Loving Oneness Now
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[NOTE: The following account of the life of Krishna is as accurate as I can make it. Understand that only anecdotal accounts of Krishna's life have survived from more than 3200 years ago, but just because they are legends does not discount the likelihood of them having happened. Troy, and Homer's accounts of that period, were long regarded as fictitious legends until Herman Schliemann dug up Troy! When I was a boy many erudite skeptics said the life of Jesus was a fictitious legend, with no concrete evidence to support it.
Anyway, please read the following account, not as strict history, but rather for its inspirational content and spiritual message.]
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At midnight on August
8th around 1200 BC Krishna was born to Princess Devaki in a prison
cell. She and her husband, Vasudeva, had been confined there by her domineering
brother, Prince Kamsa who had usurped the throne of their father, Ugrasena, by
imprisoning him also. The Prince had been told by a voice that a son of his
sister, the Princess Devaki, would slay him so Kamsa decided to get in first and
slay the baby Krishna at birth——which was why both the pregnant Princess
Devaki and her husband were languishing in that cell.
A relentless storm had
raged for hours the night of Krishna’s birth so the midwife could not be
called. Vasudeva had just delivered the child himself and made his wife
comfortable when he saw the storm had sprung the cell door open, and that the
guard had fallen asleep in spite of the commotion caused by
thunder, wind and rain. Gently wrapping his newborn son in a blanket and placing
him in a basket, Vasudeva crept out of the prison and raced to the neighboring
country of Gokula, the border of which was close by. There he found a woman with
a newborn girl who had wanted a son desperately, and she agreed to the switch.
It was still not dawn when Vasudeva arrived back at the prison and placed this
girl-child in Devaki’s arms. Everyone in the palace was still asleep.
When Prince Kamsa, on
waking, heard of the birth, he hurried to the cell only to discover it was a
little girl who was suckling at his sister’s breast. He laughed in relief.
Krishna grew up as the
foster child of Yasoda who was extremely fond of the little boy even though he
was very precocious. She and her husband, Nanda, owned one of the many dairy
farms in Gokula so, at an early age, Krishna became a cowherd boy, as did almost
all the rural children of that country. Even as a baby Krishna exhibited a wide
range of powers and abilities. He was physically robust and very strong as well
as exceptionally clever, but as he grew he was not above playing many pranks on
his friends or members of his family. On more than one occasion Yasoda had to
tie the toddler to the corn husking stand at which she was working to prevent
him from getting into mischief.
One day when a small
boa constrictor wrapped itself around the young Krishna he was strong enough to
kill it with his bare hands. The next year, when a large crane went berserk and
attacked Krishna and his friends while they were drinking at the local water
tank, he held its beak closed with one hand and broke its neck with other.
Krishna once tricked
his foster father by hiding the cows in some woods which partially encircled the
pastures on Govardhan Hill. When Nanda came to get Krishna and the herd, the
farmer saw only empty fields and was very puzzled. In the meantime Krishna had
led the cows, which habitually followed him, through the trees and around behind
his father to a field closer to the milking shed. When Nanda retraced his steps
he was startled to find them, magically, in a pasture he had previously passed
through.
Krishna was no prude.
Like most children brought up on farms he was very familiar with sexual
reproduction, both animal and human, and at that time in India breasts were
commonly exposed. Everyone bathed in the river although usually the adult
females used one spot for bathing while the males used another. Much spying went
on by both boys and girls, and their elders were not concerned if all the
younger children went swimming and romped naked together in the water. Anyway,
almost everyone married at, or shortly after, puberty, therefore at that time,
pregnancy was an asset of fertility, not a social problem. Thus Krishna, who was
a well-built, handsome boy, was loved by most of the Gopis, which was what all
the cowherd girls and milkmaids were called in Gokula.
Krishna and his
friends would raid palmyra orchards when the fruit was ripe. To deter the
children, one grove owner stationed a very mean mule on a long tether amongst
the trees, but Krishna wound the rope deftly around its legs and knotted it so
they could filch the delicious palmyra fruits anyway.
Krishna was a talented
musician and dancer. He had mastered the flute when quite young and loved to
play it while he was watching his herd of cattle. Later, as a boy, he learned
how to charm snakes with his melodies and soon he acquired quite a reputation
for this skill. The Gopi girls loved to dance to his music and vied with one
another for his approving smiles. Krishna would also dance among them whilst
playing his flute. This was a relaxed society.
The children often
played games together. One favorite sport was for each older boy to carry a
smaller boy or girl on his back, then the pairs would pull and tussle with each
other until only one couple was left standing. Krishna and his favorite rider,
the milkmaid Radha, were usually the winners. Even as children Krishna and Radha
had a very close, Loving bond which both freely acknowledged. When she danced
for him to the songs of his flute he was entranced by the eurythmic fluidity of
her graceful form. The couple were perfectly attuned.
One day Krishna and
some of his friends were grazing their herds in fields near a forest when they
noticed flames and smoke rising above the trees. The others became frightened by
the fire but Krishna told them to close their eyes and keep them shut. He next
called silently on the weather Devaminds to pour rain on the forest fire, which
they did, quite promptly. When his friends reopened their eyes a few moments
later they saw the flames and smoke had disappeared and they attributed the
extinguishing of the fire to a miracle by Krishna.
Brahma
had found
Krishna originally in the Realm of Reality when he was searching for an Avatar
type of Being who was willing to be more flexible and human-like than Gautama
the Buddha would be. Krishna agreed with Brahma that an overall ethical approach
which was less concerned with right
and wrong, and more focused on maya
(illusion), would be appropriate for most of the miscellany of peoples living in
India.
“You will also have
to over-emphasize your own role as an
inner Avatar through whom religious devotees can reach God as an Absolute,”
added Elohm.
“You mean I should
not pose as a mortal prophet but as my own immortal changeless Self, the Being I
am, when in Reality?”
“Precisely. Tell
them, Krishna, that through focusing on you as the archetypal Self, especially
during meditation, they can escape illusion, and then experience the eternal
Happiness and Bliss of the Real Self——which is the Truth.”
“All right. Should I
suggest there are three complementary ways to find me as their own inner Self? First, through seeking Divine Knowledge, second,
through Right Will, which means by wanting
to find It, and third, through Spiritual Devotion or Love.”
“Excellent, Krishna!
Tell them they can learn about their Real Self by coming to Know It, by Willing
It, and by Loving It as One-in-All. Any one approach or any combination of these
will be successful, and you, Krishna, must teach them that. ‘Simply let all
the illusions of ego go, and Know Thy Self.’
That must be the premise with which you will wake them up.”
“Right you are, and
I’ll have fun as a human while I sound the Real reveille, because, Brahma, you do agree I should be very human, don’t you?”
“Oh yes, very human, so most of the people can identify easily with you and
your harmless, but lovable, antics. Go to it, my friend.”
And that is how
Krishna came to be an Avatar of India. Almost all the younger women of Gokula,
and not a few of the older ones, fell in love with the adolescent Krishna who
did little to discourage them. He flirted with them often through his music. On
jasmine scented summer nights Krishna would wander past their homes arousing
their burning love until, in their fantasies, that love was consummated in
ecstasy. Even during daylight hours, devoted wives and mothers would pause from
cooking meals or feeding their children to watch their Lover stroll by. On
starlit nights some of the more daring Gopis would hastily dress and try to meet
up with Krishna in forest clearings. If they could not find him in the first
open grove banded with bright moonbeams they would search the forest for him.
Strangely there was no jealousy among them. His tantalizing flute songs seemed
to come from behind each tree enticing each of them with the hope of blissful
union. When one or more Gopis found their beloved Krishna he would lie with them
caressing their hair, loosening their clothes, fondling their breasts and
stroking their thighs until, at the peak of their passion, he would make sublime
love to each of them. At the moment of climax in a sea of Joy each would
dissolve into a rapturous union with her Self as her male and female aspects
became unified in Loving Oneness. Afterwards Krishna would weave forest flowers
into their hair and whisper sweet secrets in their ears. In his presence there
was no jealousy, only mutual enjoyment.
On other evenings
Krishna would meet with the Gopis at the white beach by the placid Yamuna River.
Lying there on silver sands spread with their garments he would Love them as the
warm breeze perfumed their bodies with the fragrance of flowering coral trees.
Krishna did not
confine himself to love-making. He conversed with them often, and always
absolved the Gopis of all blame since blame was an illusion anyway. Once he
said, “I am unable to repay you who are completely blameless and who have
worshipped Me after breaking the childhood bonds that tie you to family and
home. May that in itself repay you perfectly.” And the Gopis understood his
Real meaning. Sometimes on the sands the Gopis would happily dance the circular
Rasa-dance for Krishna with arms linked, and they Loved one another. Usually he
joined them and the whole group moved and sang as One. Often these dances ended
in an innocent celebration of Love after which, delightfully languid, the Gopis
would bathe and splash in the cool river in order to wash the saffron nipple
paint from their breasts. Yet, even in the water as they laughed with joy,
Krishna again loved them one by one. When he penetrated each Gopi the others
would gleefully splash the couple until they reached orgasm. Krishna had the
stamina of the gods!
Radha had joined these
love games jubilantly and without a trace of jealousy even though she knew she
and Krishna shared a special bonding. Like Krishna, she was aware the physical
love symbolized the equal sharing of Real Love, just as Brahma radiates
Love to all Beings identically. It is a circle of Love in which all share
God’s Beneficence and Grace to the same maximum extent and no one is left out.
Krishna is the Avatar who, like all Avatars, channels God’s Loving Oneness to
everyone willing to participate.
One day when Krishna
and a few friends were traveling to a neighboring village the sun grew hot and
the air was dry. The travelers sheltered under a huge banyan tree about which
Krishna said, “My friends, we humans should give shelter to others like this
noble tree. Trees give us their fruits, the beauty of their flowers, their wood
and their sap. All people should follow the selfless lives of service to others
given by the trees.”
The cowherds with
Krishna were hungry and thirsty. He noticed several priests of Brahma a short
way off who were engaged in a religious ritual, and suggested to his famished
companions that they should ask the priests, in his name, for a little food and
water. When they did this the priests of Brahma shooed them away as nuisances.
Krishna then suggested his friends approach the wives of the priests, in his
name, for food and drinks. The wives were seated under another banyan tree
quietly watching their husbands’ activities. These generous women gladly
shared their provisions with the young men. The priests on seeing this, were
embarrassed, and approached Krishna to apologize for their own misconduct.
Krishna smiled and said, “Your wives, who are halves of you, have been kind,
but I do not condemn you in any way. Just share lovingly, as do your wives, all
you have with others. You can learn much more about the true nature of religion
from your wives’ kindness than from your pious rituals. Also, from now on
always include your wives in those
rituals because all women are your equals as priests in the sight of Brahma.”
His misguided uncle,
King Kamsa of Mathura, heard of Krishna’s fame and miracles so he invited
Krishna to the annual great archery contest in Mathura intending to assassinate
him. Kamsa’s messenger, who was a good person, revealed to Yasoda and Nanda
the whole story that Krishna was the King’s nephew and that his real parents
were still imprisoned, a fact Krishna had not known. Krishna explained to his
concerned foster parents it was safe to go to Mathura because he was not only a
powerful young man but also invulnerable.
When Krishna and his
friend, Balarama, arrived at the palace gate a wild elephant, released by Kamsa,
tried to crush them but Krishna touched its trunk and calmed it instantly.
Inside the palace Krishna and Balarama were met by two massive wrestlers who
tried to kill them. After a tough fight the two friends defeated these
champions, then went on to kill two famous warriors who attacked them
ferociously. Having witnessed the defeat of his strongest fighters King Kamsa
seized his sword and struck out at the two friends. Krishna dodged the blows and
complained bitterly, “Is this the way you greet your friends?”
“No! It is the way I
kill all my enemies!” replied Kamsa, slashing wildly in his fury. Krishna,
sidestepping again, grasped his uncle’s sword and threw it away across the
throne room, at the same time grabbing a handful of his hair. Wrenching Kamsa
over backwards, Krishna fell heavily on top of him to knock the wind out of him.
To Krishna’s surprise Kamsa choked, gasped and died from shock.
Within minutes Krishna
had liberated his mother, Devaki, his father, Vasudeva, and his grandfather,
Ugrasena, who was reinstated to his rightful throne.
The departure of
Krishna from Gokula made the Gopis, and especially Radha, very sad. Krishna,
however, now decided to become the obedient and humble student of the great sage
Sandipani. Within 64 days the physically and intellectually brilliant Krishna
had mastered 64 subjects, arts and skills, including archery and military
science.
After graduating
Krishna became his grandfather’s chief diplomat and soon became embroiled in
the affairs of the neighboring kingdom of Kuru-Panchala where his Aunt Kunti was
the first wife of King Pandu who had just died. Reports reached Krishna that the
new King of Kuru-Panchala (Pandu’s brother, Dhritarastra) was treating the
three young princes unfairly because, on coming of age, they would be entitled
to half the kingdom. Diplomatic efforts to resolve the impasse ground on for
years but always failed. When King Dhritarastra, now old and blind, abdicated
his throne to his own son, Duryodhana,
this bogus young monarch took up his father’s quarrel with his cousins making
an eventual military showdown between the two sets of royal relatives
inevitable. Dhritarastra’s sons, including Duryodhana, were called the
Kauravas, and Pandu’s princes (Aunt Kunti’s children) the Pandavas.
During the earlier
intervening years of futile diplomacy, Krishna became a courageous and
invincible general adding many lands to his grandfather’s kingdom. He abducted
and married Princess Rukmini of Vidarbha when, for political reasons, her
irascible brother tried to marry her off to a neighboring elderly king. Although
Krishna was not a king, his prowess and fame had spread through all India. As
was common in those times he gradually acquired several devoted wives whom he
loved dearly. They bore him 28 sons of which his eldest son, Pradumna, was very
handsome.
Arjuna, a skillful
warrior, was a son of Kunti and a close friend of his older cousin, Krishna.
Arjuna had very mixed feelings about the forthcoming battle between his side,
the Pandavas, and his cousins, the Kauravas. Krishna decided it was only fair to
divide his own personal entourage of superb warriors between the two sets of his
cousins by letting each side choose one warrior in turn. Arjuna chose Krishna
first and they then agreed that he should be Arjuna’s charioteer since Krishna
was the best in all India. In this role Krishna could also advise Arjuna during
the battle.
When Arjuna, standing
in his chariot with Krishna in the forefront of his army, saw all his many
relatives on both sides about to kill each other, he was overcome with sadness
and deep compassion.
“Krishna, my
stalwart friend, I see no point in us all slaying each other for land, for
pleasure, for greed, or for family. I would not consent to kill even for the
three Higher Kingdoms of Life, much less for a kingdom on earth. This
lawlessness of war destroys families, corrupts the survivors and brings hell to
everyone involved. I would rather die unarmed than be responsible for this
carnage. Krishna, I will not fight.”
But Krishna would have
none of this faintheartedness. “Have courage, Arjuna. Sages do not grieve
anyone, alive or dead. Everyone on this field of battle, including you and me,
has eternal life; we have always lived and always will live. Our immutable
Beings are indestructible. We make our bodies and other objects which come and
go with their attendant, temporary pains and pleasures but none of that is Real.
So fight, Arjuna. No one dies when his body is slain because he is forever a
Living Being. Bodies are always perishable and new ones are available to those
wishing to return to this physical plane. Only the Dweller within the body is
all-pervading, unchanging and unmanifest Life, Life which cannot be killed. These
warriors freely chose their livelihood in this lifetime. They love war, and they
love to fight and die with honor. They seek a door to their version of heaven on
this battlefield, Arjuna, therefore show no fear. Pleasure or pain, victory or
defeat, and gain or loss are all the same, my friend. They are all illusions,
they are all dualities, they are all opposites which, when brought together,
cancel each other out into nothingness.
Rather, be you steadfast in Spirit, Arjuna, for it will bring you insight and
inner Vision.”
“If what you say is
true, Krishna, please describe this person of Vision who is founded in Knowledge
and steadfast in Spirit.”
“He has relinquished
all his ego desires, Arjuna, and thus inner contentment is his. His mind is
unworried by sorrows, and he is free from arousal amidst pleasure. He no longer
becomes angry on provocation and all fears are gone from his peaceful mind. He
is emotionally unattached to other people or any objects, including his own
body. His unified Mind is sharply focused on a single purity of Spirit—his
own Real Self. Without desires, attachments or ego he can attain the Bliss of
Brahma.”
Arjuna was perplexed
and bluntly told Krishna he was contradicting himself. “If you are suggesting
the path of the enlightened sage is much more preferable to the path of action,
why are you urging me to join in battle with my cousins and commit savage deeds?
Which path is better?”
“There are two
paths, Arjuna. There is the path of Knowledge which is better for meditators and
contemplators. Then there is the path of action, or work, for those who prefer
to do something. One does not become enlightened by an “external”
abstention from work or actions any more than one becomes free of desire through
an “external” renunciation by
willpower. If the inner ego continues
to be preoccupied with, and to brood over thoughts of work, fantasies of desire,
and other inner obsessions, any external abstention or renunciation will be
useless. A show, an act
of being Spiritual, is not only a waste of time and effort, it is also a barrier
to reaching the Real Self. It is the worst kind of hypocrisy. On either path the
true seeker is always honest and genuine. On either path he who relinquishes all
ego desires and attachments within the
Mind Itself has found his Spiritual Self—even as the external still passes
by. Therefore, Arjuna, do your allotted tasks for external action is better than
no action. We on earth have to maintain our bodies without being in bondage to
them. I, too, am engaged in my lifework and so I keep my body alive and healthy.
But let us not disturb those who wish to remain ignorant, those who are attached
firmly to worldly ego-activities—like these warriors. You, however, can use
Me as a symbol of your own Self and do all your works for Me. Now fight, Arjuna,
but without ego, or desire, or anger. Those who, like you, understand
what I am saying will be freed from the ego-bondage of illusion, while those who
reject my teachings will be blind, lost and senseless. Follow your own true,
inner Nature which is Me, and carry out the work, the activities, you must do, without ego, as perfectly as you are able.”
Arjuna asked,
“Explain to me, Lord Krishna, what is it in us humans that causes us to commit
sin, to do evil?”
“As a neglected
mirror becomes covered in thick dust so the Spiritual Self, your True Being,
becomes obscured by a dusting of ego-desires, ego-needs, ego-passions, ego-fears
and ego-wrath. It is all these numerous ego-wants, ego-motivations, ego-feelings
and ego-emotions which cause so-called ‘sin’ and ‘evil.’ If anyone
relinquishes the thick dusk of the ego, then good and bad, sin and evil will
cease to exist, and the True Self will be uncovered and seen.” All the bipolar
beliefs of the ego, like good and evil, will have disappeared.
“All right, I now
understand that,” said Arjuna. “But please explain why we have many lives
here and where we first originated.”
Krishna smiled.
“Yes, you have had numerous earth lives, Arjuna. The human ego is a false
identity we create to be apart from our True Origin--from Oneness, from Brahma. The Original Self, however,
which the ego obscures during all human lives on earth, is eternal—it
always was the Original I AM, and always will BE. Each individual person, as an
ego, decides to manifest, to incarnate a physical human body here on
earth. Bodies are merely theatrical physical costumes people use as a
‘vehicle’ for the ego during their successive lifetimes on this planet. I
personally, however, have long since realized
my True Self. In fact, I came here deliberately as a Spiritual Teacher to help
the human race transcend their physical bodies, and you, Arjuna, are my main
instrument for achieving this goal, now and in the future. I came from the
Oneness and I am One with all Teachers, all Avatars. We Are Me, the Self which
is One eternally, and I as One will come again and again until all
humans, each of their own free will, are freed of ego. Anyone who really wants
to, can voluntarily transcend all fear, desire, anger, passion and ego by coming
to Me and understanding Me as What I Am. Be it known, Arjuna, I accept
all human beings as they are in their
ego-states. All they need do is follow Me. If they simply follow my path, my
teachings, then they, too, will find the Oneness within, which is the Yoga of
All Being.”
“Krishna, what is
action and inaction, working and not working? How can they
lead to Yoga, to Oneness? Are they ego or not ego?”
“I will tell you the
secret, Arjuna. It does not matter what one does
by way of work, or does not do, in
order to maintain the physical body. As I said before, do what you must do
but—and here is the secret—never
be concerned with outcomes. Never be
ego-preoccupied with the fruits of
your activity or work. Desire no specific results.
In this way, being without any
ego-needs or ego-wants and without ego-goals, you can never commit ‘wrong’.
Abandon ego success or failure, ego pleasure and pain, ego attachments or ego
unattachments. Only then, no matter what you do actively or inactively, will you find inner Oneness
(Yoga)—just by following My Way. By all means be of service to others,
Arjuna, but leave all outcomes to Me.
In this respect you must trust Me
because, in Reality, I and your Spiritual Self are One and have One
goal—your Self-Realization. This union with Brahman, with Reality, brings
undying Bliss and everlasting Peace. Always remember, Arjuna, that Self and ego
are incompatible, and that ego will always (falsely) see the Spiritual Self as
‘the enemy’ who wants to extinguish it. Therefore, relinquishing all ego
thoughts, Arjuna, focus your Mind single-pointedly on Me as the Self and you
will find Oneness. This may take time, but little by little, with steadfast
willingness you will experience the Eternal.”
“I wish I had the
ability to focus single-pointedly as you say, Krishna, but my ego-mind is so
restless, fickle, impetuous and obstinate that I can no more control it than the
wind.”
“I agree the
ego-mind is difficult to control but mastery can be achieved through the regular
practice of meditation and non-attachment. Even if you do not attain full Union
with Brahma in this lifetime your present efforts will cause you to be born next
time, into a Loving family of spiritual individuals who will facilitate your
advancement to Oneness. Know also, Arjuna, that a True-Awakening-One, like you,
who is attuned to Me, is greater than any ascetic, greater than any ritual-bound
priest and greater than any wise philosopher. If you focus on both Me and My
Truth, your unruly ego will become tranquil and your Self will know My Self in
full.”
“My Lord Krishna,
share with me your Knowledge so that I may focus mindfully on you.”
“I will tell you My
Truths, Arjuna, Truths which even many perfected yogis do not know. I am of the
One Mind-as-such. I originate this world and every aspect of it. Without Me and
My attention this world would dissolve because I am
the earth, the air, fire and water; I am
the moon and the sunlight; I am the
music of the spheres, the wisdom of the wise, the fragrance and the flowers; it
is all in My Mind-as-such which maintains the entire universe. I am not in it
because it is in Me. All Mind-as-such Beings share My Mind, My Self, with Me in
Oneness. All the illusions that make up nature, from rocks to rivers, from sand
to stars are made by Me. The only difference between us, Arjuna, is that I Know
these things but you, as yet, do not.
You will, however, cross beyond the physical and psychological objects of
illusion when you no longer cling to them or seek them for their own sake.”
Arjuna was puzzled by
the ideas of Oneness, the Absolute, Reality, and Brahma. “What is this Oneness,
this Brahma, and how does the Self fit into it, Krishna?”
“The Oneness,
Absolute Brahman has many names. Let us call this Being the Supreme
Being who contains all Beings and Beingness. ‘Beings’ in this context does
not include anything physical, or anything that has form, including all bodies.
Anything mutable, temporary or perishable from a dust mote to a universe, from a
need to an ego, does not have Being,
it is not Real. The supreme Being or God’s Mind-as-such, in whom all Self-Mind-Beings exist eternally, is Unmanifested, Eternal,
Absolute, Omniscient, Limitless REALITY. God is also eternally all-Loving,
Peaceful and Joyful. The Self-Mind-Beings, who are in God and exactly like Him,
have the Power to manifest, physically and psychologically, anything at all of a
mutable nature, almost always in some shape, structure or form, but any such
manifestation of imagined ideas is always temporary, changeable and perishable. This is the case
with bodies, plants, oceans, stars, and planets. It is Self-Mind-Beings within
the One Mind Being who manifest time, space, energy, matter, form, beginnings,
middles and endings. And it all happens as imagined ideas only Now.”
“My Lord of
Yoga-Oneness, I desire to see your divine imperishable Self. If It can be seen,
please reveal Your Self to me.”
“You can see Me in a
million manifested forms in the universe which is my body, so to speak,”
Krishna responded. “You will perceive me as your
ego wants to see me in
innumerable, exaggerated projections from dazzling Radiance to devouring
Flames.”
Then Arjuna perceived
Krishna in a quick succession of magnificent, sometimes frightening,
images—all larger than everyday life.
Then Krishna said,
“I am time, Arjuna, and time is a manifestation which is the destroyer of
manifestations. In one hundred years, even without your intervention, Arjuna,
all these armies, these warriors, these manifested bodies will have been
destroyed by time. Of course, their Higher Selves cannot die, but as
egos-in-bodies they are ‘dead’ already. As soldiers
they are in a ‘killing’ profession for whom, in battle, ‘death is
honor’, a fatuous aphorism if ever I heard one because there
is no death. You will be doing them a service by conquering them, Arjuna, so
fulfill their avowed destinies for them, now.”
Arjuna was overwhelmed by Krishna’s Vision of the battlefield and its assembled armies as nothing more than a theater of ego-illusions, a literal “theater of war.”
“You are the Knower,
Krishna, the Known, and the Supreme Symbol of the Self. You penetrate all from
the All and therefore You are All. You are One with the Oneness of God.”
“I AM THAT, Arjuna,
and if you do your work for Me and have unswerving devotion to Me you will be
freed of all attachments to the manifested because he who Loves Me and
Understands Me is free of all enmity
and ego. I am your Goal, Arjuna. Worship only the Imperishable, the Undefinable,
the Unmanifested, the Omnipresent, the Unchanging, the Eternal Pure Mind-as-such
with Which I AM ONE. Stay intent on Me, meditate on Me, do all your actions for
Me and I will deliver you from the manifested ocean of death-bound existence,
Arjuna. Seek only to reach Me and always
relinquish all interest in the fruit of your actions, all outcomes. Have
complete faith in Me and follow my immortal Wisdom for I Love all who are
devoted to me just as I Love all who are not.”
“Who
has Knowledge, Lord Krishna, Who is it
Who Knows?”
“The Knower of Truth
is your Self, Arjuna. The Knower is unattached to what is manifested. The Knower
is inside and outside all things, all ‘beings’. The Knower is the Essence of
Beingness. The Knower is the Light of Lights. The Knower is the Supreme Self.
The Knower is all Spirit. The Knower is only
Pure Mind-as-such within Pure Mind-as-such. Know the Knower, Arjuna, and you
Know your Self, you Know Me and you Know Brahma as Absolute Reality. Believe in Me
and in my Knowledge, Arjuna, and through My Grace and the Grace of Brahma which are
One, you, too, will Experience Brahma’s Mind-As-Oneness.”
Arjuna then went into
battle with a light heart conquering the Kuru clan. Arjuna became the rightful
King of that country, ruling thereafter with such love and justice that many of
his subjects became spiritual devotees of Krishna.
Krishna lived 125
years. It is said that, when he knew it was time to leave the earth plane, he
went into the forest. While Krishna lay asleep on the ground, a careless hunter
mistakenly shot him with an arrow thinking he was a wild animal.
Even in his chosen
manner of dying Krishna, the Avatar, was very human.
*
* *
Loving Oneness Now -- Copyright © 2007 Alexander Bannatyne, PhD
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