My fascination with Lord Krishna began very early as a child for me. Growing up in India’s capital city New Delhi I was surrounded by spirituality flourishing all around in various forms, it was a real luxury as an Indian kid and living there you really cannot miss it, it will touch you whether you like it or not… 

Playing in temples or going to the close by Hanuman Temple was a weekly Tuesday ritual, partly because of the absolutely delicious Prasad (temple sweets) they distributed. But with or without the prasadam, visiting these powerful spaces and walking barefoot inside which is a ritual in itself in Indian temples had a big impact on me as a young kid, not to mention all the memories of stolen slippers and having to borrow a pair myself to walk home in.

There was series on Lord Krishna that we use to watch every Sunday on Television, it was all about the life of Lord Krishna and I remember this exclusive fascination that I built for his stories, I loved this Balavatar (form of him as a child), he was just so astounding! In one particular story, he had eaten some mud and his mother asked him to open his mouth and saw the earth as a planet rotating inside of his mouth. I could never get that of my mind and got more and more consumed by him, my Little Krishna love he was. 

I looked forward to the yearly festival Janmashtami which celebrates Lord Krishna’s Birthday. People around where I lived would build little caves with a fake stream with freezing cold water to walk through as Krishna was transported through a river to a safe place to new parents immediately after his birth as it was predicted by a saint that he was in danger of being killed by an evil Uncle.

During this festival they would also build little baby swings and by pulling a string you could swing a little baby Krishna. There was always a huge queue for this and you could go to so many different locations to do this and always discuss which one was your favourite out of all the celebrations put together for Lord Krishna. I really really looked forward to this festival every year. 

I recently had someone ask me in one of my classes if I believe in Krishna, I could only tell them how this was a living reality for me and I feel I grew up with Krishna”s presence in my life and I wouldn’t exchange that for anything. Ive once been to Vrindavan which is where Lord Krishna grew up and is much celebrated by Indians and westerners from all around the world. It was a magical experience to be there for the 4 o’clock morning Aarti (prayers), it did something to me which obviously at that point in life I did not understand, I was yet to start my spiritual journey and I guess this was the starting point. 

Now listening to Krishna Songs or Bhajan’s and moving with devotion, getting lost in another world is literally an everyday affair for me and I am looking forward to going back to Vrindavan and spending some valuable time with Krishna. The fact that Sadhguru talks about Krishna as one of the Greatest Yogis brought me a different understanding of his presence throughout my life and a huge gratitude for the grace I’ve lived with through Krishna. 

This is the smallest write up I could do on Lord Krishna and his impact on my life as a child and his presence in my life.

Jai Shri Krishna – Gopala Gopala Devakinandan Gopala.

Sadhguru: ” If we want to be touched by the consciousness that we refer to as Krishna, we need Leela – The path of the playful.”

“Krishna is an irrepressible child, a terrible prankster, an enchanting flute player, a graceful dancer, an irresistible lover, a truly valiant warrior, a ruthless vanquisher of his foes, a man who left a broken heart in every home, an astute statesman and kingmaker, a thorough gentleman, a yogi of the highest order, and the most colorful incarnation of the Divine.”

“This was Krishna’s sadhana – he was in perfect tune with life around him. Only when you feel in tune with someone, you will feel pleasant in their presence. Otherwise, there can be discomfort.”

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev – Krishna-Quotes