GL Khajuria
Lord Krishna, besides being a ‘Karamyogi’, was a great philosopher of Hinduism in the epic history of India. A prince of ‘Yadava’ tribe, He was born in prison though, unambiguously the fact goes that, he was a scion of royal race and his upbringing was, ipso facto, amongst the commoners, ‘Sudama’ being his close friend. His childhood mostly remained confined with cowboys and that is why he could feel the troubles felt by commoners to whom, He was most compassionate, apart from passing through ordeal, the common populace used to suffer. The lord, when in prison miraculously escaped from the cruel clutches of ‘King Kansa’, who was hell bent to kill him as it was predicted that Kansa’s death was impending in the hands of the lord.
Mathura, as well known to every Hindu was the birth place of the lord and he performed miraculous deeds and many performances. Lord Krishna trounced the deadly-snake by name ‘Kali’, who was reported to have been polluting the pious waters of river ‘Yamuna’ and as the legend had it that this ‘Kali-snake’ was a human being belonging to ‘Nag family or dynasty’. It was lord Krishna who stopped the worship of lord Indra, when the latter became adamant and arrogant and initiated worshiping ‘Mount Goverdhan’ and it was his spiritual Shakti which protested against the ‘Vile’ practices prevalent in the name of holy ‘Vedas’ and gave the term ‘Yagna’ in the best public welfare. Lord Krishna, after slaying ‘Kansa’ did not made his father the king of Mathura, Instead, Kansa’s father was enthroned to the kingdom. It was his esteem and a typical style that after slaying the tyrant he would install some able -person from the tyrant’s family only. And it was his far- esteemed magnanimity that he never tried to usurp any throne for himself. Lord Krishna was the chief builder of ‘Dwarka’ empire but here too, he never aspired for the throne and had established a republic there. Lord’s Leela (A divine sport) finds a place of uniqueness appropriate mystifying phenomenon which though, of course, becomes muddled and further his Leela in a way exhibits epics of Hinduism. Leelas, by itself literally mean theatrical and when the lord says, no such ‘Leelas’ are meant for self but for spectators and these are purposefully meant to enlighten the people who perceive truthfully and fill men with fascination which though of course is an awe inspiring semblance. Amongst the Pandavas, Arjuna was the only Valiant warrior to receive lord’s messages in the battlefield or Kurukshtera through ‘Shalokos’ of ‘SrimadBhagwad Gita’. Srimad annotates a deep-rooted Sanskrit meaning- very holy and Bhawad Gita signifies or spells a divine call of spirituality carrying message sung by the supreme Lord.
Swami Madusoodanji says about ‘Gita’ as such, “All the Upanishads are the cows and the cow boy who milks them is ‘Lord Krishna” and Arjuna is much fortunate calf who is first to enjoy elixir-like milk. Those who are able to imbibe on the remains of that celestial milk are one’s noble character and with higher echelons of wisdom. Says C. Rajagopalcharia. The Mahabharat has moulded the mind , character and civilization of the people of the world . How did it fulfill-how is it still continuing to fulfill this function by its gospel of Dharma, which like a golden thread runs through all the complex movements in the epic, by its lesson that hatred breeds hatred, that covetousness and violence leads inevitably to ruin, that the only real conquest is in the battle against the evil. Indeed, the ‘Mahabharata’ has another name known among scholars Jaya which means victory, conveying the moral herein indicated. Jaya is the name by which the work is referred to, in the first invocatory verse of the epic. And if a foreigner reads this book’s translation and eptiomes though it and closes it with a feeling that he has read a good and elevating work, he may be confident that he has grasped the spirit of India and can understand her people high and low, rich and poor. The Bhagwad Gita was written by ‘VedVayas’, a prominent saint who heard the divine message verbatim, the message that lord Krishana gave to Arjuna to redeem him from material infatuation. It was ‘VedVayas’ a poet of immensive possessiveness who heard the entire message of divine lord and summed it up in the form of poetic verses which runs into thousands and thousands and now stands translated in almost every well known language of the world. It is being recited with utmost reverence by unaccountable devotees world over echoing “Hare Krishna”, “Hare Rama” everyday and has inculcated a mark of excellence globally, preferably amongst Hindu’s thoughts and imagination splurgely in the most magnanimous magnitude like the incessant tides which arise out of vast oceans and thence recede in the coastal tides rhythmically.
And this ideal of perfection preached by the revered ‘Bhagwad Gita’ of ancient as well as modern India runs into colorful and classical literature and dominates our souls and mind in its entirety. Amongst the greatest teachings of ‘Bhagwat Gita’, the most prominent being, “The soul is immortal, it is the body alone that dies. A man must do his duty and forget about rewards or results and he should always and always trust in God. On this day of “Janamashtmi all temples are well decorated and prayers are being held in the name of “Lord Krishna” till midnight and the lord is being swung in ‘Jhullas’ and even prior to this pious day. “Shobha Yatra” accompanied by “Jhankies” are being taken out throughout the villages, towns and cities, pay obeisance to ‘Lord Krishna’ for showering blessing over this bio-sustaining spaceship, the ‘Mother Earth’.
Let noble thoughts come to us from every side (Rigveda) and truth is the greatest strength (Mahabharata), every endeavor is covered with some sort of fault, just as fire is covered by smoke, therefore, one should not give up the work which is born of nature, even if such work is full of faults (B. Gita).
(The author is former Dy Conservator of Forest, J&K).