Krishna’s True Nature

H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Talks by

In Bhagawad Gita, Krishna says, “People do not know my true nature. Nobody knows.” In his entire life, only three people knew his true form. One was Yashoda, who learnt by accident. While she was bringing Krishna up, she had to beat him on several occasions because he was so naughty, so unbearably naughty.

Once, when he was eating mud, she came and slapped him on the face, saying, “What?! Are you eating mud?! I have given you so many other things to eat, and you are eating mud!” Krishna replied, “No, I have not eaten mud. You can look inside my mouth!”

He then opened his mouth to show her… and Yashoda saw the entire universe in there! She saw space inside him; she saw that he was hollow and empty. She saw that he was not just another body, but manifested innocence. Inside him, were all the stars, the sun, the moon, and all that exists in creation, she saw everything and nothing in his mouth!

Then Krishna made so many arguments to Arjuna in order to make him fight, but Arjuna was still not ready. Then Krishna said, ”Okay, you are my very dearest friend. I’m going to show you who I really am. You cannot see this with your two eyes. You need special eyes for this- these eyes of yours. I will give you another eye – my eye.

You will see, who I am, from my eye.” What Arjuna saw, with Krishna’s eye, shocked him! He said. “Oh! I thought you were an ordinary being! I thought you were just a friend to me – a very good friend, a respectable and talented friend. I never knew that you are totality represented.

You are infinity; you are everything. You are the air, you are the wind, and you are the sky. I see the entire creation in you.”Arjun was bewildered, and he started shivering. He then said, “Oh! I beg your pardon! I might have told you so many things- offended you several times. I have played with you and I have fought with you. Please pardon me.”

The third person was Krishna’s childhood friend, Uddhava. It was only at the end of his mortal life that Uddhava came to know who Krishna was.

In Bhagawad Gita, Krishna says, “ People think of me as a physical embodiment – as the body. I am not the body. I am the consciousness, which is present all over; I am the Consciousness, which is present in everything. I am the sweetness in sugar, the light in the moon. The heat in the sun – I am this… I am that.” He expresses himself as “I am all-permeating” – and this is why Krishna is aptly represented in the colour blue.

Look at the pose in which Krishna stands.he has one foot on the ground, and the other crosses over the first, just above touching the ground. This is called the tribhangi pose – i.e., one foot is firmly on the ground, and the other foot appear to be touching the ground, but it is not touching it elsewhere.

This implies: Use only that much of your mind and energy in the world, as is required for your worldly affairs to go on, and not any more. The perfect balance is to put one foot 100 percent on the ground, and the other foot just barely touching the ground with most of it in the air. This is the way to live life – the “ Art of Living” way; this is how to make life like a dance.

Radha and Krishna

Here is the story of Radha… “Radha” means longing.

Radha was already married to someone, but nobody even knows her husband’s name! when it is said that “she was married” – what is meant by this is that – before Krishna arrived in her life, the longing was for something else.

People long for a car, for prestige, for fame – for so many other things. However, when Bliss – when God – comes into our lives, this longing becomes to intense. It was the same with Radha; she forgot everything! She left her husband, her home, her cooking and all other things- and came to Krishna.

She became immersed in Krishna because that longing for the Divine, that longing for Love, was so total that even Krishna (Divine) could not stay without Radha! Krishna says, “Oh! Radhe! I play the flute just for you- for you alone!” Radha was nine year older than Krishna. Some people, some scriptures, could not accept this. They said, “What is this relationship between Radha and Krishna?! It is very illegal!”However, the symbolism behind this is very different; it is very beautiful.

Longing is older than love because longing gives birth to love. It is longing that reaches love – and they always go together. There cannot be love without longing, and there cannot be longing without love.How can you long for something that you have not loved – and how can you not feel longing, if you love something?

If you love something, you will naturally long for it! So in “Radhe Shyam”, “Shyam” is infinity and “Radhe” is longing.Radhe is the individual life; Shyam is the infinite life. Infinity drwns in every cell of the body – and this is what we have been doing in meditation – i.e., taking the mind to the vast, taking it “throughout”, observing and seeing, become alive. Take it all around, and out – into infinite space.

The entire creation is filled with life everywhere… and this is “Radhe shyam”.

Collection of talks on Krishna By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Jai Gurudev