Lord Krishna

Lord Krishna

Lord Krishna is one of the most popular deities in the Hindu religion. He exhibits a wide range of attributes that its devotees find it difficult to understand. While the story of the god has been told to many generations of Hindu adherents, Shri Krishna remains one of the most mysterious and enigmatic deities in the Hindu religion. Many people take long to understand the actual nature of the deity. This is the case even to the devotees. Indeed, most children start to understand the attributes of Krishna only when they get older. It is also widely observed that most of the characteristics accorded to this deity do not help in distinguishing him from the rest of the gods in the Hindu religion. This fact, among others, points to a significantly enigmatic deity.

Shri Krishna is considered the supreme being. This attribution is hard to understand since Krishna is not the most powerful deity. Indeed, he is regarded as the eighth avatar of god Vishnu. God Vishnu, from whom Krishna is said to have descended is revered as the supreme being. He is also considered a supreme god in his own right. This is mysterious since, in most religions, the title of the supreme being is normally preserved to the most powerful deity. However, the fact that Krishna is a descendant of other deities implies that he cannot be the most powerful of all.

Krishna has a complicated history. First, the period during which he lived on the earth has been widely contested. In this case, scholars have presented different opinions on the subject. However, the period ranging from 3200 to 3100 BC seems to be the most widely accepted period during which Krishna is said to have lived on earth. He is said to have been born on the eighth day of the Hindu month of Shravan. His birthday is referred to as Janmashtami. This day is a special occasion in the Hindu religion. It is celebrated across the world by the adherent to this religion. His birth is mysterious even to Hindu adherents in the sense that it is not associated with the excitement expected.

While his birth does not generate expected excitement, he is considered to have carried out various deeds as a child that point to his supernatural powers. For example, as a baby, Krishna is said to have killed a lady demon named Putna through sucking on her breast. This incident is said to have occurred when Krishna was just six days old. Besides, Krishna is said to have killed many other mighty demons during his childhood. Some of such demons include the following: Keshi, Pralambasur, Trunavarta, and Bakasrr, among others. Other than killing demons, various other mysterious deeds and attributed to Krishna.  For example, using his cosmic dances and music played from his flute, he is reported to have made women looking after cows happy in Gokul, a cow village where he is reported to have stayed for some time during his childhood. Krishna is also believed to have lifted the Govardhana hill using his little finger. As a deity, the deeds highlighted above are expected of Krishna just like they are expected of any other god. However, some other acts attributed to the deity are controversial. For example, Krishna is reported to have exhibited delinquency as a child. For instance, he is reported to have been mischievous. In this case, he engaged in acts such as stealing, gossips, and playing pranks with girlfriends. These acts are not expected of a deity regardless of the stage of life at which they are performed. It conflicts with how Christians present Jesus, one of the deities revered in the religion.

Other acts of heroism accorded to Krishna are believed to have been performed in the subsequent stages of his life. For example, he is believed to have rescued the clan of the Yadava chiefs following their ousting from the throne by King Jarasandha (Harper, 2009).  Krishna is believed to have accomplished this by a capital called Dwarka on an island in the sea. The city proved challenging to penetrate by the army of King Jarasandha (Mittal, 2006). Legends also have it that the city had many gates. Other legends also have it that Krishna once saved his kingdom from conquest by Pragjyotisapura whos king was considered a demon. Krishna is also believed to have freed about 16,000 princesses who were in captivity and married them on account that they had nowhere to go (Swami, 1975). This act presents anther controversy in the life of Krishna.

Another heroic act believed to have been performed by Krishna toom place during the battle between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Krishna is said to have fought alongside the Pandavas. It is during this war that Krishna is said to have issued one of his famous pieces of advice in which he described the theory of action without attachment, referred to as Nishkam Karma. Krishna is believed to have spent his last days on earth in Dwarka. He is believed to have dedicated his last days towards teaching his friends and disciples. Krishna is believed to have lived for more than 100 years on earth before dying from an injury sustained after being shot at by Jara, a hunter (Bryant, 2007).

Based on the history of Krishna as provided by various legends as highlighted above, he remains one of the most enigmatic deities in the Hindu religion.  The legends offer insights into his nature. For example, Krishna is believed to be loving. Indeed, he is believed to love his devotees so much that he wants them to return to him. Krishna is also believed to have feelings just like humans. In other words, he becomes happy whenever his devotees commit acts that are pleasing to him. For example, he feels happy whenever people offer prayers to him.  This nature is exemplified in verse 9.4.68 of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Krishna is also believed to be independent. He is considered to be all-knowing. However, it is believed that humans cannot completely understand him. Perhaps this explains why he remains enigmatic.

Krishna’s mysterious nature is exemplified in various ways. For example, it remains a mystery whether Krishna is a human being or a god incarnation. In this case, while some of his deeds seem to show that he possesses powers only accorded to a supernatural being, some attributes granted to him are attributed to humans. For example, his mischievous characteristics during his childhood do not reflect the values expected of the Hindu religion. In other words, it is hard to understand how a deity could exhibit such qualities. One may argue that his childhood during his life on earth may have been planned that way so that he could fully take the form of a human being. His miraculous acts, on the other hand, reflect the supernatural nature expected of a deity.

The teachings of Krishna informs various beliefs and values of the Hindu adherents in various ways. His teachings are contained in various Hindu literature such as Srimad-Bhagavatam. Another literature containing many of his teachings is the Bhagavad-gita, which contains many philosophical topics. This piece of literature focuses on five main areas: nature of the finite souls, the position of god (the finite soul), laws of material creation, time and duration of existence, and activities (Nimbalkar, 2012). One of the main teachings of Krishna is that god constitutes the true purpose of life (Nimbalkar, 2012). In this case, he points out that while people tend to be consumed in the quest for material possession, this does not constitute the purpose of life. Krishna is also believed to hold the philosophy that desires are not permanent. Rather, they come and go. This, however, does not mean that people should act. Krishna also believes in the idea of salvation. In this case, he points out that salvation is achieved through devotion to the supreme. In this case, encourages people to have the supreme in mind in all they do.

Krishna’s teachings also identify four kinds of actions that humans can perform. They include the following: actions intended for selfish gains (Kamya Karma), actions that have to be conducted every day (Nitya-Karma), actions forbidden by holy scriptures (Nishiddha Karma), and actions performed on special occasions (Naimittika Karma) (Saraswati, 2002). The categorization of these actions is significant since it helps identify actions that are recommended by Krishna.

In conclusion, Krishna remains one of the most enigmatic Hindu deities. The mystery surrounding the nature of Krishna is mainly exemplified by the difficulty in understanding whether he is god or human. In this case, while some of his qualities reflect the nature of supernatural benevolent being, others do not. Indeed, it is acknowledged in Hindu literature that understanding Krishna is beyond human capability.