Gopala: Gopala - Many Things To Many People  

By Parmarthi Raina  

Gopala: Gopala - Many Things To Many People  

This day, over 5,000 years ago, Krishna appeared on Earth as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. Because of his human form and behaviour, not many knew He was God incarnate.

But while rendering advice to Arjuna at Kurukshetra, Krishna unabashedly reveals - in the Bhagavad Gita - that he is infinite, his vibhutis or divine manifestations and opulences being unlimited. No one, not even the gods, can know him completely. Krishna then proceeds to impart what he calls the most sovereign knowledge and profound mystery, contemplating on which alone one can attain moksha or liberation.

Krishna said: "Everything that one can see or know emanates from me. I am...the generating seed of all existence; the source of both the mundane and spiritual wor-lds. All this world is pervaded by me... I am its creator, maintainer and destroyer... I am antaryami, residing in the heart of every jiva. I am the goal, support, Lord, abode, refuge, and friend of all. I am immortality and death, being and non-being. No entity, either moving or non-moving, can exist separately from Me...

"I am the syllable Om. I am Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma. As the substratum of the material universe, I support it; as the presiding authority, I preside over it, and as the controller, I control it; being all-pervasive, I pervade it and as the creator, I am its cause. My vibhutis are endless; what I have described to you is a mere indication of them. And yet, although everything emanates from me, I remain the same, unchanged and transcendental."

There is also the other Krishna, who, out of love for his devotees , welcomes their communion with Him in a relationship of their choice. Devotees endear themselves to Krishna in bhavas or relationships of dasya or servitor, sakha or friend, vatsalya or parent and madhurya or lover. In Vrajamandala, Lord Krishna ceases to be the awesome, full-of-vibhutis God; he identifies with the inhabitants of Vraja in several close human relationships.

To Vrajavasis, Krishna is the most attractive and adorable young lad , captivating anyone who comes in contact with Him. To Yashoda, he is her naughty but loving son and to Nanda Maharaj, he is the obedient son who tends his cows. To his cowherd friends he is a playmate and to Balarama, he is the perfect, respectful, younger brother. To Arjuna, he is the ideal guru and also his loyal charioteer, who ensures him victory in the Mahabharata war; and to his attendant and companion Udhava, he is friend and spiritual guide.

To the gopis of Vrindavana, Krishna is their intimate lover; and to Radharani, he is her paramour. The gopis are in love with Krishna and unashamedly want him as their husband or lover, without inhibitions or care for the consequen- ces of such defiant social indiscretions. When Krishna plays the flute, the young gopis cease all activity they are engaged in - including caring for their husbands and children, and run madly toward the hypnotic sound of Krishna's flute. To allay suspicions, Krishna creates duplicate gopis in their respective homes so that mothers-in-law, husbands and children believe everything is normal.

When, as a practical joke, Lord Brahma kidnaps the cowherd boys and calves, Krishna assumes the forms of the boys and calves so that no one finds them missing. And when the 'lost' boys and calves finally go home, mothers find themselves brimming with extra love, unaware that it is because they are, in fact, Krishna himself. During His rasa-lilas in Vrindavana, Krishna multiplies himself into many Krishnas to make each gopi feel that he is exclusively hers. In Dwarka, Krishna makes each of His 16,000 wives believe that he is her husband alone. This is the real Krishna, embodiment of love and compassion for whosoever relates with Him.

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See also: Gopala, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)