Lord Krishna the evergreen deity has been the most enigmatic charisma of our ancient mythology. So much has been written about the Lord in last hundreds of years that many times one wonders that in spite of loads of research carried out, why is it so that still nobody has understood him fully? Isn’t it surprising? What is it that makes him so mysterious? Some sects of religion believe that ‘Krishna’ was an incarnation of God himself whereas some believe that he was God himself but, in view of the legendary stories prevalent today about him, followers of other religions are not prepared to concede this. In short, while some emphatically assert his having been a complete incarnation of God, others, equally emphatically deny it, keeping in view of his deeds and conduct as narrated in ancient literature.
There is no doubt in it that, believers in god truly feel that Krishna is the ocean of knowledge, of peace, of bliss and of love as also he is supremely pure and benevolent. They also believe that these attributes of his are not mutually contradictory. For instance, if God makes use of his power, that users should not be for a violent act, otherwise, it will be contradictory to his being absolutely peaceful and loveful. Thus, keeping in view of the prevailing accounts of war and violence attributed to Lord Krishna, believers in the creed of non-violence, find it hard to reconcile them with their belief in God as an absolutely nonviolent entity. Similarly, the amorous love tales described by some people, though not actually devoid of glimpses of love, run counter to the concept of purity in love. Hence, in view of mutual contradictions in the attributes of God, some people refuse to accept lord Krishna as God or his incarnation, while others believe in him as such on the basis of those very accounts. But, the devotees who adore Shri Krishna as their God, while agreeing that he is one of God’s incarnation, will, of course, add that he was God Himself.
It has been observed that over the years, the meaning and exposition of the accounts from Lord Krishna’s life seem to have vastly changed in the process of time. For instance, the account of Shri Krishna stealing away Gopis’ clothes is interpreted today in its gross, literal sense, whereas it carries a spiritual meaning intended to be conveyed, viz. that god got his devotees and worshippers divested of their gross body consciousness. Similarly, the account of lord Krishna bringing about a great war has been subjected to a literal interpretation, whereas, in reality, it is an allegorical description referring to man’s fight against the demons(vices),deeply-rooted within himself. Given its spiritual interpretation, the contradiction noticeable in the principal divine attributes of God, referred to above, disappears, for this spiritual fight of a man with the vices within himself, as opposed to the ‘lethal war’ among men, actually results in the establishment of purity, peace and love within him and is, consequently, salubrious and beneficial for mankind. This interpretation, if accepted, should remove the doubts of those people who don’t believe in Shri Krishna’s divinity on the ground of God’s attributes becoming self-contradictory.
To get a more pragmatic view, we should understand that in reality, Krishna to whom various descriptions are attributed was not a human being – a son born to a mother, who grew from infancy to youth and was busy killing this person and that, by wielding his weapon, named ‘Sudarshan Chakra’, but simply the attributive name of God Himself who, ‘in the night of deep ignorance’, enters the body of a human being through whom He works and acts.
So, stealing of butter, destroying of the demons, named Kasur and bakasur and driving Arjun’s chariot, etc. are all accounts which, literally interpreted, run counter to the conception of God’s divinity. Interpreted, however, in their spiritual sense, they lose their contradictions and prove that, far from being the acts of a human being, they are divine tasks which God performs by entering a human body.
The question that remains now is that if ‘Krishna’ is the attributive name of the Supreme Almighty who is a subtle radiant entity, then who was Shri Krishna with the peacock crown on his head, whose images are worshipped in thousands of temples in India? It can be said in this connection that he was the first crown prince of Bharat who, because of his brilliant character, is adored among the deities. His crown itself is the proof of the fact that he was the sovereign king, while the peacock feathers in it are symbolic of his purity. But, just as today people begin to regard a great man as God, so, also have they revered the beautiful virtuous Shri Krishna – the highest among men and the most adorable among gods – as Supreme. In reality, however, God is Supreme Almighty who is a self-luminous entity above birth and death. So, coming out of all these confusion, let us celebrate Janmashtami in its truest sense by understanding magical qualities of Lord Krishna, and get entitled to our godly birthright of heaven.
