Inquiries Into the Absolute: Digest 125, Why is Krishna's body

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Digest 125, June 25th, 2005. Answers by His Holiness Romapada Swami

**You are welcome to send in your questions to HH Romapada Swami at

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Why is Krishna's body bluish-blackish?

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Question: Why is Krishna's body (Krishna) bluish-blackish?

 

We often get these sorts of questions and the answer generally given is "Well,

He's God, therefore He can be any color He wants to be." But this isn't so

satisfying. With the same logic, the question "Why does Krishna descend to the

material world?" could be answered "Well, He's God, therefore He can go

anywhere He wants to go." I doubt that answer is going to take us back to

Godhead since Krishna gives us the promise that one who understands His

appearance and activities will never take birth again. (Bhagavad-gita 4.9)

 

So my question also implies that since Krishna has a personality, wouldn't it

be sensible for Him to have a reason for choosing to be a certain color? Maybe

it is His favorite color. In other words, can we expect every single action of

Krishna's to have some logic or reason, even if it is something silly or

extraordinary according to His personality. Does Krishna ever do something

without any real reason?

 

The most satisfying answer I have found for this question is that the color of

Krishna's body (krishna) is the color of madhurya rasa, the color of pure love.

So can you confirm this and also perhaps elaborate if we have such information.

 

*End of Question*

 

Answer: Krishna is unlimited and His actions are indeed unfathomable by our

limited intelligence. The limited living entity can never FULLY understand the

unlimited, but we can understand to the extent He reveals Himself and empowers

us to understand. Whatever we do know, we can know through the medium of

revealed scriptures and saintly persons. As Krishna recommends in Bhagavad-gita

4.9 (http://vedabase.net/bg/4/9/en), it is important for us to understand the

divine nature of His appearance and activities, but the process of such

understanding is not through our mental exertion, but by hearing in Disciplic

succession. (Bhagavad-gita 4.2 & 4.34 http://vedabase.net/bg/4/2/en,

http://vedabase.net/bg/4/34/en ) Such hearing, with an attitude of submission,

service and great faith, will enable us to actually understand (tattvatah) and

thus go back to Godhead; theoretical or intellectual understanding will not.

 

In the case of why Krishna descends to the material world, He does state some

specific reasons (Bhagavad-gita 4.8 http://vedabase.net/bg/4/8/en) and there

are further elaborate discussions on this topic (for instance see prayers by

Queen Kunti, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.30-35 http://vedabase.net/sb/1/8/) It is

certainly important for us to be eager to get an insight into these reasons but

equally important is the understanding that ultimately He is not bound by any

of these reasons. As revealed in Prahlad's prayers and other places, the Lord

actually appears for His own pleasure and to please His devotees.

(Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.13 http://vedabase.net/sb/7/9/13/en)

 

Even great mahajans like Bhismadeva admit that no one can fully understand

Krishna's plans. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.16 http://vedabase.net/sb/1/9/16/en)

Likewise, great devotees like Krishnadas Kaviraj Gosvami repeatedly state the

impossibility of penetrating into the meaning of Lord Caitanya's pastimes. This

is to say that we may not expect to be able to understand the logic and reason

behind everyone of the Lord's actions; trying to do so would be presumptuous

and also unnecessary. Devotees are happy to appreciate the fact that their Lord

is completely independent & merciful, and simultaneously eager to understand

the confidential reasons behind His actions as much as guru, sadhu and sastra

reveal to them, which they fully accept without further doubts.

 

As for the reason behind Krishna's having a bluish complexion, here is a very

beautiful explanation given in Krishna Bhakti Ratna Prakasa by Raghava Gosvami

wherein it is said:

 

atha kaiscid uktam. yadi sva-prakaso lila-rasa-mayah paramatma-svarupas tasmin

katham syama-varnatvam sarvatra prasiddham. yatha srutau rupam na vedyam na ca

bindunadah ity adi. tad aha

 

syamabhatvam vidhatte yat

sarva-varno 'tra liyate

nityam ca prabhavaty eva

kalo 'smin naiva vidyate

 

Translation:

At this point some may ask: Why is it that the form of the Personality of

Godhead, which He manifests only by His own wish, and which is made of the

sweetness of transcendental pastimes, is famous everywhere for its dark

complexion?"

 

Part of the answer to this question may be found in the statement of the

Sruti-sastra: "No one can understand even a drop of the Lord's transcendental

form." Aside from this it is also said:

 

"He eternally manifests the color syama, within which all colors rest. His

complexion is not the material color black."

 

_______________

 

Thus from the last verse we see it says "sarva-varno" which means that the

colour syama is a special color, which is like a composite of all colours. And

we notice that if we combine all colours we get a colour which is blackish, but

not black.

 

*End of Response*

 

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