A child is a victor

Health and Happiness - Dr. Dwarakanath

A child is a victor because he does not want to win!

Krishna’s life, especially his childhood is full of extraordinary heroism like killing of demons and venomous snake, putting out fire, etc. Krishna, even before his teens, defeats powerful enemies. Generally we tend to accept Krishna as omnipotent, reincarnation of god. Basically these interpretations stem from the concept of ‘strong wins over weak’. But it does scant justice to Krishna’s life as a whole.

Let us see the words of Jesus,” Blessed are the meek, because they shall inherit the world.” It is very contradictory to state that those who are humble will own the earth. But it is true. Krishna wins because he does not long to win. In fact children generally are not concerned about winning; they are only interested in playing the game and celebrating that moment. The desire to win and conquer, in its true meaning, is a later development in the adult which pollutes the human mind.

Children traditionally used to play in water, swing on a rope, sand pit, climbing trees, etc. Of course, the modern day kid’s minds are polluted by us by giving them monopoly games instead of building blocks. We all want a Vishvanathan Anand and Karpov at our homes, not a mere child; that is why we send a seven year old to a training camp in every vacation instead of allowing him to play some time with his age group. It is our craving for success that ultimately turns into failure. Our excessive desire to live,  lands us in the grave. Our obsession for health is bound to turn into sickness. Life is very strange, here we miss the very thing we crave for and cling to.

If we look at the child, he falls every day and generally does not sprain any muscle or break any bones. But an adult if happens to fall ends up in a hospital. Does this mean that the child is stronger than a grown up? No, the child remains unhurt for the simple reason that child does not resist, that he cooperates with the fall. He accepts it, the acceptability and not the strength that helps the child. For a child everything is a game. If Krishna won against his powerful enemies, the reason was that fighting was a play - acting, fun. It has to be remembered that in Krishna’s childhood, he was a not aggressive; he was not in a mission to conquest. It was always others who attacked him with the view of destroying Krishna.

The secret of Krishna’s victory over his powerful adversaries lies in his being a child, soft and innocent. It lies in his not being fond of fighting and defeating anyone. It lies in his utter desirelessness. He just does not want to win, is his secret. He takes everything, even an enemy’s attack as a play and responds with utter playfulness.

Let us understand Krishna if we really want to try to understand Gita!