Lord Krishna is the only deity with all 16 kalas indicating his flawlessness. Kala refers to traits or qualities, and amongst all avatars of Lord Vishnu, if there is anyone who took birth with all-inclusive qualities; Lord Krishna is the only one. He is the 8th Avatar of lord Vishnu born with all 16 kalas or traits that make an individual impeccable. He, his teachings in the form of Bhagvad Geeta, and his traits are still guiding mankind in every situation and thus, acquainting people with right and wrong or do’s and don’ts. The world has been learning and will continue to learn from this one avatar with numerous names i.e. Makhan Chor, Gopal, Girdhar, Dwarka Dheesh, Madhav, etc. who’s every quality and stage of life unleashes a life lesson for his devotees. This Krishna Janmashtami, let us learn to focus on imbibing the 16 Kalas of lord Krishna on this birthday.
16 Kalas of Shri Krishna
1. Daya- Empathy or Compassionate- Lord Krishna who was nurtured by King Nanda had friends from all classes including poor Sudama. He was sympathetic to everyone and was humble. In Bhagavad Gita (A Scripture containing Krishna’s preaching to Arjun on battle field of Kurukshetra), he mentioned, “I am equal to all beings; I have no enemies and no favourites”. Krishna was able to connect with the grief, stress, and struggles of people in his era. He was full of empathy towards Arjuna. His greatest instance of being sympathetic can be well identified with his gesture of helping Draupadi during cheerharan.
2. Kshama- Forgiveness or Mercy– Krishna said, “Forgive all before you hit the sack, and you will be forgiven before you get up”. Lord Krishna was forgiving and forgetful. He forgave Shishupal for 100 buses and only gave him punishment after giving him a chance to rectify his mistakes. He forgave Sudama who ate his entire gram when he was out with him in search of wood and was sent by Guru Mata.
3. Dhairya- Patience- Krishna kept his calm even during adversities as he went inside the pond in search of the ball. Krishna preaches the humanity to avoid desperation and continue to be focused as patience is key to success. In the Bhagvad Gita he said that, “little by little, through patience and repeated effort, the mind is to be stilled in the self”. He kept his calm and subtly took out solutions to problems. Krishna waited for the right time for numerous years before intervening between the Kauravas and Pandavas.
4. Nyay- Justice- In Bhagvad Gita, Krishna says that tolerating injustice is no less than committing injustice. He further added that even human beings must voice and fight against injustice. When Arjuna saw his extended family members and dear ones on the other side of the battle battlefield, Krishna preached to him to fulfil his duties and combat against injustice done by his cousins. He was honest and inculcated justice throughout his life.
Deep Dive into Krishna’s Kalas
5. Nirpekshta- Unbiased- Krishna preached to be impartial and said that self-realized people are impartial to friends and family. He insisted on seeing everyone with the same eye of impartiality. He gave an equal chance to both, Arjuna and Duryodhan to choose either Narayani Sena or Krishna himself. Duryodhan chose Narayani Sena whereas Arjuna always wanted Madhav to be his side. Equal opportunity to everyone is he emphasized on.
6. Nirapeksha- Detachment- Krishna accentuated the power of detachment and preaching human beings to perform duties without staying attached to the fruits of actions. Krishna said,”You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work”. He was unaffected by the sense of sorrow and happiness. His emotions were the same during sharp and blessings, rendezvous, or separations.
7. Apparchita- Insuperability- Krishna believed in being undefeatable or powerful. He emphasized on being skilled, mentally and physically potent enough to be unbeatable by opponents. Put efforts in being undefeatable, but avoid being arrogant. He insisted that Pandavas to learn techniques to get potent in the forthcoming war of Mahabharata.
8. Tapasya- Spiritual Power and Meditation- Tapasya refers to facing all difficulties to attain spiritual motives that are beyond materialism. He emphasized that the eventual aim of life is to conquer the supreme state of being. He is often called Yogeshwar and practiced Tapasya and meditation.
9. Dhanasheel- Be a Giver- Krishna in the Bhagvad Gita said to donate 10% of all that you have earned through the right mode. Emphasize to be a giver in your life and consider it to be your duty. Help shouldn’t be flaunted. Krishna gave three loks to Sudama in exchange for a handful of rice. Krishna has stated a total of 16 types of daan (Donations) that human beings must practice as often as possible in their lifetime because only Your good deeds will go with you after life.
10. Saundaryama- Real beauty- What your eyes see isn’t the real beauty. Krishna believed in internal beauty instead of exterior presence. He saw everyone with one eye and criticized racism in any manner. He says the real joy of life is hidden in good character. The essence of life is in being good-natured, humble, sympathetic, and loving character. We all human beings should try to be good at heart instead of faking around.
11. Nrityajana- Dance in odds of Life- So, what if your life is exposed to hurdles one after the other? Krishna once says, to flow with the pace of life and dance even in adversities. Dance shouldn’t just be restricted to good times, rather we should dance to pacify and tranquilize yourself in times of grieves and troubles.
12. Sangitajana- Music is life- Lord Krishna had a mystic inclination towards music. His flute was his life which not just pacified himself but took the world to the summit of peace and enjoyment. Give lyrics to your heartbeats and allow yourself to rejoice deep down to the soul. Music tranquilizes individuals deep down to the soul and is one of the best means to distress.
13. Principled- Strategized- He was an individual with strong moral values. Every decision taken was based on a set of observations, studies, and plans. This teaches us not to take any decision abruptly.
14. Satyawadi- Honest- Though, lied to Yashoda Maiya (Mother of Lord Krishna) that “Mein nahi Makhan khayo” in his childhood, Lord Krishna in Bhagawat Gita preached to be honest towards friendships and relationships.
15. Sarvangata- Master of all forms of arts- Krishna was the master of all forms of arts right from music, dance (Raas), war, painting, poetry, etc. He preaches us to be an all-rounder with complete knowledge of every subject.
16. Sarvaniyanta- Complete control- Krishna being the deity keeps control. We need to learn self-control instead of complete control of other’s life. Control of emotions like anger, happiness, anxiety, anger, arrogance, thoughts, etc would be fruitful in having a blissful and peaceful life not just for yourself but to people associated with you. Complete control is the key to happiness.
Conclusion: Embracing the 16 Kalas of Shri Krishna
Lord Krishna’s life stories and his 16 Kalas have a message for humanity. These are key to bliss, honour and Moksha. Learn the art of being on the right side of the jaunt of life amidst all odds by getting equipped as well as by following the life-guiding 16 kalas of Murali Dhar, our Lord Krishna. Stay attuned to Ask Ganesha for spiritual awakening and a blissful life. Talk to an Astrologer at Ask Ganesha for more insights about your life and future.
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