When you think of Krishna, it is difficult to contain him in any one thought. You can see him sitting silently like Buddha, and you can see him dancing. You can find him in a battlefield, and you can find him as the best friend; you can even find him as a very mischievous child. In Krishna, the personality has blossomed completely from all angles. Krishna and his life was full of symbolism and it is very interesting to explore it. Krishna’s flute, Krishna’s dance, Krishna’s laugh- everything signified something.
Lord Krishna’s birth
Lord Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva. “Vasu” means “breath” – the prana, and “Devaki” means “body”. Kansa put Devaki and Vasudeva into prison. “Kansa” means “ego”. Kansa (the ego) is Devaki’s (the body’s) brother. So the ego imprisoned the body and the breath.
“Ananda” (bliss) was borne out of the union of this body and breath, and that is why, Krishna is called Nandalala.
Krishna steals butter
Butter is a product of milk – milk is first made into curd, and then when the curd has been churned well, it becomes butter.
Life is also a process of churning. Your mind is being churned by so many things, by so many events, happenings and instances. When your mind is constantly churned, then what finally comes up, is butter – the sainthood in you... and Krishna steals this butter – this saintliness.
Now, what does this mean? This means that Krishna loves saintliness. He loves a mind, which is like butter – a mind that is not hard, a mind that has reached its final state. He is fond of you when your mind becomes like this – like a saint’s mind.
This means, in such a state, infinity comes towards you. It loves you so much that it steals you away at any cost! It searches for you; wherever you are, God will look for you. He will search, and he will “take” you from wherever you are. You have only to become like butter!
This is what is meant by: “Krishna steals butter!” – it is symbolic.
Krishna’s Flute
Krishna was known to play the flute very well.
The body is like a hollow and empty flute! Just like a flute has seven holes, the body has seven centres.
When Krishna plays the flute, he places his fingers on the seven holes – the seven centres from which different emotions arise.
Different tunes come up when Krishna blows through the flute. It is the same with everybody’s lives!
Infinity blows through, playing all kinds of different tunes and pushing different buttons! Infinity brings forth different songs and different music, and all of creation rejoices in this music of the flute.
You become the perfect instrument of the Divine when you become hollow and empty, when you become like a flute.
Krishna’s dance
You must have seen this in many pictures – the hood of a snake, and Krishna dancing on top of it.
Kaliya (the snake) represents awareness, which if not controlled by Krishna (joy or bliss), will only bring irritation and anger.
If you look at people who are very aware, alert or creative – if you look at people who want everything to be very precise- you will notice that they become very angry, restless and agitated – and then they throw “poison”. There is no doubt that they are very alert, awake and precise- there is no doubt that they want perfection in everything but if they are not blissful in themselves, then by wanting perfection, they create misery for so many people around them. All the problems in the world are created by those who want perfection!
Those who do not want perfection do not mind anything; they do not care for anything!
This desire for perfection is not bad – provided there is love “on top of the head” of awareness. If there is bliss and love, then everything is wonderful.
Krishna’s Crown
Rather than the conventional crown, Krishna would just wear a peacock feather.
Now, why a peacock feather? A conventional crown is never light. A crown means something that heavily bogs down its wearer; it means responsibility for the person who wears it.
What does a crown mean? – It means that the entire state is on one’s head.
A king who wears a crown cannot sleep for he is responsible for anything and everything that happens anywhere in his country. The crown is a heavy responsibility, a heavy burden. However, if the crown is a peacock feather, it is light!
A conventional crown is never colourful, but look at a peacock feather – you will see many colours there: gold, brown, blue and green – all beautiful colours!
Based on wisdom talks by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
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