23 August 2019 — Amritapuri Ashram
SreeKrishna Jayanthi Celebrations – excerpts from Amma’s message
Today is the sacred day when the Lord Krishna took avatara on this earth as the embodiment of strength and beauty. He gave this world the message of courageous action and pure love in all its fullness. The Sanskrit word avatara has a meaning other than “incarnation”; that is “ teertham holy place or holy water.” Bhagavan Krishna is the holy water that washes away the impurities of the mind. The mind becomes pure. True knowledge awakens. The dark-hued one, dressed in yellow raiment, wearing a peacock feather in his hair—he still shines as the protector of dharma and the guru of the world.
Sri Krishna’s lilas attract one all—from little children to the elderly. They captivate the educated and uneducated alike. Centuries have passed, yet that attraction persists, undiminished. To this day, bhagavan still plays his lilas in millions and millions of hearts. Sri Krishna was born with a smile on his face. He smiled throughout his life and finally gave up his body with a smile. He was not attached to anything—like butter floating in water. He did every action without the notion of doer-ship.
Lord Krishna, who was eternally free, was born in a prison cell. This symbolises the state of every human life. Each soul is essentially free—whole and complete. However, not realising this wholeness, we are born and live in this prison cell. This prison cell is nothing but thinking that we are this body. Bhagavan was also born into a body but the difference was that Bhagavan never forgot his completeness. His was born to release others from the notion that they were their bodies.
Not long after Bhagavan was born, both his parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, came unchained. This symbolises that when love for God takes birth in the human heart, it will not be long before that person is liberated from the misery of birth and death. When Krishna was born in the prison cell, the guards fell into a deep asleep and the prison doors opened by themselves. Vasudeva was able to step out easily with the infant Krishna, unbeknown to anyone, and walk across the Yamuna River to Ambadi. The guards symbolise our five senses. When the love for God is born within an individual, all his senses come under his control. Then the mind will not wander in search of external comfort. This is the reason why Vasudeva was able to cross the Yamuna so effortlessly. A real devotee is not a slave to anything. In fact, he becomes the emperor of the world.
We know that Krishna was very fond of butter and that his favourite lila was to steal butter from the homes of the gopis. Even though butter is present in milk, to extract the butter, the milk has to be turned into buttermilk, and the buttermilk has to be churned. The butter symbolises that which is dearest to Bhagavan: parabhakti—supreme devotion. At present our bhakti is tainted with desires. Today we are ruled by our likes and dislikes, selfishness and ego. Only when these impurities are removed will our bhakti become mature and turn into parabhakti—supreme devotion. Amma prays to the Paramatman that the hearts of her children are filled with the supreme love for the Lord.
Read about Uriyadi and Go puja celebrations
