Sri Krishna
Sri Krishna is perhaps the most popular deity of the Hindu pantheon. For many years I thought of him as a generally mellow, benevolent sort, since most of the stories we hear about him, for one reason or another, are cherry-picked to show this side of him.
Interested in learning more, I read through some of the source texts
and was fascinated by the complicated, strategic, deep, multi-faceted and often
aggressive Krishna that I found. The books I read and reference below are Srimad
Bhagavtam, 9th Edition, by Kamala Subramaniam, which gives
the life story of Krishna and other avatars, and Mahabharata, 33rd
Edition, by C. Rajagopalachari, the Indian epic about the battle of
Kurukshetra.
Whether or not you are of the faith, I believe that
his life was action-packed, fascinating, and rich with practical lessons which, though imparted in ancient times, are as relevant
today as they were then, because human nature hasn’t changed much. I humbly share a few of them
with you below, with awareness of my limited intellect, as an offering at the
lotus feet of Sri Krishna.
1. Pride is Overrated
“The Lord was silent and even as they were looking on, his divine form
was lost and he became an ordinary child in their eyes.”- Bhagavatam, p.377, Ch.
150
Sri Krishna hid his celestial form during his time as an avatar on
earth, in this case from his parents, occasionally revealing himself
temporarily to bring an epiphany to a person or persons who needed it. As my
best and oldest friend Shashi Kapadia once counseled me some years back, pride
is overrated. At the time, I was a recent graduate in the midst of a deep
economic recession, and was debating as to whether or not I would be
pigeonholed into a lower level of work indefinitely if I only took the
opportunities that were readily available. Sometimes in life, although one
might know that they are smarter, stronger, or generally more capable than the
station they are relegated to, it can be useful to maintain a low profile and
do what is needed in the moment, that you may increase your gains in the
future. Everyone has to start somewhere, and part of Sri Krishna’s play of
life, often shorthanded as his “lila”,
was to show what one could achieve although bound by humanity and mortality.
2. Maintain a Sense of Playfulness
“If I keep it beyond his reach,” said another gopi, “he tries another
trick. He sees the butter pot hanging from the roof. It is placed in a
receptacle made up of rope. Krishna first places the tripod I use for churning
the butter… He gets up on the back of [his friend] and makes a hole in the pot
of milk, curds or butter. If I come there and find him out I shout, ‘Krishna, I
have caught you today. You are stealing from my house!’ He is undaunted. He
makes faces at me at me and says: ‘I am the owner of this house and you are the
thief.’” – Bhagavatam, p.395, Ch. 157
Sri Krishna stole pots of butter as a child. As a teenage cowboy, he
was fond of hiding the clothes of the gopis, or female cowherds, when they took
baths in the river. As an adult leader on the battlefield, he would constantly
rib his fellow warriors, even amidst the bloodiest episodes of warfare. In order
to get the best results, especially in group situations, it is important to remember
to keep it light once in a while, as too much tension can close one off to the
lucid thinking needed to drive solutions, and a closed fist can shake no man’s
hand. Good leaders are typically good at creating and sustaining positive
morale.
3. Nothing Wrong with a Little Trash Talk
“Jarasandha saw Krishna for the first time. He came near and said: ‘So
you are Krishna! You are the lowest of the low, killer as you are of your own
uncle[i].
I do not like to fight with a sinner like you. It is beneath my dignity. I am
ashamed to fight with a coward like you. Go back into the city.’
Krishna interrupted him and said, “You are a king and you should know
by now, that real heroes do not brag about their prowess but show it in action.
You are, however, forgiven because you are fast approaching your end and a
dying man is apt to talk in a disjointed manner.’” – Bhagavatam, p. 541, Ch. 212
Nothing much to say here; the man had a flair for showmanship and wasn’t
above a little trash talk.
4. Business Before Pleasure
“Trivakra was no longer Trivakra. She stood straight as a young tree,
her limbs and her figure in perfect proportion. She was a very beautiful woman…
With brimming eyes she fell at his feet and he raised her and asked her, ‘Is
there anything else you want me to do?’, and his eyes smiled into hers as he
said it. She blushed and, twisting the end of her upper cloth, and with her
eyes downcast, she spoke to him with halting words; smiles lit her face and
eyes as she said, ‘You know that I want nothing else except you. Come to my
house which is nearby. Take pity on me and make me yours.’… Krishna laughed
with glee and said, ‘My dear woman, you are very beautiful and I will certainly
give you what you are asking for. But then, you have to wait. I have a task to
perform and I can do nothing until that major task is accomplished. Wait for me
until then.” – Bhagavatam, p. 508, Ch. 202
So many of my fellow gents squander virtually all of their time,
money, and energy chasing relations up and down the town. In fact, some who know me
might contend that even I have been guilty of as much in my younger days. Sri Krishna
teaches us that, just as Lord Shiva symbolizes by meditating on a tiger pelt, we
should always be the master of our more primal desires, that we might
prioritize and accomplish our longer term and worthwhile objectives.
5. By Any Means Necessary
“It is well that you too remember that there are things like fair play
and chivalry! Now that you are in difficulty, you remember them indeed, but
when you and Duryodhana… dragged Draupadi to the Hall of Assembly and insulted
her, how was it you forgot them utterly? … When a mob of you surrounded the
young Abhimanyu and shamelessly slew him, was that chivalry? Wicked man, do not
talk now of chivalry and fair play, for you have never honored them!” – Mahabharata, p. 286, Ch. XCI
On both sides of the Kurukshetra war, conventional codes of war
conduct, most of which seem silly in modern times (i.e., don’t attack someone
while they are fixing their chariot), were broken. Krishna continually
spurred his fellow warriors to resort to underhanded methods as well in order
to win, including sending a female warrior (Shikhandi) to help kill someone who
would not fight back (Bhisma), and sending an opposing general fake news that
his son had died (to Drona regarding Ashwatthama). His compatriots, strong
fighters though they may have been, were willing to cling to their codes even
at the cost of losing the war and their lives to enemies who were willing to
throw the book of ethics out of the window. Krishna, as some with remote
knowledge of him as a religious figure may assume, was not a wilting flower who
was always kind to everyone. He was a very practical avatar, and through the
course of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavatam, we see him seamlessly navigating
through an arsenal of skills including brute strength, trickery, deceit, charm,
and influence to achieve success. Sri Krishna teaches us that, as one sets
about a lofty course of action, they should be willing to do what is required
to see it through to the end. The man was a real boss, and I encourage everyone
to read His story, for entertainment, for education, and for inspiration. Jai
Sri Krishna.
Image credit: radhe.sukoon on Instagram
[i]
Krishna’ uncle, the king Kamsa, tried on multiple occasions to kill him as a baby
after receiving a prophecy as such. Once grown, Krishna went to Kamsa’s court
in Mathura, north central India, and slayed him.
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