Swami Dhruveshananda :
Every religion has three important aspects—philosophical, ritualistic and mythological. The philosophical aspect is the core of all religions. To make it understandable to the general followers of religions, the seers of religions or the prophets used mythological matters. Mythological matters contain description of incarnation, life-pattern of religious kings etc. Srimat Bhagavatam, Mahabharatam, Ramayanam are the important epics in Hindu religion. In these, divine play of God has been described so that people in general can grasp essence of religion easily. Ritualistic matters like puja, prayer, taking of sacred food etc. help in remembering God in everyday life.
The Ultimate Reality in different religions is described as Parameshwara, Allah, God etc. In Sanatan Dharma there is a belief of incarnation of God. When there is the degradation of religion and the abundance of devils in the world, God assumes various forms to reach human being as a person to teach religious ideals dispelling evil deeds and doers. God has no birth nor death, but as if, He takes birth as mortal being and play His divine play to teach humankind. Such is the case in the event of Janmastami.
In a poetic language there is a description in Bhagavatam. When the kings in the earth, became unjust following irreligious mentality, deeds, cruelty etc., the earth went to God named Vishnu the sustainer of the world and described her distress as a result of activities of the irreligious kings. God promised the earth to descend as an incarnation. A cruel king Kamsa imprisoned his father Ugrasen to become king himself.
He began to torture the good religious people of the kingdom. Once he was carrying his sister Devaki and her bride-groom Vasudev in his chariot, there he heard the celestial voice that the 8th child of this couple on the chariot would kill him. Then Kamsa kept the innocent couple in the prison and killed seven sons one after another. In one of the previous lives Devaki and Vasudev as Prishni and Sutapa prayed for a son like God Himself. There is none like God, so God Himself by His divine power became a divine child and took His advent in the prison. The kind Kamsa could not kill the child as the father kept the child in the dead of night in the house of king Nanda at Vraja, but nobody did know the matter.
That night was the 8th lunar day of Bengali month Shravana the auspicious Janmashthami. The saint Garga named the divine boy Krishna and known in the world as Bhagavan Sri Krishna.
By listening and meditating on the matters of divine birth and play of God which is supernatural, a spiritual aspirant becomes pure in heart. He or she overcomes the fear of death. Living the life in peace and happiness, he or she goes to heaven.
Sri Krishna in his divine play protected the religious people by establishing religion and destroyed the evil doers.
Swami Vivekananda urged us all to become strong in body and mind to understand Sri Krishna and His teachings like Geeta. As a person Sri Krishna had wonderful activity and combination of brain and heart.
He practised in his life and preached : ‘He who in the midst of intense activity finds himself in the greatest calmness, and in the greatest peace finds intense activity, that is the greatest Yogi.’ His play is going on for ever in His universal teachings as the Bhagavad Geeta and illumines all irrespective of caste, colour or creed, giving inspiration for living all in peace and harmony.
His teachings always inspire us also in our life’s battle-filed : ‘Making pleasure and misery the same, making success and defeat the same, do thou stand up and fight (discharge your duties).’
Sri Krishna says, ‘Whosoever comes to Me through whatsoever form I reach him. All human beings follow the path of Mine.’ So we understand that all the religious methods may be different but the goal is the Infinite God Himself, the Ultimate Reality.
Sri Krishna also says that if anybody submits himself or herself at the feet of God wholeheartedly, then God protects him or her from all evil-doings.
This unconditional submission is the goal of all religious practices.
One becomes the best devotee of God by practising non-hatred or non-injury to others. To him friends and enemies become the same as God inhabits hearts of all beings.
By following the teachings of Sri Krishna we can be pure in heart ourselves and become worthy of serving humanity as the service to God Himself. This will lead all the followers of all religions to live in harmony with peaceful co-existence which is very necessary in the present chaotic world with hatred.
(Swami Dhruveshananda,, Adhyaksha, Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission, Dhaka.)
