Sadhguru explains why Krishna is considered as a complete incarnation of God, and how different people around him perceived and experienced Krishna in radically different ways.
Sadhguru: Very few human beings ever get to be placed in situations as complex as the ones Krishna was placed in. In every situation, he exhibited clarity of vision and certainty in discerning what is true and what is not. People experienced him as godlike because of the clarity that he brought to them. That is why Krishna was considered a complete avatar or a complete incarnation of God.
In the East, they talked about nine incarnations, much before Charles Darwin. The first incarnation is called Matsya avatara. That means God appeared in the form of a fish. Charles Darwin said the first form of life on the planet was water life – fish. The next incarnation is Kurma avatara – a turtle, which is an amphibious reptile. The third incarnation is Varaha avatara, a pig, which is a gross mammal. The fourth incarnation is Narasimha avatara – half man and half animal. The next one is Vamana avatara, a human dwarf. The next one is Parashurama – a full-grown man, but so extremely violent he even lopped off his own mother’s head. The next one is Ramavatara – a very peaceful but unidimensional kind of man. The next is Krishnavatara – a very multi-dimensional human being.
So Krishnavatara was considered as a complete avatara or a complete incarnation of God. Though Krishna himself never claimed it, people around him naturally identified him as divine. A whole culture evolved around this identity of Krishna being a complete incarnation of the divine.
Krishna was an irrepressible child, a terrible prankster, an enchanting flute player, a graceful dancer, an irresistible lover, a truly valiant warrior, a ruthless vanquisher of his foes, a man who left a broken heart in every home, an astute statesman and kingmaker, a thorough gentlemen, a Yogi of the highest order, and the most colorful incarnation. He was seen, perceived, understood, and experienced in many different ways by different people.
Duryodhana is a man who became insecure, angry, jealous, greedy, and felt wronged all his life because of certain situations he was placed in. Because of actions which came forth from his greed and anger, he became the key for the destruction of his whole race. In Duryodhana’s words, Krishna is “a smiling rogue if there was ever one. He can eat, he can drink, he can sing, he can dance, he can make love, he can fight, he can gossip with old women, and play with little children. Who says he is God?” That is Duryodhana’s perception.
Shakuni, who was the very embodiment of deception and cunning, said, “Let us suppose he is God – so what? What can God do? God can only please those devotees who please him. Let him be God. I do not like him. And when you do not like someone, you must praise them.” That is deceit.
Radhe was his childhood lover and a simple village milkmaid who become so big with her unfaltering love and devotion that today you cannot talk of Krishna without Radhe. We do not say Krishna Radhe, we say Radhe Krishna. A simple village woman became as significant as Krishna, or even a little more significant than him. Radhe said, “Krishna is with me. He is always with me. Wherever he is, whoever he is with, he is still with me.” That is her perception.
Vainteya, a sprightly youth and the Garuda chief’s eldest son, became totally crippled because of a certain ailment. Krishna made this crippled youth walk. So Vainteya said, “He is God. He is God. He is God.”
Akrura, an uncle of Krishna, a wise and saintly being, expressed his perception of Krishna this way: “When I look at this strange young boy, I see the sun, the moon, and the seven stars whirling around him. When he speaks, he sounds like the voice of the eternal. If there is hope in this world, he is the hope.”
Shikhandi was a tortured human being right from his childhood because of a certain situation within himself. He said, “When Krishna is there, the breeze of hope touches everyone.”
Different people saw different facets of Krishna. For some he is God. For some he is a crook. For some he is a lover. For some he is a fighter. He is so many things. If we want to taste an essence of the consciousness that we refer to as Krishna, we need leela. Leela means the path of the playful. This is not for the serious types. We do not want to just play – we want to explore the most profound and the most serious aspect of life, but playfully. Otherwise, Krishna will not be there. The reason why the vast majority of people in the world miss the most profound dimensions of life is because they do not know how to be playful.
If you want to be playful, you need a heart full of love, a joyful mind, and a vibrant body. To explore the most profound dimensions of life in a playful way, you must be willing to play with your awareness, your imagination, your memory, your life and your death. Only if you are willing to play with everything, is there leela. Leela does not mean just dancing with someone. You are willing to dance with your enemy and the one you love. You are willing to dance with life and the last moment of your death. Only then is there leela.
