JANMASHTAMI

Janmashtami is the sacred day dedicated to Lord Krishna,who,as per Hindu mythology,is believed to be the eighth incarnation of God Vishnu.

Lord Krishna was born in Mathura.His tyrant uncle,Kamsa,imprisoned His father along with his cruel minister,Chanura.So long as two men were in charge of Mathura there was confusion and chaos all around.Krishna destroyed the tyrents and restored peace and order in that land.

When Krishna was born in the hidden prison ,He was delivered to Yasoda.When He had grown up sufficiently He went to Dwaraka,where He established order.Then He went to Hastinapura.In the battle of Kurushetra He gave out His wisdom and through Arjuna to society at large the doctrine of the Bhagwat Geetha.

Every aspect of action during this eighth incarnation of God Vishnu in the form of Lord Krishna and His deeds are filled with deep mystical symbolism indicating the higher truth.An attempt has been made in this article to analyse some of them in order to set a direction for a deeper study and discovery of the deep significance behind a few of the subtle suggestions.

In Sanskrit,the word, Krishna,means Dark.indicating the supreme consciousness .Pure consciousness is said to be dark,not as opposed to light,but in the sense that it is unseen or unknown to one as long as one remains rooted in earthly experience,which are limited to the realms of perceptions,emotions and thoughts gained through the physical body and intellect.

The Incarnate of Krishna represents the descent of the Infinite Brahman to the material world.The Lord is described as being blue in colour and donning yellow clothes.The colour Blue is associated with the colour of the Infinite as whatever is immeasurable appears to the mortal eyes only as blue like the clear midday sky or the deep ocean appearing blue to human perception.Like wise the colour Yellow represents the Earth.Anything buried in the earth gathers an yellowish hue and when introduced into a colourless flame the mud in the earth glows with an yellowish tinge.Hence the blue form of Krishna clothed in yellow appropriately suggests pure infinite consciousness coming down to earth to play in His finite form.

The Infinite all pervading Truth donning the finite form of a human being may give one an impression that the truth is fettered and limited.This idea of illimitable truth seeming to be limited is well brought out by the fact that Krishna,as said earlier,was born in a prison.Though the Infinite Being seems to be limited and confined to a human embodiment,it is ever free and uncontaminated.The pure SELF within is never affected or bound by one's body,mind and intellect.This is well brought out in Krishna's birth,wherein one may observe that although the Divine Child was born in a prison ,neither the Iron bars nor the prison rods could confine Him.Likewise when one conquers the two evil forces that imprison man viz Ego and Egocentric desires by higher nature,the original glory and splendour of the pure Self gets restored.

Today a young man is not satisfied with mere theories.He demands a rational reply.The Bible cannot be questioned.To question it becomes blasphemy.The West cannot understand the Logic and so the West is unhappy.earlier they thought material advancement would give them happiness.Today this thought is also breaking down.Wealth is plenty but alas peace is scarce.Achivement is visible but the expected joy is still deluding the Western World.

Western Thought is ransacked by all these contradictions.A French Philosopher expressed his realisation that behind all these struggles there is as an Infinite reality that appears incomprehensible.The Intellect is unable to understand and bring it to scientific apprehension.The Intellect cannot reach there because there is a dark screen between the Man and the Infinite making the man feel helpless.

The west could not penetrate this darkness because the mind,body and intellect,being finite and limited are unable to penetrate the same.That darkness is this night of Krishna's birth.When every one is sleeping in the prison of his ego,when the sense organs are all asleep.the mysterious light shines forth during meditation and in that darkness the Divine Child Krishna ia born.

Krishna is thus described as the Infinite Omnipresent,Omnipotent and Omniscient reality.Yet His mother Yasoda saw only her child in Him.On one occasion the little boy,Krishna,was suspected of having eaten mud.The mother chided Him but the boy denied of having eaten mud.Krishna was telling only the truth for the earth is included in His Universal Form,He being the whole.

How can the whole being eat its own part?The eater and the eaten cannot be one and the same.The Lord tried to explain this to His mother but the mother could not measure the magnitude and stature of His infinite being in her own child.Upon her insistence the boy opened His tiny mouth and revealed to her utter amazement the entire universe within.

Lord Krishna plays the flute producing enchanting music.The flute by itself cannot create music.It is an inert piece of matter.But when the Lord plays it divine music emanates from it and enchants everyone.Likewise the human body by itself is inert.but when the mind contrls the senses the Divine Consciousness expresses itself thro' the same inert body.

In the Rasa Leela (Divine Sport)Lord Krishna is found in the midst of the dancing maids of Brindavan.Much criticism has been levelled by many towards this part of Krishna's life.This is borne out of ignorance.Little do these critics realise that the Lord remains unaffected in this whole process.Krishna is like the consciousness within,the pure Self.which vitalises one's thoughts but remains unaffected by them.This part of Krishna's life drives home the ultimate truth that the Self is ever immaculate and uncontaminated by the thoughts that run in one's bosom in spite of the Self taking part in the whole thought process.

Likewise the dancing maids ,while carrying out their obligatory duties throughout the day were constantly attuned mentally to the Lord.This brings out the essence of Karma Yoga,which is to dedicateoneself to a higher alter and work without ego and egocentric desires.

One can thus see in this episode of the life of Lord Krishna that ignorence of its mystical symbolism can lead to wrong and at time absurd conclusions.

The life of Krishna is not complete without a mention of Mahabharata war.The virtues of Hindu culture are brought out in the story of this great battle.Krishna did not take up any weaponand only guided the fight in order to destroy evil and establish Dharma.In the midst of the battle field He preached to Arjuna the immortal Bhagwat Geeyha considered the quintessence of all shastras.It explores the three paths to salvation viz Karma Yoga,Gyana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.Is is considered sacred by all Hindus and if understood and practiced ,it can lead man to the ultimate bliss in life.To comman mortals like us,the lord sums up His Gospel in Bhagwad Geetha
by thus saying--"The mind that constantly contemplates the sense objects irrestably comes to revel in their finite joys whereas the mind that learns to constantly remember ME comes to dissolve into ME and becomes a part of ME."

To conclude,Janmashtami,the birth of Lore Krishna is a wonderful day.On this day the Sun dawns in the bosom of all those,who turn inward in meditation.In that silence of the heart, in spite of outside turmoils and disturbances,if one were to remain sufficiently long ,one is sure to experience in that long earned traquility, the realisation of the indestructible Self,in the form of the birth of Krishna,the light.This trans state cannot be described in mere words.It is something that needs to be experienced.

References---- 1)Symbolism in Hinduism.---Chinmaya Mission publication.
2)Vedanta Sagar------------Ramakrishna Mission Publication.

Compiled by BAIYU Mumbai August 1994.