KRISHNA - THE ULTIMATE

" Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Faleshu Kadachana"

- Bhagvad Gita

Hindu mythology presents a diverse diaspora of several epics and stories which to the common man may sound fantastic as well as a fantasy but in the truest sense they reflect the entire vivid rainbow of humanity. The variety of characters and situations that it depicts still remains to be completely unravelled . What follows here in this page is a modest attempt to dissect a persona that has no parallel in India and that which doubtless encompasses humanity in its entirety , possesses all the qualities of a human and yet is different in all possible aspects . He is none other than KRISHNA - THE ULTIMATE , or also famous as GOVIND, NARAYANA, HARI. He has been described as the one who possesses a thousand names ( he is called the "Sahasranamdhari" ) , as the one who is comparable to none, one who has no beginning ( He is called "Anaadi" ) and the One who has no end ("Anant ").

The Hindu stories have maximum references to him and He epitomizes values in their variety, nature in its naturality . The story of his birth itself indicates what lies in store ahead for those who listen to His stories. He was born on the Ashtami of the "shravan" month of Hindu calendar in the Shukla Paksha . The myth surrounding his birth in a stormy night in the prison bars of Mathura to Devaki and Vasudev is famous and every Indian child listens to it with rapt attention when the story sessions of grandmothers begin.

The antics of the lord in his childhood are glorified as His " Leela" or sport and countless sonnets and ballads have been written and sung over the millennia in every Indian language possible . Even today a child is referred as "Balakrishna" ( Little Krishna ) when he bowls over his mother with his playfulness. It is perceived that the Lord was giving his mother "Moksha" ( salvation) by his pleasing antics . The great poet Soordas in his lyrical ode to the Lord's childhood has mentioned that the greatness that Yashoda has achieved by being a mere spectator is more than what can be achieved by great seers in seven rebirths. Poets have been rendered speechless when they perceive the sheer humanity in his playfulness and Hindi literature is abundant with such Mother - Son sequences.

As the child grew up his activities took a different turn. The cowherds and the cows became His companions in His Sport . Though he behaved humanly the Lord showed glimpses of His being the "Avatar Purush " like His lifting of the Govardhan mountain in His little finger and thus showing Indra who is the Supreme . The people of Vrindavan adored him and their adoration was their "Bhakti ". In fact this form of "Bhakti " called the " Prem - Bhakti " ( devotion through love) is the most important message of Krishna .

Hindu philosophy advocates two forms of Bhakti to attain salvation . One is the "Gyan Marg" and the other "Prem Marg". Through the former one attains the Lord by gaining knowledge and preaching the same about HIm. The latter is the more simpler asks the Bhaktas to love the Lord himself , not as a Lord but as a companion . Here one must mention that this love is echelons above what we today term as love. "prem" as our texts say is a spiritual phenomenon which is a "Sangam" of two souls. In case of Bhakti it is the confluence of the "atma" and the "Parmatma".Hindi poets like Soordas, Raskhan , Meera have described in great elaboration the worth of such form of Bhakti and who better than the most beautiful of them all - Krishna Himself .The character of Akroor in the Bhagvat Puran is to demonstrate the superiority of the Prem Marg over the other.

Krishna's "Raas - Leela" is one of the striking phase of his incarnation. Legend has it that every Gopika loved Him in her heart but social barriers prevented them from expression. This also indicates that Bhakti is without barriers and does not remain confined within the societal rules. It is said that the Lord in His Sport once asked Devi Durga to descend to Vrindavan and advise all the Gopikas to think of their beloved and fast for a period of 40 days succeeding which they would be granted their beloveds. Everybody wished Krishna and waited for 40 painful days which is also famous in Hindi as " Viyog Parv". At the end of the Parv as promised Krishna with His Maya became omnipresnt and every Gopika thought that He was with her. But in reality He was with his consort Radha. The Bhakti of Radha is unparalleled in Indian Mythology. The union of Radha-Krishna is the ultimate confluence of the "Jivatma " with the Supreme Being and it also shows that marriage is not necessarily the final resort of Love.

This story has all the shades of a classical but spritual romance. Even today Hindi film songs directly refer to the saga of Radha - Krishna . Every aspect -from Krishna teasing his consort near the Yamuna ("Bhor bhaye panghat par , mohe natkhat Sham sataye") to Radha getting angry with Him is encompassed in our literature. Poets have narrated incidents galore of this phase of the Lord's life.

The last and final major aspect of Krishna's life is his role as a Kshatriya and as a master craftsman. Krishna was the Indian Machiavelli and advocated immortal principles in the Gita which if followed even today will lead to success as well as peace of mind. He was the first to advise the businessmen to start the lending business.Legend tells that when Jarasandh invaded Mathura , it did not have the resources to lead the fightback. Krishna much to everyone's indignation advised that resources be generated from the lower "Vaishyas". His philosophy that they were also citizens and they also had equal responsibility towards the safety of the city.Moreover they being businessmen would never want to lose money and hence would bless the Kshatriyas to victory to satisfy their purpose. His role in the Kurukshetra War is an open book to all. His policy was to counter Dharma with Dharma but to tolerate Adharma taking Dharma's resort is a crime. Thus he defined His actions in the war as Dharma when he defeated Drona , Karna , Duryodhana taking resort to unlawful means.

Krishna is a Philosophy in Himself, combining an institution of rules , variety of emotions that engraves in itself the humanity in its entirety. The Bhagvad Gita is a Bible for us . It prescribes one to be not a "Bhakta Yogi" but asks us to be a "Karma Yogi". Our authority is confined to the job only and not in its results. {"Ma Falesu Kadachana"). His life is statement on way of life on all the 4 stages of life and each and every action of His is an education in itself and worthy of replication .

The above is only a small attempt to cover a persona which has been tried in vain through millennia by poets and preachers, seers and sages. Much water has flowed down the Kalindi (Yamuna) since His days but the Vrindavan still abounds by His charms. His "Venu Vadya" ( Flute) still resonates in the greens and even now the Raag "Brindavan Saarang" brings delight to the true lovers as well as the peacocks which wait eternally for their lover , the "Sawan" (rain drops) as Radha waited and is still waiting for Him to return.