Krsnas Makara earrings

[Paramananda das]

 

 Lord Krsna is described to wear Makhara earrings:

In Govinda Lilamrta  it is stated:

Govinda Lilamrta/ Nisanta Lila-1 Sri Yugala-Kisora Rise :

1/56 Krishna's eyes are tired and intoxicated, His body is covered with nail marks and smeared with black mascara, yet He smells like a fragrant lotus! Curling hairs decorated His forehead, plus mind-teasing Makhara earrings dance over His glossy cheeks, but herein lies a cunning sweet smile! Seeing Krishna's face thus captivatingly displayed,   Radha again becomes pierced by Kamadeva's arrows!

Srila Raghunath das Goswami has stated:

 The powerful Gopala Raja, who extends the soothing moonlight of His Makara earings from His ears, that are like Cupid's ropes that are eager to bind up the two adolescent Cakora-birds of bashful Radhika's restless eyes, is beautifully shining on a throne on Govardhana Hill. (Raghunatha Das Goswami, Sri Gopal Raja Stotram, 8)

In Bhagavad Gita,Sri Krsna has stated:

Text 31 

pavanah pavatam asmi
ramah shastra-bhrtam aham
jhasanam makaras casmi
srotasam asmi jahnavi

SYNONYMS

pavanah -- the wind; pavatam -- of all that purifies; asmi -- I am; ramah -- Rama; sastra-bhritam -- of the carriers of weapons; aham -- I am; jhashanam -- of all fish; makarah -- the shark; ca -- also; asmi -- I am; srotasam -- of flowing rivers; asmi -- I am; jahnavi -- the River Ganges.

 

Translation

Of purifiers I am the wind, of the wielders of weapons I am Rama, of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges. 

Commentary by Srila Prabhupada 

Of all the aquatics the shark is one of the biggest and is certainly the most dangerous to man. Thus the shark represents Krishna.

Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur

Of moving or purifying agents, I am the wind. Among bearers of weapons, I am Parasurama. He is suitable as a vibhuti because he is an avesavatara, and because he is an outstanding jiva among those who have been given powers by the Lord. Padma Purana quoted in Bhagavatamrta says "O devi, I have recited to you the story of Parasurama, a saktyavesa avatara of the Lord." Also it says, "He took birth as an empowered jiva." The characteristics of the avesavatara are also mentioned in the Bhagavatamrta. "Where a jiva is filled with portions of jnana sakti or other sakti of the Lord, he is called avesavatara." (Laghu Bhagavatamrta 1.4 .39, 1.4.38, 1.1.18) Among fish (jhasanam), I am the makara, a special type of fish. Among rivers (srotasam), I am the Ganga.

See also

http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/Gita/verse-10-29.html for the commentary of Srila Sridhara Swami

So here Srila Prabhupada has translated Makarah with shark and Srila Visvanatha Chakravati Thakura has not gone into explaining what is  the Makarah 

Is the Maharah a huge prehistoric shark like   Megalodon ?

http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/otherprehistoriclife/a/megalodon-fact...

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

In the Natural  History Museum in Washington DC you can see some skeletons of this Megalodon.

In Srimad Bhagavatam we find this sloka:

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.9.16

kṣut-tṛṭ-parīto makarais timińgilair

upadruto vīci-nabhasvatāhataḥ

tamasy apāre patito bhraman diśo

na veda khaḿ gāḿ ca pariśrameṣitaḥ

SYNONYMS

kṣut — by hunger; tṛṭ — and thirst; parītaḥ — enveloped; makaraiḥ — by the makaras, a species of monster crocodile; timińgilaiḥ — and by the timińgila, avariety of huge fish that eats whales; upadrutaḥ — harassed; vīci — by the waves; nabhasvatā — and the wind; āhataḥ — tormented; tamasi — in the darkness;apāre — which was unlimited; patitaḥ — having fallen; bhraman — wandering; diśaḥ — the directions; na veda — did not recognize; kham — the sky; gām — the earth; ca — and; pariśrama-iṣitaḥ — overcome by exhaustion.

TRANSLATION

Tormented by hunger and thirst, attacked by monstrous makaras and timińgila fish and battered by the wind and waves, he moved aimlessly through the infinite darkness into which he had fallen. As he grew increasingly exhausted, he lost all sense of direction and could not tell the sky from the earth.

Srila Sridhara Swami has in his commentary to the Bhagavad Gita stated:

"Among fish His Vibhuti is a particular fish that can swallow a whole whale and lives in the deepest part of the ocean known as Makara"

The word for word translation   done by Hrdayananda Maharaja does not state shark because modern opinion of the Makara is like a giant crocodille

http://www.khandro.net/mysterious_makaras1.htm

Nrsingha Maharaja has his ideas about this as well: 

http://gosai.com/writings/makara-myth-or-fact-dinosaurs-in-srimad-b...

So how does these Makhara earrings of Krsna really look like? 

http://www.peacefulwind.com/gallery12/4.html

In Vrindavana you Radha Shyamasundara temple, the deities of Shyamananda    as having these beautiful silver Mahara earrings.

  The Makara earrings are described by Radha Krsnas parrots in the 16 chapter of Govinda Lilamrta:

"Krishna's ears, that wear beautiful Makara-earrings, defeat the shape of the halfmoon-shaped cakes or the wonderful clods of Kusa-grass. It's brilliant rays swallow the eyes and minds of everyone in the world. The small holes in Krishna's ears that became lengthened by carrying His earrings, are like holes in the nets that catch the eyes of all the ladies of the world, the net that the hunter Cupid spread out to catch the gopis' doe like minds, or the ropes that bind the wagtailbirds of Shri Radhika's eyes. May Madhava's ears, that are always eager to hear Gandharvika's proud jokes and criticisms and the nectarean beverage of Her crooked words, that are beautifully reddish inside and that are at equal height, be manifest in my heartl" (83-85)

my own humble prayer is: 

 

dear Krsna that carries the Makara earrings, I do not even know what a makara is ,all I know is you have beautiful Makara earrings, will you please be kind to your eternal

servant to allow me to see you and serve you

Srila Krsna das Kaviraja has described these earrings in this beautiful way:

ganda-tandavati-panditandajesha-kundalash

candra-padma-shanda-garva-khandanasya-mandalah

ballavishu vardhitatma-gudha-bhava-bandhanah

svanghri-dasyado ’stu me sa ballavendra-nandanah (2)

 

On Shri Krishna’s cheeks dangle makara-shaped earrings that are most expert in dancing,

His face shatters the pride of the full moon and all varieties of lotuses, and He forever

tightens the shackle of His secret moods of love upon the vraja-gopis. May that Shri

Krishna, son of the king of the cowherd men, bestow upon me the service of His lotus

feet.

your servant

Paramananda das