Krishna consciousness

“The word ‘krish’ is the attractive feature of the lord’s existence and ‘na’ means spiritual pleasure. When the verb ‘krish’ is added to the affix ‘na’ it becomes Krishna, which indicates the Absolute Truth” — The Mahabharta

About Lord Krishna Krishna is the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, who holds the role of the preserver, in the supreme trilogy of comprising Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. Krishna’s appearance is that of a God with dark complexion, surrounded by loving and charming devotees, wearing a mukut that has a peacock feather on top, blessed with black curly hair, a mischievous smile on his lips and holding a flute in his hand. As a child, he is always depicted as a naughty yet a charming boy who is almost always stealing and eating butter/makhan. Hence he is also lovingly known as makhan chor. Other images of Krishna comprise the ones that have him holding the Sudarshan Chakra or a lotus flower or standing/playing with his favourite — Radha.

Krishna’s complexion is dark/blue because the people around him see the blueness in his energy: his aura is blue, which symbolises pure attractiveness. The Gopis’ symbolise unconditional faith and devotion towards the Lord. His peacock feather symbolises a combination of beauty and knowledge, it’s also a symbol of the evil eye that helps one protect oneself from greed and anger. The flute is made of a hallow bamboo which further signifies that we (his pupil) are hollow from inside but at the same time willing to allow the Lord to come inside us, help us, and direct us with his melodious tunes.

The Maha Mantra Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare Bhaktivedanta Swami describes this beautiful maha mantra as: “Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind; this consciousness is the original energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived This chanting of maha mantra is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness — namely sensual, mental, and intellectual.” Sit in a comfortable position, light a small diya in front of you, play the maha mantra or chant it very softly while keeping your eyes closed. Breathe in deeply, hold your breath and then exhale. This mantra jaap will help you cleanse your aura and bring in positive vibrations. It is a very strong and effective mantra for attaining one’s peace of mind and should be performed daily for at least for five minutes, either in the morning or at night. One can also have this mantra play continuously at work areas or homes to protect oneself from any negative forces.

Krishna Janmasthami This festival is the celebration of the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu. This festival is celebrated on the eighth day of the Krishna Paksha in the month of August-September (Bhadrapad) according to the Hindu calendar. The devotees worship the God by fasting and staying up till midnight to offer their prayers as it is believed that he was born at that time. People even read the Bhagvad Gita on this day.

Cities such as Mathura, Vrindavan and Gokul are associated with this festival as they are related to his childhood days. Dahi Handi is also linked to this festival.

This Janmashtami, let us all try and make some parshads at home and offer them to the Lord, and chant the maha mantra at least 108 times, seek his forgiveness and ask him to protect us from all negativity.

The writer is a numerologist, coffee cup reader and rudraksha therapist