Celebrate the spirit of Krishna consciousness

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Celebrate the spirit of Krishna consciousness

CHAITANYA CHARAN DAS

 

Whatever name we prefer to give the Supreme Being

Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Shakti, Vishnu or Krishna the

concept of a Supreme Creator is that He is of

extraordinary attributes, and is universally

attractive.

 

The name Krishna means 'the all-attractive One'.

" Sarva akarshati iti Krishna " this describes the

attractive nature of the Lord and so describes the

absolute Truth, the supreme personality of Godhead, in

full.

 

The Lord administers the world through the laws of

material nature gross such as the law of gravitation

and subtle such as the law of karma.

 

But when predominance of materialism over spirituality

disturbs the universal order, the Lord descends " to

deliver the pious, annihilate the miscreants and

re-establish divine principles " , says the Bhagavad

Gita.

 

Krishna descends not just to maintain law, but to

awaken love. The love that our heart longs for through

relationships with various persons finds fulfilment

only when it is reposed in the Supreme. When we love

Krishna, our love is never interrupted, never

betrayed, never let down, never disappointed.

 

Unfortunately in this world of matter, all living

beings are attracted not to the Lord of their heart

but to matter and material enjoyment. However, matter

being limited and finite, it can never fulfil the

unlimited desires of our spirit; material enjoyment

satiates, but never satisfies.

 

God comes to the material world and performs

superhuman activities which reveal His supreme nature

and unparalleled love for all. Krishna lifted the

Govardhan mountain in order to protect His devotees

from rains.

 

Such acts appear impossible to the sceptical mind, but

an ant would similarly consider the lifting of a book

by a human being as 'impossible'. For Krishna

possessing unlimited power, such an act is not at all

difficult. Realising the infinite love of Krishna

enables us to return to the kingdom of God, with Him.

 

On Janmashtami, Krishna entered the material world at

midnight. This is significant. Midnight is the time of

maximum darkness and from the moment the Lord

appeared, the darkness started diminishing.

 

Similarly, our heart is dark being afflicted by

multiple anxieties and miseries. But in the darkest

hour of our lives, when we turn to Krishna, He appears

in our heart, and all the darkness recedes and the

light of eternal hope starts streaming in.

 

The Lord appeared in a prison cell and then freed His

parents of their shackles. This indicates that all of

us who are shackled by our own self-destructive

desires can be freed by the Lord who appears in our

heart which is obscured in darkness.

 

Janmashtami celebrates Krishna's presence in our

hearts. Indeed, amidst all the chaos and disorder

prevalent in this Kalyuga, why has the Lord not

appeared as per His eternal promise in the Bhagavad

Gita?

 

The Vedic scriptures declare, " kali kale nama rupe

Krishna avatar " that in Kali Yuga the Lord incarnates

in the form of His Holy Name. All religions recommend

chanting the names of God. The Bible says " Let the

Lord always be on your lips " , Islam exhorts the

chanting of the 99 names of Allah.

 

And among all the mantras empowered sound vibrations

mentioned in Vedic scriptures, the maha-mantra " Hare

Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare

Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare " is specially

recommended for our age.

 

So let us experience the love, care, protection and

happiness of Janmashtami the appearance of the Lord in

our hearts by devotedly chanting His holy names.

 

The writer is a member of ISKCON, Pune.