Times Of India: Krishna In The Time Of Love

Times of India, 8 Feb 2009: In the words of His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad, founder acharya of ISKCON, “Everybody is a part of the supreme personality of Lord Shri Krishna. What we see-man or woman-is only an external covering. All living entities (souls) have an eternal relationship of pure love with the Supersoul (Krishna). We were always related to the Supersoul but have forgotten that relationship. We have fallen down in this material world. We need to be connected to Krishna and reestablish our relationship of pure love through devotional service (bhakti). This bhakti is not material, there is no scope for business. From the Vedic perspective, love is unconditional, unmotivated service to Krishna. And when that happens, everyday is Valentine’s Day.”

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Krishna_in_the_time_of_love/articleshow/4093545.cms

MUMBAI: It’s the season for love and what better time than to meet cupid in his original avatar- Krishna, the Dark Lord, the embodiment of pure love. The Vedas describe him as a beautiful youth with a glowing complexion the colour of rain clouds.

“Krishna embodies the archetype of the ultimate lover in all its forms,” says spiritual guru Deepak Chopra. “As the holy child, he is both the receiver and giver of love. His innocent love radiates like light from a bonfire, focussed on none and denied to none. As Radha’s lover, he gives us a glimpse into the nature of conjugal love, fidelity, romance, mystery, adventure and deep longing.
Finally, Krishna shows us the love between guru and disciple when he instructs the great warrior Arjun in yoga as a means to enlightenment: raj yoga, the love of meditation; bhakti yoga, the love of devotion; gyan yoga, the love of knowledge; and karma yoga, the love of service. By understanding and knowing Krishna, we can elevate the significance of Valentine’s Day to a deeper understanding of love and live life with joy and fulfilment.”

Love, of course, needn’t only be seen in the narrow context of romantic love between man and woman. In the words of His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad, founder acharya of ISKCON, “Everybody is a part of the supreme personality of Lord Shri Krishna. What we see-man or woman-is only an external covering. All living entities (souls) have an eternal relationship of pure love with the Supersoul (Krishna). We were always related to the Supersoul but have forgotten that relationship. We have fallen down in this material world. We need to be connected to Krishna and reestablish our relationship of pure love through devotional service (bhakti). This bhakti is not material, there is no scope for business. From the Vedic perspective, love is unconditional, unmotivated service to Krishna. And when that happens, everyday is Valentine’s Day.”

And that’s not all. Krishna’s also a handsome young god with attitude. He is said to be the poorna avtar. While the Vedas describe this as the full manifestation of Vishnu, you could simply call him the complete man. Explains bureaucrat and author of The Book Of Krishna, Pavan K Varma, “Dharma, arth, kaam and moksh are the four highest goals of Hindu philosophy. Each must be pursued in proportion, none in exclusion. As shringarmurtimam, Krishna is the embodiment of shringar ras and symbolises the balanced pursuit of desire. Much has been written about the glory of raas leela or the `dance of divine love’ that Krishna performs with his gopis on the banks of the Yamuna in Vrindavan. While I am totally against indiscriminate mimicry of western institutions, the romance of Radha and Krishna is eternal and all-encompassing.”