Question & Answer sessions with HH Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji – 2015
Did Lord Krishna violate Dharma ?
Question :
Sri Krishna promised not to wield a weapon in the Kurukshetra war. But he picked up his Chakra. Remembering his vow, he avoided using it. Is it Dharma for God to break his word? How would you explain this?
Answer :
Sri Krishna vowed that he would not wield a weapon during the Kurukshetra war. But he held his Chakra. Sri Krishna is not bound by the laws of Dharma. Such laws apply to us. Water will only flow down a slope for us. But if God wills, water will flow uphill. Those who are omnipotent may do as they wish. Dharma and Adharma do not apply to Sri Krishna.
Accusing him of violating Dharma, if we do likewise, we will suffer a downfall. Krishna established Dharma, is Dharma personified, and Dharma rests on him. He is not subservient to it. Keeping or breaking a promise is irrelevant for him. Rama represents Truth. Krishna does not represent untruth. What was uppermost in Krishna’s mind was to make Bhishma famous. His only aim is to uplift devotees. Bhishma for some reason vowed to make Krishna wield a weapon. It is mentioned in the Bhagavatam. To ratify that vow, Krishna momentarily brandished the Chakra.
Krishna did not incur any sin by doing so. He did not err. He transcends all such differences of just and unjust. But citing him wrongly as an example, we should not transgress Dharma.
Great souls know the ins and outs of Dharma. Krishna did not go back on his word. Out of compassion for a devotee, he acted as if he were going to break a vow. It makes no sense to say that Krishna wielded a weapon. All his weapons, the Sudarsana Chakra, his mace Kaumodaki, etc., are always with him invisibly, and are at his beck and call. He does not go around twirling his Chakra like a donut around his finger. No. The moment he thinks of the weapons they come to him. What was his vow?
That he would not wield a weapon to fight in the war. Just holding a weapon means nothing. He merely held that pose to satisfy Bhishma. He never fought. For that matter, in a war, even the horses, the reins controlling the horses, and the flag on the chariot are all considered as instruments of battle. When the flag is downed, it signals defeat. Just holding a weapon is not a violation. Sri Krishna Paramatma is not easily trapped or squeezed into a corner by us. We must understand Krishna’s intent when he made the vow. On the surface it appears as if he violated truth. It is natural for some people to think so. But we must properly interpret the meaning of Krishna’s words and actions.
Jaya Guru Datta !