Its a Hindu festival that is celebrated across India, in different ways. I am referring to Janmashtami, birth of Lord Krishna. Happened to read a blog about the description of the Lord yesterday and was inspired to do a post on it.
Lord Krishna is looked upon in so many different forms, as an adorable child, as a charming companion, as a trusted friend, as a darling son, as a perfect consort, as the Saviour, as a great Ruler, as an avatar to establish Good over Evil, as the most Wise Teacher who gave the Bhagwath Gita on a battlefield! He is celebrated and worshipped in all these forms... Its amazing!!
And, if you look at his life, he had to face so many obstacles, even before he was born! He, however, celebrated every moment in his life and smiled through the hardships... This is is the message for his devotees. Life is not a bed of roses, but smile and dance through it and you will enjoy every moment of it!
Many times, people draw comparisons of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna as they are both avatars of Lord Narayana, yet lived seemingly opposite lives:). Lord Rama was the epitome of Righteousness and his message to the world at that time was to lead a Perfect Life. Lord Krishna in his avatar, did everything under the sun to establish Good over Evil. He broke the law if required and used a lot of skill to achieve his goal. I particularly liked one description of Lord Krishna: it said, even his form, is bent at many places, he stands on one foot and other is bent and rests on a toe, his knee is bent, his hip is at a slant, etc.. - in a dance, while Lord Rama was straight and upright. Lord Rama is a perfect man and Lord Krishna is a complete man, summed up my hubby!
I heard another nice story between Lord Krishna & Lord Rama... Apparently even their devotees, are very distinct.. a typical Ram bhakt will eat dal roti chawal and dress very plainly, whilst, a Krishna bhakth will like a sweet and a pickle alongwith the main course and more! and dress up colourfully, with ornaments and jewellery! I really enjoyed this one and wanted to share... Incidentally, in school yesterday, many kids in kindergarden dressed up as Krishna / Radha:). Here is my niece, as Radha.
Sri Sri RaviShankar has given a nice talk on the Contradictions in the Gita. He says, although there appears to be many contradictions in the Gita, it is not contradictory at all! In his inimitable style, he has given many insights and explains them in great humour and wisdom. A gist of His message is here
