Sri Krishna—The all-pure, all-free and all-perfect one

Sri Krishna—The all-pure, all-free and all-perfect one

In the desert on the way back to Dwaraka, he meets Uttanka, an old Brahmin friend, now lonely recluse. When Uttanka hears from Krishna about the war, he also suddenly loses balance and cries out in wrath, ‘Vasudeva, were you there standing by and did you let all this happen? You have indeed failed in your duty. You have surely practiced deceit and led them to destruction. Prepare to receive my curse!’ Smilingly, Krishna advises him not to be needlessly excited and not to waste his powers in mistaken directions, and explains: “I am born in various bodies from time to time to save the world and establish the good. In whatever body I am born, I must act in conformity with the nature of that body…I do what is natural to that birth and complete my task. I begged hard of the Kauravas. They were arrogant and intoxicated by power and paid no heed to my advice. I tried to intimidate them. Therein also I failed. They persisted in wrongdoing. They waged war and perished.”

Hearing this, Uttanka recovered his calm. And this should silence all other critics too of Krishna. If sublime love be the soul and substance of Krishna of the Bhagavatam, it is comprehensive righteousness or Dharma in the Mahabharata. That Dharma is the essence and central purpose of his advent, his life and actions, as well as his teachings. A life full of energy and beneficial activity, faith in oneself and faithfulness in one’s sva-dharma, calm and detached performance of duties, unconcerned with profit and loss, pleasure or pain, praise or blame, honor or dishonor, all in the framework of total surrender to the Divine within, the only Being who is all-pure, all-free and all-perfect. This then is the essence of the life, actions and message of Sri Krishna, clear and unfaltering.

The Mahabharata in all its epic grandeur and proportions seeks to present such a Krishna in a dual role. First, he is the ideal man, Adarsha Purusha, the great exemplar and illustration of his own teachings in the context of various complex life situations. Then he is also the Parama Purusha, Supreme Being, who provides the inspiration and refuge for all. He is the Divine Incarnation, God playing the role of man and opening up the path for mortals to God. He is the Goal as well as the Guide. This is the Krishna who is utterly sure of himself, of his actions and what he says, with no trace of weakness or fear, doubt or vacillation, confusion or regret, irrespective of the various intricate, baffling, fearful or even desperate situations he is involved in, irrespective of what others may think or say of him.