Who is Krishna?
~ Krishna is God ~
More accurately, Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Krishna is an actual person. In fact, He is the Original Person.
He has everything all other people have: form, features, likes, dislikes, interests, activities, and so on. But everything associated with Krishna is perfect, complete, and whole - because he is the Ultimate Person ... God.
Krishna's form is that of an often playful, lusty blue-tinged, flute-playing cowherd youth.
How can that be?
Well ... why not? He's God - so He can be any way He wants to be!
Lord Krishna's last earthly appearance took place in India, about 5000 years ago. Those pastimes are best described in transcendental vedic ("ancient Indian") literatures - especially the 10th canto ("book) of the Srimad Bhagavatam, which is beautifully summarized by Srila Prabhupada in his KRSNA book. Krishna is also the Person who spoke (actually sang) the Bhagavad-gita.
BBT edition online |
original 1972 edition online |
original 1970 edition online |
There is a most beautiful bhajan (song) that perfectly describes His lila ("divine play") - which Srila Prabhupada loved to sing ...
jaya radha-madhava kunja-vihari
gopi-jana-vallabha giri-vara-dhari
yashoda-nanadana vraja-jana-ranjana
yamuna-tira-vana cari"Krishna is the lover of Radha. He displays many amorous pastimes in the groves of Vrndavana. He is the lover of the cowders maidens of Vraja, the holder of the great hill named Govardhana, and the beloved sone of mother Yasoda. He delights the inhabitants of Vraja and wanders in the forests along the banks of the river Yamuna."
As God, Krishna is love, itself. And He wants us to love Him, as He loves us - perfectly, unconditionally, and wholely.
Because He is God - and so ultimately Ultimate - everything about Krishna is completely Krishna. His appearance/form, His name, and even the beautiful pastime stories about Him are Him.
So when we chant His name, we are directly in Krishna's presence ... it is sometimes said that when we chant Hare Krishna, He dances on the tip of out tongue!
* Hare Krishna in San Francisco, 1967 - VIDEOS *
* Damodara dasa - my spiritual name *