Why I Love Krishna? - the Most Misunderstood Man in the Modern Era!

“If you want peace, you need to have the capability to wage a war and win it”                                                                                                                               - Krishna 

Can you imagine a statesman having thoughts like above over a war, can be overwhelmingly playful at the same time? Yes, Krishna can be! He is a man of contradictions. He can fight a war and also escape from the war! He can kill someone and tell it is out of compassion!  He can playfully take away clothes of bathing women and also save a woman’s modesty by offering clothes! Krishna can take a stand and break it as well! 

Krishna can go to any extent for the people he loved and cared for! He engaged himself completely and playfully on to life. Thus his whole life is referred to as Leela by devotees.

Did Krishna Flee From the War?

 

Krishna killed Kansa, the king of Mathura, and crowned himself. This made Jarasandh, father in law of Kansa furious, and made him wage a war against Krishna. Do you know how many times Jarasandh invaded Mathura? it is 17 times and, during this Krishna defeated him 16 times. 

The 17th time Krishna fled from the war. From then on, Jarasandh claimed everywhere he went, that Krishna escaped from war fearing for life. Yes! like all us humans, he forgot the 16 times he was defeated and only remembered the last.

Krishna killing Kansa

Image Source: Dailyexcelsior.com

Who Did He Kill Out of Compassion?

Shishupala was Krishna’s cousin. Krishna promised Shishupala’s mother that Shishupala would be spared for his 100 mistakes. During Mayasabha, Shishupala was so engrossed in insulting Krishna, he lost count of his mistakes. And Krishna killed him with his Sudarshana. Shishupala had to be stopped or he was committing mistakes that would malign at the level of his soul. 

 

Krishna kills Shishupala with his Sudharshana

Image source: Glorioushinduism.com

Did Krishna Tease Girls?

Women in Brindavan, famously referred to as Gopi/Gopika wanted to marry Krishna, and they together worshipped Mother Katyayani for blessings. Their daily routine started with a bath in the river Kalindi followed by performing the austerities prescribed for the worship of Katyayani.

So, daily they entered the river naked to the bath. According to the Hindu scriptures, bathing naked irrespective of gender is disrespecting god Varuna. 

So, their vow of worshipping goddesses Katyayani in spite of following all the austerities is falling short because of this insult to Varuna.

Krishna went to the river bank and sent all his friends away and picked the clothes of gopi and climbed the Kadama tree. Then he told the gopi to rise above the water and hold their hands in the air as bowing to him, to forgive the insult they did to the god Varuna. One needs to understand that Krishna when asked the gopi to do this, stood there as Parabhramha.

Did Krishna Break a Promise? 

 

Krishna was approached by Arjuna and Duryodhana during the Kurukshetra war to take sides.

Krishna declared that he would not take a weapon during the war.  There is a conversation that happened during this, though what's important is that Krishna stayed on Arjuna’s side. 

During the 9th day of the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna could not stand to Bhishma’s attack and was bleeding profusely. Krishna was furious and ran towards Bhishma to kill with a wheel of a fallen chariot, forgetting his promise of not picking a weapon. 

As we saw, Jarasandh forgot the 16 times he was defeated and remembered only Krishna fleeing! Similarly, even now, only half facts or distorted stories of Krishna are famous among the people.  In my opinion, the life of Krishna is seen from western eyes. The west cannot digest the fact that god can be playful. He can marry and have kids. He can become the forerunner for a war.

The English study that the British introduced long ago brought us a hangover that stayed till date. Krishna doesn't fit in the idealistic image of god the world has created! Nonetheless, I love Krishna! 

Woke up in the Year 1994!

I woke up and felt something strange, but couldn't understand! I involuntarily glanced over the room and found a clock hanging at the back of my bedroll and the time is 6.30 am. I moved over to look at the calendar whose papers were flapping with wind and making an irritating sound.  I can see the month and year that were not in sync with my mind's calendar!  

I can hear someone in the kitchen and I knew it should be my mother, so invariably shouted 

"Amma, what is today's date!". 

Got a quick answer, "Why? did you lose your mind preparing for the exams! Today is 6th October!". 

With a confused mind, I again asked, "Which year?" 

She popped her head out of the kitchen and answered as if looking at a disoriented person! This time she was sure I lost my mind! 

"This is 1994 and should I also remind that today you should give the Hindi paper, last of your Quarterly exams"

I rubbed my eyes and remembered everything in a flash. I need to reach school by 8.15 and give my Hindi paper. That was not the exciting part though! My Dushhera vacation starts tomorrow and I will be leaving for my grandmother's house at night. 

I got ready for school by 7.30 am and had leftover rice from the previous night for breakfast. Once I was done eating, right then I could hear auto uncle blowing the horn. Generally, I pick my bag and run downstairs. But today, my mother accompanied me to the auto uncle. Yeah, I know the reason! It was to ask him to come in the night to drop us at the bus station. This always happened whenever I left for vacation. 

I was the first one to get into the auto and last to get down in the evening. 

The auto started from police quarters and we picked 7 other guys on the way and reached school by 8.20 am. The delay was because of that Suresh guy. He was having breakfast when the auto reached his house. He always does this and at least 5 to 6 times in a month we reach the school late. Generally, I get angry, but today I was in the vacation mood.

The exam started at 8.45 am and was over at 11.45 am.

Hurray! 

The vacation unofficially started for me and I ran towards the auto uncle. On regular days, he drops us in the morning and comes back in the evening, but during exams, he doesn't leave. 

I reached the auto and was waiting for the other guys to join. I saw 2 groups walking towards the auto stand and in there 4 guys from group-1 and 2 guys from group-2 are from my auto. I was relieved that we can start and just then realized one person was missing! 

Again that Suresh guy! 

Yeah, I could recollect now, he was still writing the exam when I left the hall and was begging the teacher for another 10 mins. 

"Ok!"  

I told myself, "he will be here at any moment"

I waited and waited, he was nowhere to be seen! 

My concern is, if we don't start, the other guys start roaming around and it will take another 30 mins to bring everyone back. So I told my auto uncle, who was chatting with other auto uncles, that I will get Suresh and not to let others leave.

I wanted to directly go to the exam hall and before that, I thought of checking the playground first! 

YES! I WAS CORRECT! 

This dude Suresh was playing football with primary kids in the playground. 

Do you know what he was playing football with? 

A DAMN CRICKET RUBBER BALL. 

This made me furious and I ran towards him. During this, suddenly a ball came and stuck my head and I fell down instantly. 

When I opened my eyes, I saw my 2-year-old kid hitting my head with his toy bat!

And Yes I opened my eyes to August 12, 2020!

Where are we heading!

Money, Human relations, Ethics, and values, these things been running through my mind all these days. And I believe all these are related to each other. Quite many times I've seen these being an issue of debate, where people are desperate to fight rather speak to prove their word. 

These people, I think are more frantic towards projecting themselves as sages living between worldly people on giving hypothetical statements.

It surprises me if these people are really what they speak and will they ever practice what they preach. Not only in debates are these people seen, but I also find quite "houseful" or "town full" of people around me. 

As I've been looking into the issue for quite a long time, I realized once again more profoundly that "we possess nothing on the death bed and can take nothing with us." I wonder if these are the two stances that people can't understand, unfortunately, in their whole lifetime. And when want to comprehend, are left with nothing. 

The first and foremost thing, money; why people worship money? a billion-dollar question and the ambiguity still rises when asked among billion people, where we get a billion answers. 

I am not too stunned to say that no person would give a convincing answer and I am fair enough to accept that I too may give a bad answer. Here comes the idea behind this article where I want to put the worst fact; what we are doing with our own lives giving the money much more significance ought not to!

I never understand why people choose money over relations. If you have a trillion and no single homo sapien around what exactly would you do with such money, this example may be an empirical one, but see, when you start choosing money over relations( or people) you shall be left only with money. Can anyone in the world defy the statement? 

One thing we need to realize is whatever we do in our life is for our happiness and wealth has nothing to do with happiness. 

As I put these phrases here I can memorize words which are said to have told by Alexander the great, "Bury my body, don't build any monument. Keep my hand outside, so that the world knows, who won the world had nothing in his hand when he died". I request the intelligent people out there not to question the legitimacy of these words, whatever it is the essence has to be grasped.