The meaning of the word “Krśńa”

This speech was given by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti on the 12th January 1980, in Calcutta. It is pubblished in the book Discourses on Krśńa and the Giitá [a compilation]. This book is designed to compliment Discourses on the Mahábhárata and Namámi Krsnasundaram – the author’s two existing books on Krśńa, The Giitá and The Mahábhárata.

«We shall discuss one of the shlokas [couplets] of the Giitá today. This particular shloka may be taken as the guiding or controlling shloka of the Giitá. We will deal with the subject rather elaborately. Here is the shloka – Dhrtaráśt́ra uváca [“Dhritarastra said”]:

Dharmakśetre Kurukśetre samavetá yuyutsavah;
Mámakáh Páńd́avashcaeva kimakurvata Sainjaya.

[“O Sanjaya, now that my children and the children of Pandu have gathered on the battlefield of Dharmakśetra, of Kurukśetra, eager to fight, what is taking place?”]

This is the first shloka of the Giitá, about which I have spoken to you before. Today I will give you only an introduction.

The name of the book is the Giitá. The root verb gae means “to sing”. Hence Giitá means “that which has been sung”. It is in the passive voice. But the passive voice always carries a sense of something remaining inarticulate in the statement. So it becomes necessary to make that implicit idea explicit. Something has been sung. Who then has sung it? Yá Bhagavatá giitá, sá Giitá [“That which has been sung by Bhagaván, the Lord, is the Giitá”]. In this case, since that which has been sung by Shrii Krśńa is the Giitá, Bhagavatá means Krśńena, “by Krśńa”. Who then is Krśńa? That also should be explained in this introduction.

Three Interpretations

The word krśńa has three different interpretations. The word can be derived from the root verb, one of the meanings of which is “to attract”, “to draw everything to one’s self”. The root verb krś plus na gives us “Krśńa”; that is to say, the being which attracts everything of the universe towards its own self, calling out: “Come, come… come to me… you have nothing to worry about… come to me. I am your shelter. I will save you from all dangers. There is nothing to be afraid of, nothing to fear; I am here.” The speaker of these words, who is attracting everybody towards Himself, is indeed Krśńa. Our mind does not want to go to Him, but even then it runs towards Him.

A Vaishnavite poet had this to say: Ucát́ana mana ná máne várańa, Shudhu tári páne chut́e yáy. [The restless mind defies restrictions, and runs only after Him.]

I do not have a mind to go to or to look at Krśńa, but even then, it is as if something keeps pulling me. Thus the word “Krśńa” means “the supreme attractive faculty”.

Again, krśńa has the meaning “black”. The colour black has the greatest attraction for human mind. Among all colours, our attention is drawn first by black. This is the reason why the colour black is called krśńa. It should be remembered, however, that the complexion of the historical Krśńa who lived in Dvápara Yuga(1) was not black.

There is also a third meaning of “Krśńa” krśi bhúh or krśibhúh–. The root verb krś means the feeling “I am”. Don’t you all have a feeling such as this, “I exist”? In fact every individual has the feeling “I am”, myáy hun, ahaḿ asmi. Whenever that “I” feeling is struck a blow, people get irritated, worried, angry or frightened. Now this feeling “I am” [is represented by] the root verb krś, and the meaning of the root verb bhú is “to be”. Hence the meaning of the word “Krśńa” is “I am because He is.” In other words, it is only because of Krśńa that the world exists and living beings exist. If Krśńa had not been there, living beings and the world would not have been there either.

Krśńa is Parama Puruśa (Supreme Counsciousness). In the absence of Parama Puruśa, neither living beings nor the universe would have existed at all. The world is, only because He is. That is why He is called “Krśńa”. My individual existence is dependent on His existence. For instance, because Bengal is there, Calcutta is there. The existence of Calcutta as an entity is dependent on the existence of Bengal. Hence it may well be said that Bengal is the Krśńa of Calcutta. Similarly, because India is there, Bengal is there. Thus India is Krśńa to Bengal. Or, because Asia is there, India is there. Thus Asia is Krśńa to India. And because the world is there, Asia is there. So the world is Krśńa to Asia. Then there is the solar system with the sun, the planets and the satellites – because it is there, our little world is there. Thus the solar system is Krśńa to the world. And because Parama Puruśa is there, this solar system, the planets and satellites, stars and nebulae, and the milky way – all of these entities are there. Hence Parama Puruśa is Krśńa to the entire universe. This is the third meaning of “Krśńa”. Krśibhúh – the existence of the root verb bhúh dependent on the existence of the root verb krś; that is, one existence dependent on another existence.

About 3500 years ago, in Dvápara Yuga, a great personality was born in Mathura. His father’s name was Vasudeva. Because He was a son of Vasudeva, one of his names was Vásudeva. One of his uncles was Nanda, whose profession was cattle-rearing, and his father Vasudeva was a superintendent of jails in Mathura. One elder brother of his father was Maharshi Garga. When the child was born, Maharshi Garga noticed in him a number of extraordinary qualities, and after much thinking and cogitation, christened him “Krśńa”. The Krśńa whom we will discuss, that is, the Krśńa of the Giitá, is this Krśńa of Dvápara Yuga.

Soon I will continue with an analysis of Krśńa’s three roles simultaneously, in order to demonstrate that ultimately they all coincide at a certain point and that the three Krśńas are one and the same. As you know, Narottama Das Thakur composed Aśt́ottar Shatanám [“The One Hundred Eight Names”] of Krśńa. In one place he says:

Ananta rákhila nám anta ná páiyá;
Krśńa nám rákhen Garga dhyánete jániyá.

[Failing to find any limit, Garga named the baby “Ananta” (“Limitless”); and, enlightened by his meditation, gave Him the name “Krśńa”.]»

12 January 1980, Calcutta
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Footnotes:
(1) In mythology, the four ages occur in the order Satya Yuga (Golden Age), Tretá Yuga (Silver Age), Dvápara Yuga (Copper Age), and Kali Yuga (Iron Age), and correspond step by step to a decline of morality and spirituality.

Published in:
Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 17 [in Bengali, unpublished in English] and
Discourses on Krśńa and the Giitá [a compilation]

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Discourses on Lord Krśńa

Krśńa, the Nucleus of the Universe

Lord Krśńa said:

Ye yathá máḿ prapadyante táḿstathaeva bhajámyaham;
Mama vartmánuvarttante manuśyáh Pártha sarvashah.

[I appear before a person according to his or her desires. His or her whole being will be filled with My being. All the jiivas of this universe are rushing towards Me, knowingly or unknowingly.]

Who is Krśńa? What is Krśńa? The word krśńa has so many meanings. One meaning of krś is “to plough the land”. And another meaning of krś is “to attract”. He who draws, He who attracts, everybody towards Him, the Nucleus of the Universe, is “Krśńa”. “Krśńa” means the Nucleus of the Universe. The third meaning of Krśńa is bhurvácak – “the Entity who lives within one’s ‘I’ feeling”. “I am, because Krśńa is – I exist because Krśńa exists.” This is the meaning. That is, if Krśńa does not exist, I also do not exist. My existence, my very existence, depends upon His existence.

You know, for each and every entity there is an acoustic root; that is, each and every entity creates a special type of vibration in this universe, and that special type of vibration is known as the acoustic root. In Sanskrit it is called a biija mantra. Now, the acoustic root of Krśńa is klrḿ (= ka + la + anusvára [aḿ]). Why is klrḿ the acoustic root of Krśńa? Ka is the acoustic root of the objective world. Parama Puruśa (the Supreme Cognitive Faculty, that is the Supreme Counsciousness) creates the world from His divine body, and that’s why I say each and every existence is the divine existence. Each and every boy, each and every girl, and each and every living creature is an avatára [incarnation] of the divine entity, so nobody can be hated or ignored. You are all divine children.

When Parama Puruśa creates something, in that phase as Creator, Parama Puruśa is Kárańa Brahma, because He is the cause. [Kárańa = “cause”.] He is the Causal Entity, and the created universe which He creates is Kárya Brahma, because He is the effect. [Kárya = “effect”.] Now, for Kárańa Brahma the acoustic root, the biija mantra, is omn, and for Kárya Brahma, the created universe, the acoustic root is ka. That is why ka is the first letter of our consonants. In the Sanskrit alphabetical order, ka is the first consonant, because ka is the acoustic root of this created world, of Kárya Brahma, the Effect Brahma, the creation.

In Sanskrit the word ka has several meanings. First, it is the first consonant. Secondly, ka means “water” – jalaḿ, niiraḿ, toyaḿ, udakaḿ, pániiyaḿ, kambalam, ka. Ka means “water”. One day I told you that the land covered with water, surrounded by water, is kaccha, or “kutch”. (Ka + chad + d́a = kaccha.) Kutch is a part of India that is [covered] with water. The third meaning of ka is the Effect Brahma, Kárya Brahma, the objectivated Brahma. The acoustic root of Krśńa is klrḿ. The first letter is ka, because He controls this expressed universe, He attracts this expressed universe, He loves this expressed universe; so the first letter of His acoustic root is ka.

And where does He stand? Does He stand on ether or water or something luminous? No, He lives with all living creatures; that is why He lives in bhútatattva, kśititattva [the solid factor]. The acoustic root of kśititattva is la. Controlling the ka and standing upon this la, that is, kśititattva, is klrḿ, that is, ka + la + anusvára [aḿ]. Krśńa is the Lord of the Universe.

Krśńa says: Ye yathá máḿ prapadyante – “Whatever we touch, whatever we see, in this universe, is of Krśńa.” According to your desires, according to your propensities, whatever you want from Him, you will get. Whatever you demand, He supplies. “Whoever worships me with whatever desires, I serve him accordingly.” If you want money from Him you may get money, but you will not get Him, because you wanted money, not Him. If you want name and fame you may get name and fame, but not Him, because you did not want Him, you wanted something from Him.

Perhaps you wanted that He should destroy your enemies. If you are on the path of dharma, that is, if your demands are justified, He will kill your enemies, but you will not get Him, because you did not want Him. If you want mukti [liberation] or mokśa [non-qualified liberation] from Him, if you are a suitable candidate then you may get it from Him, but you will not get Him, because you did not want Him. So an intelligent spiritual aspirant will say: “I want you, I do not want anybody else. And why do I want you? Not because your presence will give me pleasure, but because your presence will give me the scope to serve you, because your presence will give the chance to give you pleasure – not to give pleasure to myself.” That is why an intelligent spiritual aspirant will say: “I do not want anything from you, I want you.”

There is a story that once Rama and Lakshmana were crossing the Gaungá [Ganges] with Maharshi Vishvamitra and were going to Mithila. Upon reaching the other bank of the river, the boatman saw that the boat was not wood, it was gold. “Certainly that little boy Rama is not an ordinary boy,” he thought. “It is because of his touch that the wooden boat has become gold.” Then the boatman’s wife came with all the wooden furniture – whatever wooden furniture was in the house was brought. She brought everything and got the things touched, and they all turned into gold. Then the boatman said, “O my lady, you are a foolish lady, you do not know what to do. You are not at all practical. Now you see, the attributions lie with those feet. If you are intelligent, take those feet to your house and get everything converted into gold. This is the secret. There lies the secret.” So what will an intelligent spiritual aspirant say? He will say, “I do not want anything from You. Everything cometh from You, so You be mine.” And what for? Just to serve Him. Why to serve Him? Not to get pleasure but to give Him pleasure. The man who wants to give Him pleasure is called gopa in Sanskrit.

Gopáyate yah sah gopah – “He whose only duty is to give pleasure to others, is called a gopa” – and not those who rear cows. [Cowherds are popularly also called gopas.]

Ye yathá máḿ prapadyante taḿstathaeva bhajámyahaḿ – “Whoever wants whatever from me, I supply him with that thing. That is my duty. It is up to you to demand according to your necessity, according to your requirement, according to your mental propensities.” Mama vartmánuvarttante manuśyáh Pártha sarvashah – “But one thing you should remember, Arjuna, is that the path, the route, chalked out by Me, is to be finally followed by everybody without any exception. It is the path of pratisaincara.(1) One cannot avoid this path of pratisaincara, and one will have to move round me with a short radius or a long radius. The radius may be short, the radius may be long, but one will have to move round me. There is no alternative.”

In the atomic structure electrons will have to move round the nucleus. Similarly, in this expressed universe, everybody will have to move round the Nucleus of the Universe. Krśńa is that Nucleus, and all living beings are just like electrons.

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Footnotes : (1) In the Cosmic Cycle, the step-by-step introversion and subtilization of consciousness from the state of solid matter to the Nucleus Consciousness. (Prati means “counter” and saincara means “movement”.) –Trans.

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti - 26 September 1968, Patna
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Mahásambhúti Krśńa

Lord Krśńa was essentially a spiritual entity, but fortunately the common masses had a chance to see Him in human form. Even in that capacity He controls all other physical entities. Each and every structure has a centre (kendra) of its own and a good number of sub-centres (upakendra).

The major part of human existence is mental; only a minor part is physical. An undeveloped human being is a big problem. It’s not enough for a person to have a human body. He or she must have an evolved mind; otherwise he or she cannot be called human.

All these sub-centres are controlled by the Cosmic Nucleus, that is, Lord Krśńa. But all the sub-centres are not Lord Krśńa. The pineal gland or sahasrára cakra controls the entire human body. Each and every entity, whether unicellular or multicellular, has certain substations which are basically ideational. The piithas affect the nerve-cells and nerve-fibres, and these affected nerve-cells and nerve-fibres affect the mind in their turn, and thus the crude mind affects the subtle.

Sometimes in the course of sádhaná a deliberate and conscious relationship is established between mind and Consciousness. The closer the relationship, the better it is for spiritual realization. This is the fundamental difference between a spiritual aspirant and a non-aspirant, and the scientific and systematic endeavour to establish the closest relationship between the unit mind and Cosmic Consciousness is termed “yoga.”

Depending upon the difference in the controlling points of the cakras, spiritual sádhaná can take either of two forms:

(1) Controlling the hormone secretion of the glands and strengthening the controlling points of the cakras is the system known as hatha yoga, because it is more physical in character. This science is more extroversive in character and consequently part of avidya tantra.

(2) To surrender one’s mind to Shrii Krśńa – This is introversive or ideational in character and is part of Vidyá Tantra. This is the real sádhaná, where the entire psycho-physical entity surrenders itself to Parama Puruśa.

The meeting point between Lord Krśńa and the jiivátma is just below the pineal gland or sahasrára cakra.

Each sub-centre is related to the next sub-centre. Of the two cakras, the lower one is comparatively crude. The physical control of any cakra is exercised by the controlling point of that cakra, but its ideational control is exercised by the controlling point of the next higher cakra. For instance, the svadhisthana cakra cannot have full control, both physical and ideational, over all the nerve-cells and nerve-fibres attached to the svadhisthana cakra; rather the ideational aspect of the control remains with the manipura cakra. The sahasrara cakra of pineal gland exercises no crude physical control, that’s why it is absolutely spiritual in character.

This point is the subtlest mental point. It is, as it were, the minutest, the subtlest, point, the pure “I” feeling is the causal matrix or Rádhá shakti. By dint of sádhaná this causal matrix or Rádhá shakti comes in contact with Lord Krsna, that is Parama Puruśa. Shrii Krśńa utilizes the pituitary gland of any human framework. Whenever a direct contact between Krśńa and the unit mind is established, human beings attain salvation. For this the mind must be absolutely pure. In certain different stages ajina cakra comes in contact with Parama Puruśa. Krśńa controls the centre and the sub-centres both directly and indirectly. Paramátman Krśńa controls all the pure spiritual ideation, and Jiivátman Krśńa controls psycho-spiritual ideations. For sádhakas, the only mission is to surrender at the feet of Lord Krśńa by strengthening the physical sub-centres. He maintains His association with the microcosms either as Mahásambhúti or as Cosmic Nucleus.

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti - 5 May 1968, Ranchi
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Both discourses are published in: << discourses on Mahábhárata >>

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