Quotes About Krishna

A world created by observation evokes insight, hence affection, for we see the hunger and fear of all beings. Life becomes a performance on a stage (ranga-bhoomi) aimed to nourish and comfort the other, while deriving nourishment and comfort from their delight. Krishna's performance (leela) leads to him being worshipped as Ranga-natha, lord of the stage. He never judges, so he sees no one as a victim. This is how he begins The Gita:

Vajranabhi asked artisans to carve images of Krishna based on descriptions given by Abhimanyu's wife, Uttari. But the description was so grand that each artisan could capture only part of the beauty in each image. These images were lost to the world for centuries and later discovered by holy men who enshrined them in temples. The image of Srinathji at Nathdvara is said to be one such image.

Strength alone is not enough in this world; divine grace is needed. Krishna

To protect her son, Shishupala's mother gets from Krishna a boon that he will forgive a hundred crimes of her son. But she does not bother to warn her son never to commit a crime. Thus Vyasa draws attention to a peculiar human trait of trying to solve a problem through external means without bringing about any internal transformation.

By associating Arjuna and Krishna to Nara and Narayana, Vyasa makes them creatures of destiny. Their birth is not random; they are born for a reason.

The personalities of the two incarnations of Vishnu are quite different. Rama is august; Krishna is winsome. Rama is straightforward; Krishna is guileful. Rama is monogamous; Krishna is polygamous. Rama is regal; Krishna is charming. Rama follows the rules at all costs; Krishna redefines the rules. Rama is a conformist; Krishna is a maverick. Rama is rectitude personified; Krishna is playfulness personified.

The Buddha spoke of nirvana, which means oblivion of individual identity, but Krishna speaks of brahma-nirvana as an expansion of the mind (brahmana) that leads to liberation (moksha) while ironically also enabling union (yoga), indicating a shift away from monastic isolationism. That

For Krishna, there can be no dharma without the spirit of generosity. Without genuine love, laws and rules are worthless.

In a way the Ramayana warns us about the dangers of excessive reliance on rules. It reveals the personality of a man who values rules above all else: he is predictable, dependable, but not very pleasant. This is balanced by Krishna who looks beyond rules at intent and, more importantly, affection. Ram seems cold and distant when compared to the lovable Krishna. Together they create Vishnu, the preserver of the world.

However, we rarely speak about the collateral damage: the death of Draupadi's children, Arjuna's son Abhimanyu and Bhima's son Ghatotkach; how Gandhari curses Krishna and his entire clan is eventually wiped out. Krishna does not complain. Even a dharmic war has collateral damage, which the gods accept without getting upset. Consequences are a part of life.

By introducing the idea of immortality and rebirth in Chapter 2 of The Gita, Krishna changes the scope of the discussion, for without death serving as a boundary, there is no fear, no yearning for food or meaning, nowhere to come from, or go to, for the end is no longer the end and the beginning is no longer the beginning. Rather than change the world that defies control, rather than seek validation from things temporary, we engage, observe, discover and enjoy.

The Gita itself values subjectivity: after concluding his counsel, Krishna tells Arjuna to reflect on what has been said, and then do as he feels (yatha-ichasi-tatha-kuru). Even

Mahabharata is about the household, about relationships, about others. It is essentially about a property dispute. Arjuna's dilemma begins when he realizes that the enemy is family and he fears the impact of killing family on society as a whole. Krishna

Robert Oppenheimer infamously equated the nuclear bomb with Krishna's cosmic form.

Where Krishna yokes the mind and Arjuna bears the bow, there is always fortune, success, dominion, stability, and law. That is my opinion.—Bhagavad Gita:

Krishna encourages Drona's killing because Drona has abandoned varna-dharma. Though born in a family of priests, he functions as a warrior and even crowns his son king of a kingdom created by laying claim to one half of Draupada's land. As teacher, he teaches his students

My life belongs the Lord Krishna now. I'm just the servant of Krishna. I've never been so humble in all my life, and I feel great!

Spiritual life is absolute reality. Krishna is real but we have lost the ability to realize him.

Unless we hear very strictly with great faith to the order of our Spiritual Master, we will not understand what is the mercy of Krishna and how it is coming upon us.

A guru trains his disciples to become Krishna dasa, a menial servant of Krishna.

When we face difficulties and still remain faithful to Krishna and spiritual master we access the infinite mercy of their hearts.

God is love; and the Hindu love-god, Krishna, is always depicted with blue skin. Tell them blue; it will be a sort of bridge between the faiths; gently does it, you follow; and besides blue is a neutral sort of colour, avoids the usual Colour problems, gets you away from black and white: yes, on the whole I'm sure it's the one to choose.

He stretched out his hands as he sang, sadly, because all beauty is sad…The poem had done no 'good' to anyone, but it was a passing reminder, a breath from the divine lips of beauty, a nightingale between two worlds of dust. Less explicit than the call to Krishna, it voiced our loneliness nevertheless, our isolation, our need for the Friend who never comes yet is not entirely disproved.

If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once in the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One [Krishna].