© Aris Dervis 2006

June 2006

Krishna

No Hindu contests Krishna's level of consciousness. He was a full avatar of Vishnu, completely conscious of his divinity from birth. Every day of his life was full of miracles. He embodied Godhood at its most loving, most wise and most fun.

The stories of Krishna's boyhood in Vrindavan are some of the most delightful and most sensual- in Hindu spiritual lore. Krishna was so devastatingly attractive that all the women in the village fell helplessly in love with him. Most of them were simple milkmaids (gopis in Sanskrit) who made their living selling fresh milk. At night Krishna would wander out into the forest and play enchantingly on his flute. The gopis would slip out of their homes (sometimes out of their husbands' beds) to rendezvous with their divine lover.

One night, to satisfy the desires of all the women in love with him, Krishna temporarily "cloned" himself into dozens of Krishnas. Then he danced through the night with each and every one of the gopis at the same time. Each of them innocently believed that she alone enjoyed his love.

As a young man, Krishna left Vrindavan. But back in his village, the gopis pined for him night and day, especially Radha, his favorite girlfriend. Krishna never returned to Vrindavan, but the gopis ached for him every moment of their lives, until they actually began to see him in everyone and everything around them. Merging in Krishna's true Self, they each attained enlightenment. Many Hindus still cherish the memory of the gopis as the greatest devotees who ever lived.

From The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism by Linda Johnsen, 2002, Alpha Press

In this visual depiction of the young Krishna we see him basking in the adulation and affection of his woodland friends.

Krishna products are available as a candle, t-shirt, print or greeting card.

Hare!