Krishna, Bhakti, and the Art of Living Unshaken..
A reflection on Janmashtami...
Yesterday was Krishna Janmashtami. Many of us were fasting or praying to Krishna in different ways. As the familiar images of little Krishna with his flute, peacock feather, mischievous smile and butter pot appeared everywhere, I found myself thinking about why Krishna has always been a favourite God. Was it because, despite being a God, He feels so wonderfully human? Is it because we feel that he is not some distant divinity beyond our reach?
Every other avatar arrives with a mission attached into His very posture. Rama walks upright with dharma on his shoulders, Narasimha tears through adharma with fury. Krishna, instead, arrives as a baby who had to be smuggled across a flooding Yamuna in the dead of night, hidden in a basket, so that a tyrant uncle does not kill him as he killed seven of his siblings before him. He lived amidst danger to his life. He grew up surrounded by uncertainty yet he laughed, played, teased, loved, protected counseled and stood beside those who needed him as much as he does for all of us now. So somewhere in that journey, Krishna becomes more than a God we worship. He becomes someone we can turn to specially when in despair.
Krishna's birth itself is deeply moving as he was born in a prison, to parents who had already suffered the unimaginable grief of losing seven children. There were no celebrations on his birth. Instead there was anxiety to keep him safe from Kansa. His father Vasudeva had to carry him across the flooding Yamuna in the darkness of the night to save his life. It was a very unusual beginning for the one whom millions would later worship as their IshtDev. Maybe that is where lies the first lesson of Krishna's life, difficult circumstances at the beginning do not determine the destination.
Krishna's childhood too was always full of danger. Putana and other demons came to kill him. There were repeated attempts on his life. Yet we always remember Bal Krishna, with joy and without fear. He reminds of laughter, of mischief as a little boy stealing butter, breaking pots, troubling the Gopis. Yashoda Maiyya runs behind him which tell us about the infinite God allowing himself to be chased and scolded by his mother.
The image of Krishna as a young boy lifting Govardhan Parvat on his little finger is another learning. He encounters thunder, rain and fear with childful glee. For a bhakta, this act is a metaphor as all of us encounter thunderstorms in form of illness or loss or professional setbacks, financial worries, broken relationships, loneliness, disappointment or simply circumstances over which we have no control. At such moments, Krishna bhakti is very comforting because the storm may not stop but we can seek shelter beneath the mountain. Faith does not mean that difficulties will never come but in believing that Krishna would be our guiding light and that we are not alone.
Of course, the Krishna of the Mahabharata is very different from the mischievous child of Vrindavan, yet he remains the same God engulfing us in his benevolence and love. He stood by the Pandavas through their long journey of injustice, exile, humiliation and war.
But he is remembered most as Draupadi's protector when she cried for his help during her darkest moment. That support has remained as one of the most powerful symbols of surrender and faith. When every worldly support had failed Draupadi turned to Krishna and his response is deeply reassuring to a bhakta. It does not mean that Krishna will magically remove every difficulty from our lives. The Pandavas themselves endured years of suffering despite having Krishna beside them.That itself is an important lesson.
God's presence does not necessarily mean the absence of struggle but it means receiving the strength, wisdom and direction to walk through it.
Another quality of Krishna that fascinates me is His composure. His life was filled with extraordinary challenges. He was born under threat, survived repeated attempts to be killed, had to leave Vrindavan, confront Kansa, navigates kingdoms, alliances, egos and conflicts. He also had to stand at the centre of one of the greatest wars. And yet, the image we carry of Krishna is rarely one of anxiety. He is always smiling, playing flute, not worried about victory or defeat which teaches us that seriousness of purpose does not require heaviness of heart. We must learn to face difficult circumstances without allowing them to occupy every corner of our mind. We can do what needs to be done and still retain our inner smile.
Another touching side of Krishna is his affection for Sudama, his childhood friend, when he visits him after many years. Krishna is now the king of Dwarka, while Sudama is still very poor. He brings only a small gift of poha, beaten rice with jaggery which Krishna loved to eat. Krishna welcomes him warmly, valuing the love behind the gift rather than its worth reminding us that true friendship rises above wealth, status, and time. Krishna understands Sudama’s needs even before he asks. Perhaps that is bhakti too the faith that the Divine understands even our silence.
Krishna's greatest gift to humanity does not come in a temple or ashram but on a battlefield. When Arjuna was confused, overwhelmed and unable to act against his kin on the battlefield, Krishna did not simply command him to fight. He talked to him, explained duty, action, knowledge, devotion, discipline, the nature of the Self and the importance of equanimity. What followed was the Bhagavad Gita, a timeless masterclass in life management.
One teaching has travelled with generations is
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन। Our right is to action, not to the fruits of action. This is very difficult to practice since we want outcomes, appreciation, success and we get get frustrated when we don't get them. Krishna gently shifts our focus to doing karma sincerely and to the best of our ability. Also Krishna does not ask us to stop feeling. He asks us not to become prisoners of every passing emotion.
And after philosophy, reasoning, questions and answers, Krishna ultimately brings Arjuna to something beautifully simple trust when he says मामेकं शरणं व्रज।, Come to Me. Take refuge in Me.
And then He says those two words that have comforted countless hearts: मा शुचः। Do not grieve, Do not fear, which contains the entire journey of Krishna bhakti
When the future seems uncertain or painful, Ma Shucha, not because nothing painful will happen, but because pain need not become permanent despair. Do your karma. Keep your dharma. Accept what you cannot control. And somewhere beyond your own limited ability to manage everything, learn to surrender.
Maybe this is why Krishna continues to fascinate generation after generation. He does not ask us to withdraw from life but enter it completely. Love deeply. Laugh freely. Fulfil our responsibilities. Stand against injustice. Protect those who depend upon us.Remain calm when circumstances become difficult. Perform our karma without becoming obsessed with its fruits.And when our own strength seems insufficient, surrender the rest.
That, for me, is the beauty of Krishna.
He is divine enough to lift Govardhan, yet human enough to steal butter.Wise enough to give us the Gita, yet loving enough to become Arjuna's charioteer. Powerful enough to change the course of history, yet accessible enough for a frightened heart simply to call, Krishna. Maybe that is why Krishna bhakti is so reassuring because somewhere between the flute of Vrindavan and the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Krishna teaches us how to live.
society...
R. Vimala, IAS Retd. MH 2009
Former Resident Commissioner & Secretary, Government of Maharashtra
Founder, AnirvedShakti Foundation
PhD Research Scholar, Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay
