How to know Krishna?

You want to know Krishna. I too want to know Krishna. In fact, everyone is looking for Krishna because we all have deep spiritual relationship with Krishna.

George Harrison explains it in a better way, “Everybody is looking for KṚṢṆA. Some don’t realize that they are, but they are.”

So, the question is, is it possible to know Krishna? Is it possible to understand Krishna? Is it possible to know our relationship with Krishna? And most importantly is it possible to develop relationship with Krishna? 

If yes, then how?

To know Krishna, tell your mind to always remember Krishna

The answer is given by Krishna himself in Bhagavad Gita. In Bhagavad Gita 7.1, Krishna says that if we are always conscious of him, our mind is attached to him then we can know him completely without any doubt.

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Pṛthā, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.” Bhagavad Gita 7.1

Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna and through Arjuna he is speaking this transcendental knowledge to you and me.

Prior to this verse i.e. in Bhagavad Gita 6.47 which is the last verse of Chapter 6 of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says that “amongst all the yogis one who with great faith always thinks of Me within himself and engages in transcendental loving service unto Me is the topmost yogi.” 

Now immediately in the first verse of Chapter 7, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that if we want to know him then our mind should be completely absorbed in him.  Absorption should be 100%.

Here, Krishna also underlines the importance of hearing about Him. Unless we hear about Krishna, we won’t know him. And if we do not know Krishna then how we will always serve him with love. It is not possible to continuously serve a stranger. If someone is very powerful then we may be compelled to serve him, but that service will not be with love but will be because of fear.

From whom to hear about Krishna?

Now the question is from whom to hear. The best source is Krishna himself because he is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, Krishna tells Arjuna, tac chṛṇu, i.e. “Hear from Me.” Bhagavad Gita 7.1. Arjuna was fortunate because Krishna was present in front of him. But let us not be disheartened. We can also know Krishna by hearing about Krishna from pure devotees of Krishna. Pure devotees have so much love for Krishna that by the mercy of Krishna, he is able to speak about Krishna elaborately.

We see Sukhdev Goswami, a pure devotee of Krishna so eloquently described Krishna’s beautiful pastimes. Srila Prabhupada, a pure devotee of Krishna, in his commentaries on Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam have described unlimited glories of Krishna. If we read these books, we will know a lot about Krishna. In fact, the knowledge will be sufficient to not just know Krishna but also to develop a strong relationship with Krishna.

How to attach mind to Krishna?

We discussed that in Bhagavad Gita 7.1, Krishna says that our mind should be always attached to him, mayyasakta-manah.  

Those who practice spirituality knows well that how difficult it is to always focus our mind on the object of meditation. As soon as we start meditation our mind begins to wander here and there.  I always experience that as soon as I take the beads in my hand and begin chanting the names of Krishna, slowly my mind starts losing focus. Instead of focusing on Krishna and his names, mind takes me to a different world.

Now if we are chanting the names of Krishna but our mind is focusing on something else then although our mouth will be uttering the words, but our consciousness will be absorbed in sense gratifying objects. We are where our mind is. So, if we want Krishna then we have to focus our mind on Krishna.

Controlling the naughty mind

Mind is like a naughty child; it keeps on running here and there. So, as soon as we see our mind is wandering, we should immediately catch our mind and bring it back and focus it on Krishna.  It is not that once we bring our mind from wherever it is to focus on Krishna it will stop wandering. Uncontrolled mind’s nature is to wander.  So, as soon as we find that the mind is wandering, we will again have to bring it back on Krishna.

This we will have to do again and again. Easy to say, difficult to do. But it is also not impossible.

If we try again and again then a state will come when mind won’t wander much. Slowly it will start rejoicing in being with Krishna.  And a state will come when our mind will completely stop wandering and will only focus on Krishna. Srila Prabhupada explains, “By concentrating one’s mind upon Kṛṣṇa, one is able to know the Absolute Truth completely, but not otherwise.” Bhagavad Gita 7.1 Purport.

The nine process of devotional service

Concentration of the mind upon Lord Krishna becomes easy when we practice the nine process of devotional service. The nine process of devotional service is also called nava-vidha bhakti and it begins with śravaṇam. Śravaṇam means hearing about Krishna. Vedic literature is shruti-shastra. Shruti means to hear. If we hear about Krishna from Krishna or from the scriptures, then we will become a perfect Krishna Conscious person.

Who cannot know Krishna?

In Bhagavad Gita 7.3, Lord Krishna says that many thousands of men endeavour for perfection but amongst those hardly few comes to know about Him. For non-devotees it is impossible to understand Krishna. But even those who practice jñāna-yoga and dhyāna-yoga, they are also not able to understand Krishna completely. For example, the followers of Śaṅkarācārya are not able to accept Krishna because they do not understand Krishna.

Yogis, jnanis, scholars, philosophers get bewildered when they see Krishna as little child playing in the courtyard of mother Yashoda. Or when they see Krishna as the charioteer of Arjuna they get confused. They wonder how the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be a little child or become subservient to Arjuna. The yogis and jnanis may attain impersonal Brahman realization but they will not attain Krishna and Krishna’s abode unless they develop personal relationship with Krishna. Even the great demigods get confused by Krishna’s different pastimes. This is why Krishna says that “yatatam api siddhanam kascin mam vetti tattvatah: those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.” Bhagavad Gita 7.3.

Conclusion

But yogis, jnanis, scholars, philosophers can know Krishna if they start hearing about Krishna. “Hearing” about Krishna means hearing Krishna’s unlimited transcendental qualities and also hearing about Krishna’s many wonderful pastimes. If we hear about Krishna then we will be inspired to serve Krishna. We can focus our mind on Krishna. We will understand that we are eternal parts and parcels of Krishna. And in this world we are suffering because we have forgotten Krishna. 

Chapter 6 ends by Krishna declaring that the yogi who meditates upon Him and renders devotional service to Him is topmost. And in Chapter 7 Krishna starts explaining the process by which one can know Him completely and can attain Him without doubt.

The only way to know Krishna as He is (tattvataḥ) by the practice of devotional service with complete absorption.