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| Janamashtami: The birth of the most attractive Sri Sri Ravi Shankar | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 12: Janamashtami celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Ashtami, the half moon, is significant as it indicates a perfect balance between the seen and the unseen aspects of reality; the visible material world and the invisible spiritual realm. In this world, people tend to move to the extremes -- one who is mired in the activity of the material world becomes inert, and one who is lost in the spiritual world becomes like an avdhoot -- completely oblivious to world around him.
Krishna’s birth on Ashtami signifies his mastery of both the spiritual and material worlds. He is a great teacher and a spiritual inspiration as well as the consummate politician. On one hand, he is Yogeshwara (the Lord of Yogas – the state to which every yogi aspires) while on the other, he is a chor, a thief. The unique quality of Krishna is that he is at once more pious than the saints and yet a thorough mischief-monger! His behaviour includes both extremes and yet is a perfect balance of the extremes. Perhaps this is why the personality of Krishna is so difficult to fathom. The avdhoot is oblivious to the world outside and a materialistic person, a politician or a king is oblivious to the spiritual world. But Krishna is both Dwarkadheesh and Yogeshwar! Then again, the skill and the tactics employed by Lord Krishna are unparalleled -- no saint or prophet has ever used such tricks. Krishna’s was not the life of a recluse -- it was full of dynamism. Every moment was eventful, yet untouched by any of those events. Krishna demonstrated that life is really fun and life is really celebration. Only a Krishna could impart wisdom and talk about food, the gunas, devotion and self-realization on a battlefield. And it was only an Arjuna who could grasp it. Just imagine someone holding a gun and at the same time analysing what is satwa, what is rajas and what is tamas. Only one in the state of Brahman can do this because he is in control of all the events, or is beyond all events.
Krishna’s teachings are most relevant to our times in the sense that they neither let you get lost in material pursuits nor make you completely withdrawn. They rekindle your life; from being a burnt-out and stressed personality to a more centred and dynamic one. Krishna teaches us of devotion with skill. Often people with skill have no feeling or devotion and people with devotion and innocence seriously lack skill in action. Krishna’s personality brings together these opposites of total devotion and skilful action. To celebrate Gokulashtami is to imbibe extremely opposite yet compatible qualities and manifest them in your own life.
Krishna simply means the most attractive -- the Self or the being. Krishna is the Self of every being and when our true natural self shines through our personality, skills and abundance follow suit. As Krishna himself says in the Gita, he is the strength in the strong, the wisdom in the wise, the beauty in the beautiful and the dignity in the dignified. He is the very life force in every living being. And Janmashtami is the day when you enliven that virat swaroop of Krishna in your own consciousness once again. Letting your true nature manifest in your day-to-day life is the real secret of Krishna’s birth.
Hence the most authentic way of celebrating Janamashtami is knowing that you have to play a dual role -- of being a responsible citizen of the nation and at the same time to realise that you are above all events -- the untouched Brahman. Imbibing a bit of avadhoot and a bit of activism in your life is the real significance of celebrating Janamashtami.
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