RIFLE RANGE BOY

Fair dues warning: This is a spiritual post. Please leave if you are easily offended.  Krishna demolishing Kansa I heard a talk from a Hindu scholar recently. He was narrating the story of Krishna and the troubling times he was born into. Rather, the Protector of the Universe, Vishnu, manifested himself as Krishna to maintain law and order. Too many influential people were abusing their positions to create chaos, which needed to be curbed. Krishna 's immediate duty was to defeat Kansa, his uncle, a demonic King. Trouble started when Kansa married off his sister, Devaki, to Vasudeva. Deep inside, Kansa intended to usurp Vasudeva's land. At the wedding, a prophecy was heard that Devaki's eighth child would be the reason for Kansa's defeat. Kansa imprisoned the couple, and Devaki's seven children were all killed at birth. Why all the other births, too, not just the eighth? Somebody alerted Kansa that the seven siblings could rally behind the eighth to attack him. When ...

Krishna and His Leela (Telugu, 2020) Netflix Even though this film has just been released, it has kicked up such a storm over the cyberworld. Hashtags like   #BoycottNetflix  and #KrishnaAndHisLeela are trending. People are calling @NetflixIndia  Hinduphobic, citing many of its latest productions apathetic to the Hindu sentiments. Films like Sacred Games, Bulbul, Ghoul, Delhi Crimes and Leila have allegedly denigrated the Hindu deities. In this offering, is it a merely by chance that the main character's name coincides with the protagonist of the epic Mahabharata? Krishna in the movie is an indecisive chap who conveniently two-times his two girlfriends whose names just happens to be Lord Krishna's two of His eight queen-consorts, Radha and Satya. There is a third girl whose name sounds similar to Rukmini. The fact that the protagonist pushed the boundary of public 'Indian' decency that ired viewers more. In most Indian movies, the story of a hero is only allowed ...

A unique painting: Krishna points out the Eid moon. 17th century, possibly by Hamid Ruknuddin from Bikaner, Rajasthan. "Krishna Sights the Eid Moon," artist unknown, probably late 16th or 17th century. Did you know that Muslim artists in Mughal India produced many exquisite paintings of Krishna? Of course, the scene here is a historical impossibility, since Krishna, if he existed, predated Islam. But in this painting, and in the many other paintings that depict Vedic devotional themes using Persian/Mughal techniques, we see evidence of a time when religion was not the rigid, codified thing it is now. This India existed, in fact, until recently. And this syncretic approach to faith was the norm across Southeast Asia too, in what is now Indonesia and Malaysia. Something to think about this Hari Raya/Eid.

One man's perception of certain of an event may differ to another's. Just like that his understanding of a part of scriptures may vary. He may cherry pick what he wants to see and the part that is favourable to his agenda. I recently heard yet another interpretation of the iconic event of Bhagavad-Gita. The discourse between Arjuna, the warrior who got cold feet on the eve of a deathly duel and his confidante, Krishna, to most people, is an intelligent dialogue on the purpose of life and existence. Looking at it from another angle, it is psychotherapy. Imagine a student pinning all his hopes to sit for an important public examination. This examination is so significant to him as it is the only way for him to escape the shackles of poverty and hopelessness. His family has put all their faith in him to succeed. The student has been doing well all through his life but somehow, this time it feels different. The pressure is too over-bearing. The thought of his whole life being...

By Devdutt Pattanaik  Konark Sun Temple One of the most disturbing stories that we find it the Puranas is the story of Krishna's son Samba, whose mother was the bear-princes, Jambavati.  He dupes his father's junior wives by disguising himself as Krishna and is cursed by Krishna that he will suffer from a skin disease that will enable his wives to distinguish father and son. Samba is cured after he builds temples to the sun. All sun temples in India, from Konark in Odisha to Modhera in Gujarat to Markand in Kashmir, are attributed to this son of Krishna. Samba also attempts to kidnap Duryodhana's daughter and this leads to war between the Kauravas and the Yadavas. Peace is restored, and the marriage is solemnised, only after Balarama, Krishna's elder brother, and Samba's uncle, in a fit of fury threatens to drag Hastinapur into the sea.  Then there is the story of Samba pretending to be a pregnant woman and duping sages who were visiting Dwar...