Guiding Light: Be In The World, Yet Not Of It

The residents of the Vrishni kingdom were distraught with the tyranny of their King Kamsa, who had overthrown his father Ugrasen and imprisoned him to usurp power. When he realised that his doom was going to come at the hands of the 8th son who would be born to his sister Devaki, he threw his newly wed sister and her husband into prison too. After killing 7 of his sister’s innocent newborns, the stage was finally set for Sri Krishna’s arrival. On a dark stormy night of the 8th day of the lunar month, he arrived in human incarnation on earth. A series of divine miracles and his father’s bravery meant that he could be safely transported to his foster parents, Yashoda Mata and Nand Baba’s home in the village of Vrindavan, away from the treachery of Kamsa.

A divine child, he began exhibiting early signs of his mission here on earth, whether it was slaying demons like Bakasura, taming the poisonous Kalia or lifting Mount Govardhan to protect the villagers from a deluge. Krishna embodied a playful mastery over the material world, which had hitherto not been witnessed. He effortlessly blended his many roles, as a friends to the cowherd boys and girls of Vrindavan, the charming flute-player to the residents and animals, the romantic partner to Radha and then in the years to come a king and master-strategist in the war of Mahabharata. And if that were not all, on the battlefield of Kurkshetra, he revealed the most profound knowledge in the form of the Bhagavad Gita, quite literally the song of the divine, which serves and guides humanity to this day.

In a world where everyone is trying to flog magic bullets and one size-fits all solutions, the Bhagavad Gita displays an intuitive understanding of the different types of people, and recommends spiritual paths for them based on their dispensation. Some of us are more outcome driven and require action to exhaust the bundle of karma that we carry across life times, whilst some others can wield the sword of knowledge to slay the bonds of material attachment. Krishna succinctly summarised some general principles of the art of living for everyone, whilst also provided tailored guidance which could support people more intimately on their individual spiritual journeys.

As we prepare to celebrate Janmashtami, marking the advent of Sri Krishna on Monday, 26th Aug, let us reminisce on his pastimes and take the opportunity to reacquaint (or acquaint) ourselves with the Bhagavad Gita. He embodied a deep reverence for animals and nature in his human life, something that the world needs a lot of in today’s exploitative age. He also taught us how to live in this world, and yet not be entrapped in its material trappings, cultivating mental and spiritual discipline through the practice of Yoga, be that Karma or Gyana, Bhakti or Raja Yoga. And of course, all this whilst still maintaining a countenance of mirthful cheer, relishing the creamy spiritual butter that comes from all the churning that life puts us through. Hare Krishna!