Krishna is Rama

Scene: Ana watching her Krishna DVD, thanks to her Paattee & Thaathaa.
Players: Ana & me

Ana: Krishna is Rama, Amma!

Me: (Taken aback, but, trying not to attach any deep profundity to her insight) Yeah? You think so?

Ana: (Asserts confidently) Yes Amma, Krishna is the same as Rama.

Me: (Gingerly expecting to be blown away with some farreaching explanation) Oh? Why do you think Krishna is same as Rama, Ana?

Ana: Because they are both blue, Amma. Krishna is blue. Rama is also blue.

Me: (With a sigh of relief and a big wide smile) Yeah, you are right, Ana. So, how about Shiva?

[The graphic book we have shows Shiva in blue skin]

Ana: Yes, Amma, Shiva is the same as Krishna too. Shiva is blue too. Look! (Fetches the graphic Shiva book by Deepak Chopra to prove her point)

Oh, and Ana thinks Krishna is a girl! The reason: her Krishna DVD shows Krishna wearing pink and purple and she is convinced that boys cannot wear pink and purple, so, no amount of explanation from me can convince her that Krishna is not a girl.

And, that doesn't stop her from claiming Krishna is the same as Rama. Boys != Girls rule doesn't apply in her wee little open mind :)


I've been reading Hanuman tales, Krishna tales and now have started on Shiva tales for Ana. I use Amar Chitra Katha graphic books for children I have as a reference and for basic mythological stories as she is at an age where picture books help her follow along and even interpret the graphics in her own way.

I mentioned two books I read recently in my rarelythere blog, one of which being Shiva: The Wild God of Power and Ecstasy by Storl, the other being this graphic book by Deepak Chopra called The Book of Shiva.

One can certainly go about life without belief in God or anything mystical, and there is nothing wrong with that. I agree that belief in God is not a pre-requisite to leading a good life.

But, I love deep mysticism. I ponder on why we are here, who we are and what happens to us as we pass out of this world... and Hindu mythology that I grew up with gives me the ethereal images that kindle my passion for Self-Realization, to become one with the Universe and its Creator - for, the Universe cannot exist independent of its Creator, however we choose to conceive the Creator in our minds.

I never tire of reading my favorite tales of mythology. I love the idea that Vishnu slumbers on his snake bed of AdiSesha for the life of a universe, and when he wakes up, out of his navel comes a new Brahma, the Creator, sitting on a lovely lotus; Brahma's day is spent in creating all the life forms and letting the world evolve through the yugas (units of years/eons); at the end of each day in Brahma's life, when he sleeps, the world dissolves, only to be re-created again when he wakes up the next day; this way, Brahma carries on for a 100 years.

But, one day of Brahma's life lasts 4,320,000 human years!

This cycle goes on infinitely, with Brahma creating the virtual world we perceive and live as our realities, until everything collapses into Nothingness.

Anyway, I'd rather not expound on all the wonderful ponderings of sages from Vedic times, or even about the validity/absurdity of such ponderings. One chooses to believe what one wants, willingly setting aside the constraining and conditional logic enforced by our intellect.

For now, I am very happy to read/tell my favorite Hindu mythological stories to Ana, just as stories, as she probably will not grasp any deeper meaning at this age.