Krishna

Divine Life Society Publication: Hindu Gods and Goddesses by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda

Om Sri Sadguru Paramatmane Namah

O Adorable Krishna!
Let my longing eyes behold Thy form.
Let my ears hear Thy flute.
O Healer of all sorrows!
Show me Thyself.
Thou art the only Truth—
All the rest is false.
I crave not for Mukti;
I long not for emancipation;
Let there be devotion to Thy feet.
Be kind unto me, O Lord!
Remove my delusion.
I am a servant unto Thee.

THE auspicious hour came. The star Rohini was shining. It was Vijaya Muhurta. The elements were extremely pleasant. Winds were blowing auspiciously. The stars were shining with lustre. The lakes were filled with lotuses. Lord Krishna incarnated at midnight on this earth. The gods played divine music. The Kinnaras and Gandharvas sang. Siddhas and Charanas praised. The Vidyadharas danced along with Apsaras, sages and Devas. There was a rain of flowers from the heavens in joy.

Vishnu incarnated with lotus eyes, with four hands armed with conch, disc, mace and lotus, with the mark Srivatsa adorning the chest. Vasudeva saw this marvel of a Divine Child.

Vasudeva praised Him: "Thou art known to me already as the Supreme Being. Thou art an embodiment of Knowledge and Bliss. Thou art seated in the hearts of all beings. Thou art the Witness of the minds of all. Thou art beyond Maya and Avidya".

Devaki beheld marks of Vishnu on her son and praised Him: "Thou art beginningless, omnipresent, self-luminous, attributeless, changeless and actionless. Thou art the source and place of dissolution for everything. Kindly do not show me this form with four hands. Let me see You as an ordinary child. Withdraw this divine, transcendental form. We are afraid of Kamsa".

The Lord said: "Let both of you often meditate with love on Me as a son and as the Supreme Being and you will obtain eternal bliss and immortality".

The Lord assumed the form of a handsome baby through the power of His own Maya.

The Purna Avatara

Lord Krishna was the highest Incarnation of the great Vishnu. He was the Purna Avatara. He had all the sixteen Kalas or rays of the Lord. He was a noble scion of the illustrious Yadava dynasty. He was the world-teacher. He was the one Lord of love. He was the lover of men. His enchanting form, with flute in hand, holds the heart of India captive in chains even today.

The object of Sri Krishna’s Avatar who has become the beloved of India and the world at large, was threefold—to destroy the wicked demons, to take the leading part in the great war fought on the battlefield of Kurukshetra where He delivered His wonderful message of the Gita and to become the centre of a marvellous development of the Bhakti Schools of India.

The purpose of the Krishna-Avatara was not only to destroy Adharma, but also to reveal to the world the magnificence of God. Sri Krishna was the symbol of the Absolute, the representation of the mighty Sovereign of the universe. In His well-adjusted, symmetrical conduct of life is portrayed the majestic perfection of God.

Sri Krishna’s life is the Bhagavad Gita in action. In Him are found the supreme knowledge and power blending to form the God-Man of all times. In Him the highest Vidya and Vinaya (knowledge and humility) co-exist as inseparable virtues of the Great Hero of the world.

Sri Krishna was a perfect Master. He was a Karma Yogi, Bhakta, Raja Yogi and Jnana Yogi. He preached Karma, Upasana Yoga and Jnana. Lord Krishna drove the chariot in the battle-field and danced with the Gopis in the shady retreats of Brindavan and taught Yoga and Jnana to Uddhava and Arjuna. The four Yogas are blended in His Gita or the Immortal Song.

Lord Krishna was great in knowledge, great in emotion, great in action, altogether. The scriptures have not recorded any life more full, more intense, more sublime, more grand than His.

Study the Bhagavat and the Pancharatras, which are equal to the Upanishads. You will know all about the glory of Lord Krishna, His Lilas and superhuman deeds.

May we sing His Name—Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya—wholeheartedly like Radha and obtain His Grace which can take us to His Abode of everlasting peace and infinite bliss!

May His blessings be upon us all!

 Excerpts from: Krishna - Hindu Gods and Goddesses by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda