Krishna

When in doubt, call Krishna. Really. When mired in deep existential doubt about what you should do with your life, if true love exists, or if there is more to this life than ego needs, Krishna’s voice is the one to hear.

This warrior of love embodies the complexities of any well-rounded divine human being. Most accounts claim Krishna came to earth as an avatar – meaning he was a god (Vishnu in this case) in human form. Born to royalty, he also was born with an omen that he would someday kill the current king. To protect him, his parents traded their divine boy for a rural girl, and Krishna’s foster parents raised him in a forest. The precocious boy was known for his mischief and his easeful way of fending off demons. A warrior with a gleaming smile and a pure heart, young Krishna also wooed the nearby village’s young female cowherds away from household duties to the forest on dark nights for ecstatic dancing and loving. When 16,000 cowherds had been kidnapped by demons, Krishna allegedly married all 16,000 to protect their honor. Quite the valiant lover, Krishna.

Krishna accompanies us when in battle with the world. Cousin to both sides of a warring family, Krishna witnessed and participated in an epic war recounted in the famous Indian text the Mahabharata. The Bhagavad-Gita, the most well-known piece of literature in which Krishna appears, is set during this epic war. In the Gita, Krishna appears as the chariot driver to Arjuna, Krishna’s cousin and a renowned warrior who cannot face his enemies (his own uncles and cousins, no less). The Gita recounts Krishna’s patient advice to the doubtful Arjuna as the divine prince ultimately inspires Arjuna with love, confidence, and Yogic purpose.

Krishna’s message essentially is that when you have divine love in your heart, you cannot go wrong in fulfilling your own duty, not someone else’s duty. Often depicted with a flute with which he sends his pied-piper melody of love to all, Krishna is a favorite among those who chant as part of their Yoga path.

“Krishna” means “dark” or “dark blue,” hence he is depicted as such. “Govinda” – One Who Pleases the Cows – is a popular name of Krishna, important since cows in this context are deemed the sacred source of nurturance. He also goes by Vasudev, the Prevailing Lord (and Vasudeva also was the name of Krishna’s father).

When people need clear support in the form of radiant love, they need Krishna. A Krishna gift or card would be appropriate for someone grieving death of a loved one, who has ended an intimate relationship, or who is in career transition. Supposedly born either on July 18 or 21, people with these birthdates also might appreciate a Krishna gift. Krishna’s July birth date also means that anyone wishing to create a summer festival or, say, a “summer of love” party might infuse the gathering with Krishna energy and décor.

Biography provided by Jeff Davis: Author of The Journey from the Center to the Page: Yoga Philosophies and Practices as Muse for Authentic Writing.

His essays, articles, short stories, and poems have appeared in publications around the country and in London. He is a former senior yoga teacher at Bliss Yoga Center in Woodstock, NY and founder of WEN Barn & Gardens in Accord, NY. He resides near Woodstock, NY, between the Catskill Mountains and the Shawangunk Mountains with wife Hillary.