"KRISHNA"

We have a number scriptures that speak volumes of Krishna's childhood, valor, intelligent mediation,Kingship and ultimate deification. But none will ever help us to clearly know the real 'Krish-na'. This real 'krish (diminish) na (not) is the one that is never diminishing, unborn, immortal, and eternal- pure 'Consciousness'. This is the all pervasive one, 'vishnu'. Krishna first appears in the Rk Veda as Angirasa Krishna (8.85). Vasudeva is mentioned in the Taittiriya Aranyaka I. 10.1.6. Krishna and Balarama and subhadra are the deities in the Jagannath Puri. We have  Krishna followed is depicted as the one born to Vasudeva-Devaki in the prison at Mathura. This is a story from Bhagavatam, may be a fiction or epic, the author of which is itself a mystery!  The epic depicts Krishna as a chld, a Vrishni King, Yadava, a cowherd boy, etc. and later on Counsellor of the Pandavas, an intelligent mediator between the Kourava and the Pandava kings, and finally as Bhagavan in the Bhagavad-Gita, The Bhagavad-Gits is a mystic verse that comes as an interlude in the Bhishma Parva of  the great epic Mahabharata. The beauty is that He has given a beautiful account of Himself as to Who He is and how no body including the revered jnyanis, gods and goddesses or the great Rishis fail to know Him! Thus, Krishna remains an enigma!

    Now, we are celebrating this Krishna Jnamashtami, not knowing Who this Krishna is and we take for granted that he is the eighth child born in the prison! Krishna's mother Devaki, the sister of King Kamsa was kept in the prison along with her newly-wed husbnad Vasudeva. Infact he was rejoicing in the celebration and marriage procession. He heard a voice that warned him not to be so joyful and rejoice since he would be killed by his sister's son (due to his misdeeds killing his uncle and usurping the kingdom?). He actually went to kill both the newly-wed, but was advised to restrain. Thus, he kept them in prison and went on to kill newly-born children. This eighth child Krishna was shifted to Nanda Gokula and the female child yogamaya born there was replaced! This is the story of Krishna's birth and we have the Bhagavatam narrating the child-hood pranks, leela and people rejoice hearing these again and again and celebrate His birthday!

   However, it is absolutely essential for us to grow and be mature enough to understand His advise to Arjuna. Bhagavan Shree Krishna is nirakara parabrahman, the maha purusha, the One Who manifests as All that we see, hear and experience as the phenomenal multifarious objective world. He only creates this magical world from His magical powers yogamaishvaram! He only exists and nothing else besides Him. He has created and entered His creation.He is breath of our breath, pranic energy of our prana, and the consciousness! We must realize this and constantly meditate on Him, as nirakara parabrahman and attain to Him! Here comes the unity consciousness, the perceiver and the perceived are One!

   Krishna as an avatar of Vishnu in the Dvapara Yuga is actually a narrative of how anybody can attain to the divine state and the Buddha is one these glaring examples! One should clearly understand what is found in history, fiction, epic and mythology properly! The Mahabharata, the Bhagavatam, Vishnu Purana, and the Bhagavad-Gita depict the manifest forms of Vishnu in different ways.