Let Krishna’s undying smile be an inspiration to us

“Speaking about Lord Krishna is a difficult because he transcends thought and word. Lord Krishna is that truth, unable to explain which, thoughts and words return defeated. He is pure knowledge, pure bliss, pure love and the embodiment of dharma—yet he is beyond all this as well.

“Lord Krishna lived 5,000 years ago, but his message and work have equal importance in the present and the future. The reason is that Lord Krishna’s life and words teach us practical things. Through his life, Bhagavan Krishna showed us how man can practice spiritual values in his daily life even while immersed in worldly actions. In Ambadi, in Vrindavan and in several other places, he performed many miracles. If we keep those aside, Lord Krishna’s life contains the same events as the life of an ordinary man. Yet there was a huge difference: Lord Krishna was able to face all the circumstances in his life with a smile. Whether the circumstances were favourable or unfavourable, his smile—the mark of complete contentment—never left his face. His smile proclaimed to the world that his birth and life were completely blissful. Since the day he was born, the smile never left his face—not even in the battlefield.

“Krishna’s form, his words, his plays and actions left devotees absorbed in bliss. There is no greater power, no greater miracle, than love. In fact, Krishna’s greatest miracle was not lifting the Govardhana mountain; it was the love he created in the hearts of the Gopis. Because, the Gopis were simple, illiterate, village girls who had no exposure to scriptural knowledge. All they had was their innocent love for Krishna. They thought of Krishna as being the only truth, the only eternal companion, their only true wealth, their everything. Their wealth was Krishna, their truth was Krishna, their sole relative was Krishna, their self was Krishna… When they abandoned their husbands and children to follow Krishna, he told them to return to their household duties. The Gopis asked him then, “We have reached you, to attain whom all the karmas (duties) of the world are performed. So, what significance do our duties have in our lives when we have attained you?” This is the attitude the Gopis had towards Bhagavan Krishna—the attitude of love for love’s own sake.

“Lord Krishna entered this world with a smile and left the world with a smile. As for us, we come into the world crying and leave it crying and making others cry. We should prepare to leave the world with a smile. Life should be like a hotel that we enter with a smile, enjoy the stay and exit with a smile. When a person living in a rented home builds a house, he leaves for his own home gladly. He will not leave unhappily; he will leave with a smile because he is leaving for his own house. Similarly, death is an unexpected guest who can arrive at any moment, beckoning us. We should be able to leave at any moment with a smile, with the awareness that we are going to our true home. The body is like a rented home that we will be asked to vacate at any moment. We should stay in it, but at the same time put efforts to build our real home. Then we can leave with a smile.

“Let Krishna’s undying smile be an inspiration to us all. May love for God flow from my children’s hearts like gentle moonlight. May that infant Krishna be born and play in all hearts at all times. Let us imagine a world like that. We see children laughing, running and playing around us. In the same way, let us imagine all the people of the world forgetting every care, laughing, running and playing like children. Let us pray for this and strive towards its fulfilment. Just as Krishna and the Gopis of Vrindavan laughed and played and lived merrily, forgetting everything else, may my children’s hearts be filled with playfulness, love and happiness. May grace bless my children.”
– Excerpt from Amma’s Krishna Jayanthi Message, 08 Sep 2012, Amritapuri