[Advaita-l] Re: Lord Krishna lived for 125 years

[Raghavendra N Kalyan]

Dear Bhaskar-ji,


>First of all I dont know why it is a big issue with Krishna bhaktha-s >when
>someone talks about krishna's socalled death.... interestingly, we are
>celebrating krishna's *janmAshtami* in a cavalier manner accepting his
>*birth*. When we are accepting the birth of krishna, I dont know what
>exactly is the problem in accepting his death as well....for that matter,
>krishna himself says in gIta *jAtasya hi dhruvO mrutyuhu* is it not??
 
The issue is not specific to Krishna bhakta-s as it is also relevant to the concept of Ishwara. I dont know how many of us are celebrating janmAshTami in a "cavalier" manner, but I think Krishna's "birth" and "death" may be understood in the context of his control over his own destiny, which is absolute, as Krishna is eternally free and knows he is so. (contrast it with your or my birth to know the difference, of course we too can "attain" Krishnatva if we "strive", but that is beside the point.) As for "celebrating" janmAshTami, dont you think his "birth" on earth is a good thing to happen, (well, atleast for those folks who are celebrating it in a non-cavalier manner)? And as for his "death", that marked the beginning of kali yuga - an age where dharma is supposedly at its lowest. That doesn't give us much reason to "celebrate" it. Does it?  
 
>If his birth & death is mere appearance &
>disappearance, why at all those dramatic episodes of his birth & his
>pastimes in childhood in bhAgavataM?? 
 
There is a specific reason for this. I forgot it but it goes like this - Some devotees of Vishnu wanted to see his pastimes etc. etc.  I think the bhAgavata purANa mentions this.
 
>why he wants to show his foot to the
>hunter to end his physical form?? just like that he could have >disappeared
>in thin air is it not??
 
I think the same question can be asked. Why should he disappear in to thin air? (Interestingly some avatAra-s have come close to "disappearing into thin air"). May be he could have disappeared into thin air if he wanted to but he did not want that. Anyway, he has absolute control over his "birth" and "death" which would make them devoid of their meaning taken in the conventional sense. (I am almost sure that everyone who celebrates his birth consider the event to have happened by his own choice. What, then, is so "cavalier" in celebrating his birth?)

		
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