Lord Sri Krishna - Some recollections on the Sri Krishna Jayanti Celebrations

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Sri KVR Rao garu,

 

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LORD SRI KRISHNA

 

 

( On 4.9.2007 we celebrated Sri Krishna Jayanti. In this context the

following article is written )

Dr. N. V. Koteswara Rao.

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On the occasion of Sri Krishna Jayanti we celebrate Sri Krishna's

birth day. Sri Krishna was born a few thousands of years ago. He is

considered to be an Avataara of Maha Vishnu, as per our PurAnAs.

This avatArA is taken up to bring in peace and to destruct the evil

forces on earth. He demonstrated a number of Super Human powers

during his life time. This made every one to believe him to be God

in the human form.

 

As per our Hindu Philosophy, we believe in the existence of cycles

of birth and death to every soul. Soul is different from the body.

Soul can take any form as it likes - human or any living or non

living form. The body is only a carrier of the Soul. It is the soul

that uses the body for gaining the absolute knowledge. If it is not

satisfied with the knowledge it attained in one life, the soul would

take another life (body). Though the body has the properties of

birth, growth, self maintenance, reproduction and death, the soul is

independent of these. It is said that the soul has its likes and

dislikes and continues to have its ties with the activities of this

world and enjoys all the worldly pleasures through the vehicle- the

body (human or otherwise) While each body has a limited life in this

world, the soul – the occupier of the body leaves the body whenever

it is convenient and reoccupies the living body. It is clear to us

that while the body is inactive in deep sleep (save the vital organs

like heart, brain and lungs which keep working even during sleep) we

feel the deep sleep after we wake up. This enjoyment of deep sleep

is that of the soul occupying the body. It is possible that more

than one soul can occupy one body at the same time! These are the

instances of weak souls being occupied by the stronger ones like the

spirits occupying the living body. However the spirits can be thrown

away while the real soul which occupied the body from its inception

is all that continues with the body.

 

The soul gets attached to and gets entangled in the web of relations

with other living and non living beings as if they were its own. Its

knowledge gets eclipsed with thoughts of ownership and permanency of

life or selfishness. This entanglement is the cause for the

continuance of the cycle of births and deaths. It is this

entanglement that is called as Moha by Lord SriKrishna when Arjuna

was sorrow stricken seeing his own kith and kin to be killed by him

in the Maha Baharat War fought between Kauravas and Pandavas.

 

Lord Sri Krishna was born to quell the evil forces and reduce the

load of the great sinners on Earth. In this process there broke a

war between Kauravas and Pandavas. This war was fought between

eleven Akshouhinis of army on Kauravas side and seven akshouhinis of

army on Pandavas side. A total of eighteen akshouhinis of army was

killed during this war. No one could avert it including Lord Sri

Krishna. Lord Sri Krishna was the wisest of all and the best

manager. He managed the unwilling warrior Arjuna, in the battle

field, to fight the battle convincing him with His teachings known

as SrimadBhagavad Gita. He clarified various doubts and answered

different questions raised by Arjuna freely and frankly. The great

teacher Lord Sri Krishna didn't allow his student Arjuna to have any

doubts unclarified. He never brushed him aside that these questions

are not relevant or out of context. He demonstrated how an ideal

teacher should behave with his student. He was thus known as

Jagatraya Guru.

 

His super human characteristics were demonstrated even from his child

hood, nay from his babyhood! He was born with four hands with Sankha,

Chakra, Gada and Padmam. He explained to his mother Devaki Devi that

He was born to her due to the penance she and her husband performed

during their life in Swaayambhu Manmantaram as Prushni (Devaki Devi)

and Sutapudu (Vasudeva). They performed this penance for a few

thousands of years facing all inconveniences. Lord Vishnu appeared

before them and offered to fulfill their wishes. Fraught by the

strong desire to beget children they didn't ask for salvation but for

a child of the stature of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu agreed to be born

to them three times in different lives. During that very life he was

born to Prushni and was known as Prushni Garbudu. During their

next life Prushni and Sutapudu were born as Aditi and Kasyapa. Lord

Vishnu was born to them as Vaamana and killed Bali chakaravarthi.

During their present life He is born as Lord Sri Krishna and

clarified to them that he wouldn't be born to them any more.

 

This episode shows that Lord Sri Krishna is Lord Vishnu Himself. He

was aware of His stature as God Himself and demonstrated such

capabilities of creation, maintenance and destruction during his life

as Lord Sri Krishna, to the surprise of Lord Brahma, Indra and other

Devatas.

 

This further indicates that the strong desires associated with the

Soul would never be lost and they would take their shape even after a

few lives. Moreover, it indicates that Penance is not the panacea to

the problems but it is the knowledge and analysis that would help the

soul to get liberated from the cycle of births and deaths. Had

Prushni and Sutapudu asked for their salvation would they not have

been freed then itself? One should understand that the Divine Plan

is to be adhered to by every soul and that it cannot work by itself

independently. It is the Divine Plan that is all pervading and all

souls and bodies have to behave accordingly including the Avataaraas.

 

Keeping these lessons taught by the Jagatraya Guru, Lord Sri Krishna,

we celebrate the Sri Krishna Jayanti even today. It is essential that

the younger generation should know these facts and not to be mislead

by the spokesmen of other religions.

 

Though there is no academic syllabus in our present modern system of

education which includes our Sanathana Dharma, the students of the

present day must be made aware of this through extra curricular

studies and participation in seminars and essay writings on this

subject.

 

ollowing article may be published in the monthly issue as well.