Vishnu incarnates himself as Krishna, the eight avatar in the age known as Dwapara. Krishna’s descent on planet earth took place in the month of Bhadrapad, on the eight lunar day, in the dark fortnight, in the constellation of Rohini and His prime purpose was to re-establish righteousness and eradicate the unrighteous. Known as the protector of the cows, He from early childhood embarked on His mission to re-establish Dharma. He reminds the world that: “Whenever there is a decline of righteousness, and rise of unrighteousness, then I body Myself forth.
For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of righteousness, I come into being. To protect the saintly, destroy the evil and to re-establish the tenets of religion, I come forth from millennium after millennium.”
It was a cloudless sky with beautiful stars twinkling, the moon and other planets were very peaceful and beauty and peace filled the universe during the time of His descent. Rivers flowed with clear water whilst lakes were full of lotus flowers. Trees were filled with lovely flowers and fresh leaves and birds were singing while bees were buzzing; thus creating both a wonderful sight to the eyes and beautiful sound to the ears. The sacrificial fires of the Brahmanas remained undisturbed by the breeze that filled the air with the aroma of fresh flowers.
When Krishna was about to appear, there was a profound feeling of peace and tranquility in the hearts of the saints, the Brahmanas and other holy men. Kettledrums vibrated from the heavenly spheres, the celestial singers began to sing songs auspicious to the occasion and the celestial dancers danced in jubilation. Appropriate prayers were offered to suit the occasion and flowers were showered in a joyful mood to herald in the avatar of Shree Krishna.
Krishna performed various actions many of which can be termed mystical but his imparting of knowledge is what stands out most with his personality. He demonstrates that there are several ways to serve God and that all are worthy of regard. He establishes that spiritual discipline is one of the highest forms of sacrifice and that humility is a characteristic of the enlightened. He delivered the sacred teachings of the Bhagavad Gita on the field of Kurukshetra such that the equilibrium between good and evil can be maintained. Krishna the eight avatar of Vishnu is knowledge personified.
email: trinihindu@lycos.com
