Bramha to make alive all the monkeys who sacrificed their lives for the sake of Sri Rama. Bramha agrees and makes them alive. Turning to Vibheeshana , Sri Rama requests him to bring the bodies of the killed rakshasas so that they can also be brought alive. Unfortunately, Vibheeshana had ordered all the bodies to be thrown into the ocean. Such was His compassion and so Arjuna is wondering how He could expect Arjuna to kill these people.