Ours is a country of festivals. Recently the whole country celebrated a long weekend with Krishna Janmashtami. A weekend when most of the bachelors fled to there long dreamt solo trips across the globe while married people flocked all social media channels with pictures of there young ones either as Lord Krishna or Radha. Really fascinating to see such a divine incarnation of so many Krishna and Radha.
Janmashtami is a Hindu festival which signifies birthday of Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu on Earth. Lord Krishna eliminated the atrocities of his maternal uncle Kansa. But the journey from birth to becoming Lord Krishna has some hidden lessons.
Kansa knew that his sister, Devaki's eight son will be his doom beforehand. In order to secure his life, he imprisoned Devaki and her husband Vasudeva in Mathura after there marriage. And killed any new born of Devaki the same night. Years passed and Kansa had killed seven children of Vasudev and Devaki. On the eighth night of Bhadra (as per Gregorian calendar - August/September), Devaki and Vasudev were expecting birth of their eight child. The couple was really scared as Kansa was eager to kill the eight child and overcome his doom. But that something divine happened. It was a stormy night and with the birth of Lord Krishna , Vasudev's chains opened , all the prisons opened, guards became unconscious. Vasudev decided to safeguard the eighth child and took him to his friend Nanda in Gokul. The journey where Vasudev crossed the flooding river Yamuna and reached Gokul safely. After reaching Gokul, he secretly exchanged Nanda and Yashoda's new born girl with Lord Krishna. And returned back to Mathura. After 12 years, Lord Krishna killed his maternal uncle Kansa in Mathura. Most of us are aware of this lore from our childhood. It is source of great motivation and inspiration. The journey of a helpless father taking leap of faith and crossing all barriers to safeguard his son. It is a Road less travelled.
But what made Devaki and Vasudev sacrifice their whole life for a child? How was Vasudev able to cross the mighty Yamuna? Was there any benefit of delaying one's freedom for Lord Krishna? Famous author M Scott Peck talks about problems and pain in his famous book The Road Less Travelled that
" Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters"
Problems are part and parcel of everyone's life. It is the problems that defines the direction and magnitude of our lives. The pain one bears to solve a problem is never easy, the journey of solving a problem be it professional or personal will always be tough and tiring. But people who overcome the pain and delay instant gratification of shortcuts are the one's who succeed . Vasudev and Devaki had waited for years in the prison of Mathura. Even when their chains were broken at the birth of Lord Krishna they did not run away from the prison. But took the pain to transfer lord Krishna from Mathura to Gokul. The problem they were trying to solve was never their own freedom, it was freedom of the society from the atrocities of Kansa. They never sought instant gratification but took pain of twelve more years in the prison for a better future of the society.
We need to start seeing our problems as a opportunity to better oneself. The path of solving a problem will never be easy, it will be full of anxiety, frustration, demotivation and self doubt. But if we discipline ourselves and remain consistent in our approach, anyone can be successful in there respective lives.
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