Bhagavan Shri Krsna: His Earthly Leelas

This book is the collection of Shri Krsna’s earthly life stories as described in the Purānas and in the Mahābhārata (the epic). He is the ‘Purna Avatāra’ that is Incarnate of Vishnu (Nārāyana). In the Bhagavat Purāna (also known as Bhāgavatam), Bhagavān Shri Krsna is described as a religious teacher. In the Bhāgavat Purāna, it is stated “Krsnastu Bhagavān Svayam” meaning Krsna is Bhagavān. Bhagavān is the term commonly used to mean God, the Supreme Being responsive to worship and prayers. As described in the Purānas Bhagavān Shri Krsna’s stories are concerned wit: 1) as the destroyer of the Asuras to save the universe from their evil crutches; 2) as the divine lover playing His divine plays, known as the ‘Rāsalilā’; and 3) as the Guru that is the teacher. On the eve of the war at Kurukshetra between Kauravas and Pāndavas, Shri Krsna, serving as the charioteer of Arjuna’s chariot, revealed to Arjuna, the third Pāndava, the ‘Bhagavad Gitā’, the fundamental doctrines of the Vedānta (the Upanishads). Besides, Bhagavad Gitā expounds three significant concepts about which very little are found in the Vedas. These concepts are 1) the doctrine of Niskāma Karma Yoga that is performing Karma without any desire for personal gain and attachment, 2) the doctrine of Incarnation (Avatāra Vāda) and 3) complete self-surrender (Prapatti) with love and devotion (Bhakti Yoga) to Bhagavān Shri Krsna. Just before leaving His mortal body for His heavenly abode, Bhagavān Shri Krsna gave His teachings to one of His disciples, Uddhava. This teaching commonly known as the ‘Uddhava Gitā’ is similar to the teachings of Bhagavad Gitā that He taught Arjuna, the third Pāndava, on the eve the Kurukshetra war. Bhagavān Shri Krsna, as the Supreme Spirit, the Supreme Lord, sported for a time in His creation and then dissolved it in Himself, but nonetheless He remains, by virtue of His power, in the supreme glory of His on majesty as the Supreme Spirit, ever unchanging and unaffected by all the cosmic processes. He taught that this mortal human body is of no value and the way of those established in the Ātman is to let it fall without any regret.