Dr KK Aggarwal
Krishna has two forms; Krishna
consciousness represents the unmanifest; the other form is Krishna as manifest
form of Brahman or God consciousness.
Krishna avatar is synonymous
with self-realization.
Normally desires and negative
thoughts core our consciousness with ignorance. The journey to self-realization
involves removal or shedding of this ignorance which can only be done by the
eight spiritual principles as described by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. These
include: Yama (self-control); Niyama (self-discipline), Asanas (bodily
postures); Pranayama (control of breath), Pratyahara (one pointed), Dhyana
(contemplation) and Samadhi (self-realization).
Ignorance can be symbolized by
a prison, which represents darkness; narrow-minded approach (small entry gate)
and limitedness to everything (small room). The chains in the prison denote the
bondages of lust, greed, desires and ego.
The birth of Krishna in the
prison means “self-realization out of ignorance”. It can only be acquired by
adhering to the eight principles of Ashtanga Yoga with Tapas (Abhyasa) or hard
work.
Krishna, born, as the eighth
child of Devaki and on Ashtami, represents tapas of the eight limbs of yoga.
The self-realization can only occur after the seven steps have been
successfully negotiated and the mind is purified during the process.
In the state of Samadhi, there
is spontaneous birth of the self. In this state (sama = equal; dhi =
intelligence), one controls equality and balances himself between the good and
the bad.
The symbolization is that, as
Krishna was born, the chains that bound his father fell off; the doors that had
been bolted flew open and the prison guards immediately fell asleep. Vasudeva,
his father, took Krishna and went to Gokul, after placing Krishna in a basket
and walking across the Yamuna river, where at the same time Yashoda, consort of
Nanda, had given birth to a female child.
The “chains” here stand for
the bondage to the external world and the five senses. A self-realized person
is free of these bondages. The opening of gates symbolizes control over lust,
desire, greed and attachments. The sleeping guards symbolize that in a
self-realized state, one is totally cut off from the world. Everything else
perishes and one gets detached.
The thunderstorm, the rain,
and the fire, all represent the internal turmoil of uncontrolled desires and
hatred. The moment Krishna’s feet touch the turbulent water, everything
settles.
The spiritual lesson is that
by turning inwards and towards one’s pure consciousness any turbulent state of
mind can be controlled.
While acquiring all that, one
must control the ego and keep the desires inwards and not have ego egocentric
desires.
Controlling the ego is
depicted as a snake sitting over the basket and guarding Lord Krishna.
The baby girl born at Gokul
represents the Mayashakti, which was killed by Kansa (the ego of the body).
It is easy to control one’s
desires and attachments, but controlling the Ego is the most difficult. This is
illustrated by the fact that at the time of birth of Krishna, Kansa was still
alive. It took many years for Krishna (self-realized state) to kill the ego
(Kansa).
Acquiring a state of
self-realization should not be the ultimate goal in life. After
self-realization, if the ego is not controlled, one can misuse one’s spiritual
powers. The ultimate aim in life should then be to kill the ego, which is what
Krishna ultimately did.
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
President Elect Confederation of
Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania (CMAAO)
Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President Heart Care Foundation of
India
Past National President
IMA
