Shree Krishna (August 1976)

On the 17th day of this month, we will be celebrating "Janmashtami" (the birth day of Lord Krishna). The life story of Lord Krishna has been narrated at length by Shri Vyas in his famous book "Bhagawat". this life of Lord Krishna is full of interesting and thrilling events. The life sketch of Lord Krishna is very imposing, it has impressed and inspired so many poets, that a number of them have composed volumes on that life in Marathi. A Large number of the verses composed in old Marathi literature relate to the life of Lord Krishna

It appears that Bhagwan Vyas used to be in love with certain number while composing a particular book. For example the number eighteen appears to be his favourite, when he was composing Mahabharata. In this epic, we are constantly confronted by this number. There are eighteen chapters in Mahabharat. The war that was fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas lasted for eighteen days. The sum total of the armies of the Kauravas and Pandavas was eighteen Akshowhinies (something like the modern brigade). The Bhagawadgeeta which is a part of the Mahabharata also has eighteen cantoes Similarly the number eight appears to be a favourite number of the Bhagawat Purana. We are assuming that there are in all ten incarnations of god Vishnu. Out of these incarnations the Krishnawater was the eighth. It may be because of this that the number eight, might have been welded with the Bhagawat The birth of Lord Krishna has been graphically described in the Bhagawat in the eighth Canto. Lord Krishna was the eighth child of his father and mother viz. Vasudeo and Devaki. He was born on the eighth . day of the dark half of the month of Shrawan. It is also further described in the Bhagawat, that immediately, after the birth of Lord Krishana, he appeared to be like a child of eight years. He thereafter assured his parents that they would very soon be out of the prison and again took the form of a child and grew like an ordinary child in the traditional way.

The object of the incarnation of god was explained by Lord Krishna himself in the Bhagawadgeeta as follows _:

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The destruction of the wicked and the re-establishment of the religion on sound footing are the twofold objects of the life of Lord Krishna. From his early life, Lord Krishna had to accomplish this job of exterminating the wicked. A number of pe/sons were sent by Kaunsa, the maternal uncle of Krishna, to kill him, but right from Pootana to Chanoor, Kaliya and Kaunsa himself, all were killed by Krishna and the people were relieved from oppression. In the later life, Shishupal and the Kauravas were his main antagonists; but from time to time other oppressors like Jarasandh and Kichaka were also defeated by him, through the Pandavas.

The second duty of the Lord was to re-establish the religion on sound footing. This was achieved by Shree Krishna in two ways. Wherever he killed the wicked kings, he crowned in their place god-fearing and religious minded persons, who would honour religion and righteous persons. Thus he tried to perpetuate the religion in one way. The second way was by explaining what is religion. If we really consider the circumstances under which the Bhagawadgeeta was narrated to Arjuna, we may at once jump to the conclusion that those seven hundred shlokas could not have been told on the field of battle, in the midst of all the hubub. The warrior Arjuna is a mere means to explain the sound principles of religion. Lord Krishna has used Arjuna as a spring board in order to explain to the world the main teachings of the Vedas and Upanishads. It has therefore been rightly said about the Bhagawadgeeta that.

Lord Krishna is a (cowherd). A simily that has been used in connection with him is therefore quite befitting that, "He has milked all the cows in the form of the Upanishads". Apart from the appropriate simily used here, we have to admit that the teachings and principles laid down in the Upanishads have been explained in very simple language in the Bhagawadgeeta. The principles of Dharma and righteous life have thus been brought within the reach of the common man. By helping the common man in this fashion the lord has tried to establish the religion on its sound -foot ing. The twofold objects of the incarnation have thus been fulfilled by Lord Krishna in his life.

Apart from the work accomplished by Shree Krishna as an incarnation of god, which is a question of belief, we may view his life from the eye of a common man. In this respect also we will see that the behaviour of Shree Krisbna was quite ideal in all walks of life. Shree Krishna was born in the cowherd community. In his childhood he is depicted as leading the cowherds, playing among them, guiding them and at times tarrying over their difficulties. The incidents about the lifting of the Gowardhan mountain and the killing of Kaliya may be cited as examples. The rain-god started pouring rain over Gokul to such an extent that all the residents of the village thought that they would be washed away in the deluge. Shree Krishna, as a young lad, came to their help and lifted the mountain Gowardhan on his one finger and asked all the villagers to take shelter under it. He thus saved the city from the deluge of the rain; but one thing should be remembered here. While lifting and supporting the Gowardhan on his one finger, Shree Krishna told all the villagers to lift up their sticks and support the mountain. Really speaking Shree Krishna was quite capable of supporting the mountain, on his single finger because of his supernatural powers, but he did not want the cowherds to have a feeling of dependency on him. He therefore made them believe that the moutain was held by their support also in addition to the finger of Shree Krishna himself.

Kaliya was a big serpent, who stayed in the Yamuna river and poisoned its water. The cattle and the people who drank the water of the Yamuna, at once died because of the poison. For the people in the vicinity of the Yamuna river, there was no other source of water except the water of the Yamuna river. Even after being told to leave the Yamuna river and go elsewhere, Kalia would not move. In order therefore to remove the menace, Lord Krishna jumped into the Yamuna river and killed Kalia. It was in this way that Lord Krishna often came to the help of the people staying in Vrindawan and relieved them of their difficulties.

Two places are being considered very sacred because of the stay of Lord Krishna at those places. Mathura and Vridawan are associated with the early life of Shree Krishna. The dust in these places is considered quite sacred because it had the good fortune of having the contact of the lotus feet of the Lord. A number of incidents in the boyhood of Shree Krishna are connected with the various places in these two villages. Today these places have become a centre of the temples of Lord Krishna in different moods.

Dwarka in the Saurashtra on the west coast of India, is another sacred place associated with the life of Lord Krishna. From his youth to the end of his life, Shree Krishna stayed in this town. The temple of Lord Krishna at this place attracts a large number of pilgrims every year. Shri Krishna is also known as Dakornath in Gujrat. Both in Gujrat and in Northern India, there are inumerable devotees of Lord Krishna. There are a number of saints, who have also dedicated their whole life for the spread of devotion to Lord Krishna. When we are considering the devotion to Shree Krishna, we cannot but help mentioning the name of Saint Mirabai, who was simply mad with the devotion to Shree Krishna. Saint Mirabai dedicated her whole life to tbe devotion of Lord Krishna. She could not think of any thing else except her favourite god. Lord Krishna. When her relatives could not cure her of this malady of devotion to Lord Krishna, they offered her a cup of poison and the story goes that the Lord saved her even from that poison as it did not have any effect on her. Saint Mirabai has composed a number of Bhajans in praise of Lord Krishna and they are sung with great reverence and devotion all over the country.

Like other ordinary students, Shri Krishna also had gone in his boyhood to the Ashram of his guru Sandipani, by name and spent his days in helping the wife of his guru and going to the forest for procuring firewood. It is only here that he made friendship with a very poor man, named Sudama, who was favoured later on by Shree Krishna with ample weaJth, which relieved him of his poverty for the rest of his life.

Another important personage that is connected with the life of Shree Krishna, is the wife of the Pandavas viz. Draupadi. This lady had no direct blood relation with Shree Krishna; but she was his adopted sister. She too loved him like her own brother. In the Mahabharata, we see several instances where this brother ran to the help of his sister Draupadi and saved her from calamity. The brother sisterly relation between Lord Krishna and Draupadi is unique in this worldly life and we hardly come across such unselfish love between brothers and sisters in this selfish world.

Because of this traditional caricature of Lord Krishna, he is a very popular god among the masses of India, His birth is celebrated every year on the eighth day of the dark half or the month of Shravan and the 'Kala' is celerated on the morning of the next day. This festival is very popular all over the country. Knowing the importance of the life of Lord Krishna and his teachings and taking into account his popularity among the masses, Shri Sai Baba must have started the celebration of this festival at Shirdi in order to groove the people in the devotion to god. Shri Sai Baba always used to take keen interest in the birthday celebrations of Lord Krishna and the "Dahi Handi" on the next day. The Sai devotees should therefore celebrate the birthday of this eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and understand the spirit with which Shri Sai Baba started its celebration.