Krishna –
An archetype which stands for all that is supreme, all that is ideal, all that
is potential in human, is considered to be born on the day of Janmashtami (celebrated
yesterday). According to Indian mythology, Krishna was born without a sexual
union, but by divine “mental transmission” from the mind of Vasudeva into the
womb of Devaki.
Child hood and Youth
The stories of Krishna's childhood and youth
tell how he became a cow herder, his mischievous pranks as Makhan Chor (butter
thief), his foiling of attempts to take his life, and his role as a protector
of the people of Vrindavana.
The stories of his play with the gopis
(milkmaids) of Vrindavana, especially Radha (daughter of Vrishbhanu, one of the
original residents of Vrindavan) became known as the Rasa lila and were
romanticised in the poetry of Jayadeva, author of the Gita Govinda. These
became important as part of the development of the Krishna bhakti traditions
worshiping Radha Krishna.
The Prince
On his return to Mathura as a young man,
Krishna overthrew and killed his maternal uncle, Kansa, after avoiding several
assassination attempts from Kansa's followers. He reinstated Kansa's father,
Ugrasena, as the king of the Yadavas and became a leading prince at the court.
During this period, he became a friend of Arjuna and the other Pandava princes
of the Kuru kingdom, who were his cousins. Later, he took his Yadava subjects
to the city of Dwaraka (in modern Gujarat) and established his own kingdom there.
Kurukshetra War and Bhagavat Gita
The sage Ved Vyasa in his magnum opus creation –
Mahabharat – brings out Krishna in his full glory as a Philosopher, guiding
Arjuna – the disciple – on the path to the Truth. The words of Krishna has been
written in verses by Vyasa, compiled together as a separate canto in Mahabarat.
This collection is known as the Bhagavat Geeta – The song of the Lord. In this
compilation Krishna attempts to answer the existential questions and dilemmas
of Arjuna. In one of the most profound work of art, this collection containing
18 chapters, tries to sum up a perennial wisdom, which is ever relevant, across
past, present and future.
The Essence of Krishna
Krishna stands for the Best, the Good, the Right,
the Truth. He stands for the impersonal and yet benevolent is-ness of the
cosmos. He is not a personality. Neither he is a god or a person. He is the
best what human can achieve in thoughts, action, love, harmony, fraternity,
aesthetics and his day to day efforts, in leading his daily life. Krishna’s
words in the Bhagavat Gita, and his life epitomizes the pole star, the inner
compass, the sail of the boat, helping mankind to be aligned with the Truth,
the Right, the direction which is most optimal towards the evolution of the
self and the entire humanity as such.
It is on the Janmasthami day, in the year of
2012 the School of Human Values was formed - https://www.facebook.com/SchoolOfHumanValues?ref=stream
At this point of human history, when man is too
busy fulfilling his egoistic needs – physical, mental and spiritual, it is an
ardent call from the School of Human Values, for man to stand up, and be aware
of the potential Krishna hidden in him. It is a call to humanity to be a
Krishna, to be a Buddha, to be a Jesus, to be the Zoroaster, doing what he does
in his daily life, with that art and aesthetics of being a Human fully born. It is a call to Know Thyself.
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