Krishna Janmashtami

If there is one god whose name is known and recognized throughout the world, it is SriKrishna. Philosophers identify Krishna as the teacher of that amrita (nectar) known as Srimadbhagavadgita. The pious identify Him as the savior and protector of those who seek and surrender to Him. Students of the Gita know Him as the charioteer friend and mentor of Arjuna. Students of the epic Mahabharata know Him as the pivot around which hundreds of ugly events that occurred were resolved through His guidance and intervention. The most notable example of his power was the spectacular saving of Draupadi’s honor in the court of Dhritarashtra. For his bhaktas (devotees) Krishna is a delight with His playful pranks as a child. Who can ever forget the episode of the child Krishna eating mud and revealing the three worlds when the shocked mother Yashoda asked Him to open His mouth!  And his teasing of the gopees as a young lover? What fun the citizens of Dwaraka must have had! But most of all it is Lord Krishna’s promise to humanity made in the third of the four yugas, Dwaaparayuga that has sustained the Hindu belief in the Supreme Being over thousands of years. i.e.

Yadaa yadaahi dharmasya glaanirbbhavati Bhaarata

abhyutthaanam addharmasya tadaathmaanam srujaamyaham

Whenever there is decline of dharma, Oh Arjuna, I shall manifest Myself  in order to restore balance

Whenever we feel weak and unable to perform our duties to ourselves, to our family or the community, all we need is to recall Krishna’s charge to Arjuna when the latter hesitated on the battlefield of Kurukshetra and could not find the courage to fight. It was then that Lord Krishna delivered the electrifying message that remains timeless in its inspiration:

Klaibyam maa sma gamah Partha naitat tvayyupapadyate 

Kshudram hrdaya dourbalyam tyaktvottishta Parantapa

“Yield not to impotence, O Arjuna, It does not befit you,

Cast off this mean weakness of heart. Stand up.”

Let us never forget that the Arjuna in this context is none other than you and me. This particular shloka represents the very essence of the Gita’s message. It speaks of strength. It condemns weakness. It re-emphasizes the Upanishadic pronouncement: “nayamaatma balaheenena labhyaha” i.e. “the atman cannot be attained by the weak.” The entire message of the Gita is based on this fundamental principle.

Then in Chapter 2, verse 11, Krishna strikes the keynote:

Ashochyan anvashochstvam prajnavadamscha bhashase

Simply put, it says: “Do not Grieve.”  Swami Venkateshananda says that we should use this verse as a mantra. When worry knocks at our door – which it does, when grief threatens – as it does, let us visualize Sri Krishna standing before us, saying, “You are worrying unnecessarily.” Thinking is essential. Worrying is not only unnecessary, it actually  prevents thinking.

Through hundreds of fascinating episodes, this most beloved God has established a code of conduct and a set of values that are singularly Hindu and yet universal in application. The core message is also the core philosophy of the Hindus i.e. the framework of Dharma within which we are asked to serve society even as we enjoy life on this earth. For the Hindus there is no scripture comparable to the Mahabharata of Vyaasa which examines life in practical terms and constantly provides, from one book to the next, sensations that range from sorrow, pain, fear to joy, from failure to triumph. Krishna is at the center of each of these, teaching as it were, the very essence of life. Therefore, let us, the Arjunas of today pledge:

Karishye vachanam tava

“We shall perform (our duties) according to your mandate”

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