Who is Lord Krishna?

My four year old nephew called to tell me that October was my birthday. I told him that Thursday (today) is Lord Krishna birthday and he ask me, who is Lord Krishna?

I was stumped so I did the Uncle thing (when the nephews and nieces get too troublesome and hand back to the parents..) and said to him.. ask your father.. he said that 'daddy bathing'... and it was back to me.. and I said "Lord Krishna is God" and changed the subject quickly because early morning on the phone is not the time to explain to a four year old about 'who is God'. (Arite, I know, those righteous amongst you will ask when is the right time then, but well.. )

Lord Krishna means so many things for so many people, very different things sometimes. Lord Krishna reveals himself in the Bhagvad Gita so depending on which translation you reading, there could be some nuances in who he be (as he reveals himself in chapter 10)

Tonight is Janamashtmee My mother said when she was growing up it was a big night in her house, a coming of age because it was one of the few nights to go out for the midnight service. A friend asked me to come to his mandir in Cummings Lodge, they will have the midnight arti still. Many mandirs around the world would have had large attendance at rituals in different forms, some tonight, some last night.

And there will be food at some of the mandirs - a lot of people like to hang around the Hare Krsna mandirs since they will have lots of food today and tonight. So.. Lord Krishna good for a late night out and some food for many. Lord Krishna is described as the playful God, associated with dance and singing. The Aravani in India associate themselves with the Mohini form of Lord Krishna who married Aravan, the Pandava Prince for one night before he was killed and they celebrate the wedding and the funeral in grand style.

Lord Krishna was hated by one of my friends who lost her younger brother, she told me she did not want anything more to do with Lord Krishna at that time. She has forgiven Lord Krishna now. A gay friend in Trinidad during the time he was wrestling with his feelings of hopelessness said that every night he laid his troubles at Lord Krishna's feet with firm conviction that the troubles would pass. He told me they did pass in the end as he came to terms with himself and embraces God in everything he does.

A woman who survived domestic violence said that she believed that Lord Krishna was speaking to men and women, and that the Mahabharata being about the Arjuna's fight against relatives - in her situation she said she learned that she could also struggle against her husband because she was doing the right thing in fighting the injustice.


Lord Krsna inspires devotion in some of my friends. One Pandit friend refers to "his Krishna' in the best of the Bhakti (devotion) tradition, and even during his own troubles, wrestles with Krishna. Another friend who is a dancer, said that during his dance he feels that he is closest to Krishna, and that he is dancing for Krishna. The Hare Krsna movement is characterised by the dancing while singing the Maha Mantra, and we used to watch that as weird and over done and mutter about how white people dont have rythmn and cant knack jal and drum.., the people who are dancing no doubt feel their own ecstasy.. much like the Mevlevi Sufis whirling during their zikr.

A Muslim friend "facebook liked" this from the Gita "I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him " and I think of those who Sufis and Bhaktis - who have gone deeper into their devotion and love for 'God' and their overlap when others quarrel about who worshipping idol and who eating cow. Other non-Hindus and not-so-Hindus also liked this shloka, but I did not say where it was from.. and this gets me to the universality of Lord Krishna "I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.".. similar to what is in Revelations brethren except we Lord Krishna also in the middle and yall own is at the alpha and the omega. But.. was it the same God speaking in the Gita and the others?

Tonight, Janamashtmee - is the reminder of that most popular shloka in the Gita "Whenever and wherever there is decay of righteousness, O Bharata, And a rise of unrighteousness then I manifest Myself! "
There are some discussion of this translation, whether it can be translated as is, and that if we pray hard enough, there will be a blue man playing flute wherever we minding cow.
But if He is already here, there and everywher, then how is this 'manifestation' to happen.. and I wonder if perhaps, Janamashtmee is to send us back to the Gita, to find back those sayings as I looked for Lord Krishna so that the manifestation is not external, but in our heads.
It is just after midnight, while my friends in Cummings Lodge doing the aarti, I am about to hit publish here and without the parsad and the bhojan .. Lord Krishna has appeared to me..)


Chapter 18 Verse 63 of the Gita "Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do."
The explanations of that last line, are that Lord Krishna, after the entire revelation, still acknowledges the gift of free will and thought and says that it is okay, you can think about this, question it, go through life..

I read somewhere, that every challenge should bring some insight, and then hopefully deeper understanding.. and then I should be able to explain to the four year old at 6am who I think Lord Krishna is.

Jai Shree Krishna