Lord Krishna the evergreen deity has been the most enigmatic charisma of our ancient mythology. So much has been written about the Lord in last hundreds of years that many a times one wonders that in spite of loads of research carried out, why is it so that still nobody has understood him fully? Isn’t it surprising? What is it that makes him so mysterious? Some sects of religion believe that ‘Krishna’ was an incarnation of God himself whereas some believe that he was God himself but, in view of the legendary stories prevalent today about him, followers of other religions are not prepared to concede this. In short, while some emphatically assert his having been a complete incarnation of God, others, equally emphatically deny it, keeping in view of his deeds and conduct as narrated in ancient literature.
There is no doubt in it that, believers in God truly feel that Krishna is the ocean of knowledge, peace, bliss, and love as also he is supremely pure and benevolent. They also believe that these attributes of his are not mutually contradictory. For instance, if God makes use of his power, that user should not be for a violent act, otherwise, it will be contradictory to his being absolutely peaceful and loveful. Thus, keeping in view of the prevailing accounts of war and violence attributed to Lord Krishna, believers in the creed of non-violence, find it hard to reconcile them with their belief in God as an absolutely nonviolent entity.
Similarly, the amorous love tales described by some people, though not actually devoid of glimpses of love, run counter to the concept of purity in love. Hence, in view of mutual contradictions in the attributes of God, some people refuse to accept lord Krishna as God or his incarnation, while others believe in him as such on the basis of those very accounts. But the devotees who adore Shri Krishna as their God, while agreeing that he is one of God’s incarnations, will of course add that he was God Himself.
It has been observed that over the years, the meaning and exposition of the accounts from Lord Krishna’s life seem to have vastly changed in the process of time. For instance, the account of Shri Krishna stealing away Gopis’ clothes are interpreted today in its gross, literal sense, whereas it carries a spiritual meaning intended to be conveyed, viz. that God got his devotees and worshippers divested of their gross body consciousness...(To be continued)
(Look out for the second part on Aug 30, Monday)
(The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal and UK. You can write to him at nikunjji@gmail.com)
