Live like Krishna

Live like Krishna rather than like Sri Rama has become a common saying in modern times. The greatest example of this adage can very well be Mahatma Gandhi, a man of principles who had to resort to a number of strategies in order to attain his goal of freedom. His dealings with the British earned him the sobriquet of the wily Mahatma.

Bhagvan Krishna, the hero of Mahabharatha, had to don many roles according to time and place to perform his tasks as friend, protector, go between, and finally in his Divine Revelation as the supreme God, in the eleventh chapter of the Gita to Arjuna.

Krishna comes across as a master strategist who for the triumph of good over evil, just over the unjust had to resort to plans and stratagems. His famous ruse on the battlefield, Ashwathama is dead adding after a pause, the elephant, has been questioned. But the strategy was necessary to disable the invincible Drona to bring the war to a close.

Again, in the fight between Bheema and King Jarasandha, Krishna, from the sidelines, had to outline a strategy for Bheema to kill Jarasandha, by splitting a straw and throwing the two pieces in opposite directions. Jarasandha, who was born with the boon of springing back to life even as he was felled to the ground, was finally torn limb from limb by Bhima and the body parts thrown in opposite directions.

In the case of ordinary mortals, there are people, who in the name of principles, torture not only themselves, but those around them. Parents, teachers, who lay down rules and draw lines, can leave harmful effects on children in the long run and turn them into rebels instead of obedient youngsters.

Rama, the embodiment of perfection, was an ideal king who pleased his subjects and won their loyalty. But in his lofty adherence to principles, he inflicted untold suffering on Sita. But Krishna, Arjuna’s friend, was more human and pliable in his personality. To human dilemmas, Krishna points to the path of Bhakti or the love for God. The Bhagavatha, which Vyasa wrote in a calm frame of mind, speaks of the mutual love between man and God and the efficacy of the Bhakthi Marga in achieving bliss.