Krishna: The Loveable Hero-God - Krishna

By PRANAV KHULLAR

Krishna - The Loveable Hero-God

The Ekashloki Bhagavatam encapsulates his entire life in one stanza, the Krishna-shtakam attempts to define him in eight couplets, the Madhurashtakam describes him as the Emperor of Sweetness, the Gita Govinda immortalises his love, Vyasa's Srimad Bhagavatam details his glories.

Iconised as a hero-god, Krishna has charmed poets, philosophers and devotees for the last 3,500 years.

Krishna's exploits at the tender age of 12 in Vrindavan are described in detail by saint-poets, his Maharaas has inspired many a lyrical composition, his political acumen in guiding the Pandavas in the Mahabharata war is quoted even today as a classic example of the great diplomatic skills required for governance. He is Solah Kala Sampurna , as he is believed to have been perfect in all the 16 arts known to man.

The teleological view states that he is the eighth avatara of Vishnu and his birth was preordained to reveal to humanity that life is nothing more than play or leela . The Mahabharata war was just a means to that end. The poetic view sees Krishna as an epic hero, courageous, wise and enchanting. The story of his evolution from a prodigious child to a fully evolved Perfect Being, makes for riveting reading. Vyasa refers to Krishna as Dwaipayana or Ôdark child born on an island'.

The Bhakti poets eulogise Krishna's boyhood exploits as Yashoda's beloved child, Balakrishna. Devotee-composers feel Krishna is their own son, and each suffuses the Vraja-spirit into their compositions which transport one to the magical world of Krishna Leela. The saint-poets like to highlight the madhurya aspect of his personality, as they see in it a metaphor for the union of the individual with the cosmic, the prakriti principle merging with the purusha .

Mira, the renowned saint-poet of Rajasthan, responded to Swami Haridas's refusal to meet her on grounds that she was a woman: "I am not aware that there is any other Purusha besides Krishna". An overwhelmed Haridas later confessed that that was a defining moment in his life.

Philosophers celebrate the contemplative aspect of Krishna, and his discourse to Arjuna at Kurukshetra, as the Bhagavad Gita, is upheld as being among the most lucid and revealing exposition of Hindu thought. The Gita has inspired people like Sankara, Ramanuja, Jnaneshwar and Walt Whitman. Sri Ramakrishna suggested a simple way to bring home the essence of the Gita - by repeating the word "Gita" several times in a row, it begins to sound like " tyagi " (one who has renounced). Krishna is seen as the personal, saguna aspect of the Impersonal, nirguna Para-Brahman, teaching the great gospel of inner detachment amidst the confused outer world of emotions, which in turn will lead to right action in the public space as well. The persona of Krishna as the Evolved One, the Teacher, dominates the latter half of his epic life, as he guides the Pandavas to victory.

To look at the multi-layered persona of Vasudeva is to try and understand the existential dilemma at the heart of most epic-religious literature - the question of free will and predestination, issues which Vasudeva's life seems to suggest are mysteriously intertwined. Krishna chose to love, fight, struggle and guide in the thick of life itself, not as a pulpit preacher. Arjuna adored him, Uddhava worshipped him, Yashoda loved him, Bheeshma wanted to be killed by him, Karna was Ôdisarmed' by him, Vyasa was captivated by him. An old Punjabi hymn sums up Krishna's character: Bade bade har ke chale, pata nahin paya teri khel da ... - thousands have tried to understand your character, but no one will ever figure out your play!