Best Krishna Quotes & Learnings from Mahabharat

Mahabharat has always struck the right chord with viewers, be it on Doordarshan or Star Plus.

Although Mahabharat ends with a long war and there’s a popular belief among Hindus that one must not keep a book on Mahabharat at home as it causes friction among family members, there’s no doubt that there’s a lot to be learnt from the ancient Indian epic.

In this article, we will focus on Lord Krishna’s teachings, especially in the context of the Mahabharata. Lord Krishna imparted several learnings, almost all of which are relevant even in our modern society.

According to the Harivansh Puraan, the 2014 Janmashtami was the 5240th birthday of Lord Krishna. He was born on 24th July, 3225 B.C. and graced this earth for 119 yrs. Lord Krishna was 83 and Arjun was 65 when the Mahabharat war was fought. It is said that life expectancy during that time in India was 175-200 yrs. Even Aristotle noted this thing about India in his diary.

Krishna Learnings from Mahabharat

Here we take a look at the best Krishna Quotes & teachings from the Mahabharata epic, which was written by Vyas.

Krishna to Bheeshma one why one should be ready to forego one’s personal beliefs/principles if it helps in the betterment of the society.

In Mahabharat, Bhishma frustrates Lord Krishna so much that Krishna is ready to kill Bheeshma himself, but Arjun intervenes and reminds Krishna of his vow. But then Lord Krishna sees that Bhishma is too strolng for Arun, Krishna makes Bhishma understand that he should make way for dharma to win. With Bhishma on the side of the kauravas, it was difficult for Pandavas to win (which was necessary for peace in the long term). Lord Krishna tells Bhishma why society matters more than personal beliefs & principles. Krishna reminds Bhishma the various times/occasions where Bhishma could have taken a stand for the betterment of the kingdom/society, but instead he chose not to act or to be on the wrong side because of his seemingly false beliefs & principles.

Lord Krishna to Drona on how to bring up a child. Krishna makes Dronacharya realize his mistakes, he persuades Dronacharya to sacrifice his life.

Drona is extremely angry to hear about the death of his son and is ready to unleash the Brahmastra weapon to destroy the world, when Lord Krishna intervenes. Lord Krishna teaches Drona on the right way to bring up children. He points out how he never made Ashwathama (his son) realize the importance of hard work and to have courage to be on the right side. Krishna also points out that it was wrong for him to train the Pandavas & kauravas with the intention of taking revenge against king Drupada.

Lord Krishna to Karna on why education undertaken with the sole purpose of personal gains (for revenge) doesn’t help in the long run.

Karna is extremely dejected to see that his knowledge, that he had gained by immense hard work, refuses to come to his rescue when he needs it the most. That is when Lord Krishna makes Karna understand why education undertaken with the sole purpose of personal gains (or revenge) doesn’t help in the long run. Krishna tells Karna that he should have used his knowledge for the betterment of the society and not just for his personal revenge or to help Duryodhan win the war.

Lord Krishna on the importance of standing on the side of truth, even if it means going against your near and dear ones.

This is the main crux of the Mahabharata.

Lord Krishna convinces the Pandavas to fight the Kauravas (their cousins) to fight for their rights.

• Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to treat his cousin brothers (kauravas), Bheeshma  pitamah (great-grandfather), teacher Dronacharya, and kulguru kripacharya as his enemies as they were fighting on the side of adharma (wrongness) and told him to show mercy towards them.

Much before the war happens, Lord Krishna also tells the Pandavas (everybody except Yudhisthira) that they should have opposed their eldest brother Yudhisthira during the dice game (dyut kreeda) where Yudhisthira loses everything.

• Krishna says Yudhisthira had no right to bet the Kingdom of  Indraprastha despite Yudhisthira being the King because it was the efforts of all the five brothers that had transformed the barren Khandavprastha into the awesome Indraprastha kingdom. So all the brothers had equal rights in it and so, Yudhisthira should have taken the permission of his brothers before betting the kingdom of Indraprastha.
• Similarly, Yudhisthira had no right to bet each of his brothers – Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva, and also wife Draupadi without asking for their permission.

Lord Krishna says that at some point in life, the good and the bad should get separated.

The game of dice and the Draupadi vastraharan incident is the point where Lord Krishna says that at some point, the good should get separated from the bad.  He gives the incident of Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean) and says that at some point,  vish (poison) and amrit (nectar) should get separated even if it comes at a great cost.

Lessons from Mahabharata, Karna asks Krishna why life is unfair to him

I liked this conversation between two characters from Mahabharata. Loosely translated…

Karna asks Krishna –

“My mother left me the moment I was born. Is it my fault I was born an illegitimate child?

I did not get education from Dhronacharya because I was considered a non Kshatriya.

Parshuram taught me but then gave me the curse to forget everything since I was a kshatriya.

A cow was accidentally hit by my arrow & its owner cursed me for no fault of mine.

I was disgraced in Draupadi’s swayamvar.

Even Kunti finally told me the truth only to save her other sons.

Whatever I received was through Dhuryodhana’s charity. So how am I wrong in taking his side?”

Krishna replies,

“Karna, I was born in a jail.

Death was waiting for me even before my birth.

The night I was born I was separated from my birth parents.

From childhood you grew up hearing the noise of swords, chariots, horses, bow and arrows. I got only cow herd’s shed, dung and multiple attempts on my life even before I could walk. No army, no education!

I could hear people saying I am the reason for all their problems.

When all of you were being appreciated for your valour by your teachers, I had not even received any education.

I joined gurukula of Rishi Sandipani only at the age of 16!

You are married to a girl of your choice. I didn’t get the girl I loved & rather ended up marrying those who wanted me or the ones I rescued from demons.

I had to move my whole community from the banks of Yamuna to far off Sea shore, to save them from Jarasandh. I was called a coward for running away.

If Dhuryodhana wins the war you will get lot of credit. What do I get if Dharmaraja wins the war? Only the blame for the war and all related problems.

Remember one thing Karna…

Everybody has challenges in life.

LIFE IS NOT FAIR ON ANYBODY…

Dhuryodhan also has a lot of unfairness in life and so has Yudhishthir.

But what is Right (Dharma) is known to your Mind (Conscience)….

No matter how unfair life was , how many times we were disgraced, how many times we were denied what was due to us, what is important is how you REACTED at that time…

Life’s unfairness does not give you right to walk the wrong path of अधर्म (Adharma).

Rare conversation between Krishna & Today’s Arjun

Q. Arjun :- I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic.
Krishna:- Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you free.

Q. Arjun :- Why has life become complicated now?
Krishna :- Stop analyzing life… It makes it complicated. Just live it.

Q. Arjun :- Why are we then constantly unhappy?
Krishna :- Worrying has become your habit. That’s why you are not happy.

Q. Arjun :- Why do good people always suffer?
Krishna :- Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don’t suffer. With that experience their life becomes better, not bitter.

Q. Arjun :- You mean to say such experience is useful?
Krishna :- Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. It gives the test first and the lessons later.

Q. Arjun :- Because of so many problems, we don’t know where we are heading…
Krishna:- If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides the way.

Q. Arjun :- Does failure hurt more than moving in the right direction?*
Krishna:- Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you.

Q. Arjun :- In tough times, how do you stay motivated?
Krishna :- Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.

Q. Arjun :- What surprises you about people?
Krishna :- When they suffer they ask, “why me?” When they prosper, they never ask “Why me?”

Q. Arjun :- How can I get the best out of life?
Krishna:- Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.

Q. Arjun :- One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.
Krishna:- There are no unanswered prayers. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.

Stay blessed and Stay Happy Always…!!!

Lord Krishna Reveals Why Karna is Better Than Arjuna In the Art of Donating

We all know that Lord krishna is a great teacher; here’s one of his useful lessons. As usual, he always has an interesting way to explain things to his students.

Here Krishna demonstrates to Arjuna, why Karna is better than him when it comes to the art of giving donations.

Once Krishna and Arjuna were having a chat while walking towards a village. Arjuna wanted to know from Krishna why he thought Karna was a role model for all Danas (donations) and not Arjuna himself.

Krishna didn’t answer him straight away and thought a little demonstration would be the apt way to make him understand. Wanting to teach him an important lesson, Krishna snapped his fingers and came up with an idea.

Krishna came up with a challenge for both!

The mountains beside the path they were walking on turned into gold. Krishna said “Arjuna, distribute these two mountains of gold among the villagers, but you must donate every last bit of gold”.

Arjuna’s Turn
Arjuna went into the village, and proclaimed he was going to donate gold to every villager, and asked them to gather near the mountain. The villagers sang his praises and Arjuna walked towards the mountain with a huffed up chest. For two days and two continuous nights Arjuna shoveled gold from the mountain and donated to each villager. The mountains did not diminish in their slightest.

Most villagers came back and stood in queue within minutes. After a while, Arjuna, started feeling exhausted, but not ready to let go of his ego just yet, told Krishna he couldn’t go on any longer without rest.

Karna’s Turn
Krishna then called Karna. “You must donate every last bit of this mountain, Karna” he told him. Karna called two villagers. “You see those two mountains?” Karna asked, “those two mountains of gold are yours to do with as you please” he said, and walked away.

Arjuna sat dumbfounded and wondered ‘Why hadn’t this thought occurred to him?’.

And here’s the answer (and a great lesson)!

The Lesson
Krishna smiled mischievously and told him “Arjuna, subconsciously, you yourself were attracted to the gold, you regretfully gave it away to each villager, giving them what you thought was a generous amount. Thus the size of your donation to each villager depended only on your imagination. Karna holds no such reservations. Look at him walking away after giving away a fortune, he doesn’t expect people to sing his praises, he doesn’t even care if people talk good or bad about him behind his back.

That is the sign of a man already on the path of enlightenment”.

Things to ponder…

• Rs.20 Seems Too Much To Give A Beggar But It Seems Okay When Its Given As Tip At A Fancy Restaurant.
• After A Whole Day Of Work, Hours At The Gym Seem Alright But Helping Your Mother Out At Home Seems Like A Burden.
• We Wait A Whole Year For Valentine’s Day But Many Will Forget Mother’s Day.
• Praying To God For 3 Min Takes Too Much Time But Watching A Movie For 3 Hours Doesn’t.
• Two Poor Starving Kids Sitting On The Pavement Weren’t Given Even A Slice Of Bread But A Painting Of Them Sold For Lakhs Of Rupees.

When was the last time you went out of your way and did something for the less fortunate?

Lord Krishna Teachings: What is Kaliyuga?

Once the four Pandavas (except Yudhishthira who was not present) asked Krishna:”What is Kaliyuga and what will happen during Kaliyuga?”Krishna smiled and said “Let me demonstrate to you, the situation of Kaliyuga.”

He took a bow and four arrows and shot them in four directions and ordered the four Pandavas to go and bring them back.Each of the four Pandavas went in the four different directions to search for the arrows.

1. When Arjuna picked an arrow, he heard a very sweet voice. He turned around and saw a cuckoo singing in a spellbinding voice but was also eating flesh of a live rabbit which was in great pain. Arjuna was very surprised to see such a gory act by such a divine bird he left the place immediately.
2. Bhima picked arrow from a place, where five wells were situated. The four wells were surrounding a single well. The four wells were overflowing with very sweet water as if they were not able to hold water and surprisingly the well in the middle of these four overflowing wells was completely empty. Bhima was also puzzled at this sight.
3. Nakula was returning to the place after picking up the arrow. He stopped at a place where a cow was about to give birth. After giving birth the cow started licking the calf but continued to lick it even after the calf was clean. With great difficulty people were able to separate them and by that time the calf was injured badly. Nakula was puzzled by the behaviour of such a calm animal.
4. Sahadeva picked arrow which fell near a mountain and saw a big boulder falling. The boulder was crushing the rocks and big trees on its way down, but the same boulder was stopped by a small plant. Sahadeva was also amazed at this sight.

All the Pandavas asked the meaning of these incidents. Krishna smiled and started explaining…

1. In Kaliyuga, the priests will have very sweet voice and will also have great knowledge but they will exploit devotees the same way cuckoo was doing with rabbit.
2. In Kaliyuga poor will live among rich, those rich will have enormous amount of wealth which will actually overflow but they will not offer a single penny to the poor same as the four wells didn’t have a single drop of water for the empty well.
3. In Kaliyuga parents will love their children so much that their love will actually spoil them and will destroy their lives similar to the love shown by cow to her newborn calf.
4. In Kaliyuga people will fall in terms of character like the boulder from the mountain and they will not be stopped by anyone at the end only the name of God will be able to hold them from doom like the little plant held the boulder from further fall.”

…Uddhava Gita, Srimad Bhaagawatam.