Four Aspects Of Life That Challenge The Claim Of All-Attractiveness

“One should be attracted by the beautiful vision of Krishna. His name is Krishna because He is all-attractive. One who becomes attracted by the beautiful, all-powerful, omnipotent vision of Krishna is fortunate.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 18.66 Purport)

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The Sanskrit word Krishna has several meanings. One of the more commonly used is “all-attractive,” which is applicable to the person Krishna, who is Bhagavan. One translation for that Sanskrit word is “Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

You can be sure that you have found God when attractiveness is not lacking anywhere. That is to say in every feature there is something to appreciate. Beauty, wealth, strength, fame, wisdom, renunciation and as many opulences as can be defined are present in Him simultaneously and to the fullest extent.

The skeptic will point to the ample evidence visible in the manifest world to challenge the claim. How can Krishna be an appropriate name for God when there is so much to not like about life?

1. Death

The end to the time spent in a particular body. Vedic teachings stress detachment from that body, and in conjunction the lack of lamentation at the passing. We no longer have the association of the departed, and we’re not entirely sure to where they have gone. Has the existence ceased altogether?

Needless to say, death can be very unattractive. Not everyone meets their end through natural causes, at an old age, after a life fully lived. Who actually gets to leave when they want to? Time is known as the great subduing agent for a reason.

2. Tragedy

These unwelcome events can include death, but there may just be a loss. At the last moment, when everything seemed in your favor, the best friend turns against you. They show their true colors. So many negative outcomes occur unexpectedly. Tragedy leads to trauma, which can cause long-lasting damage to the mind.

3. Horror

This is one reaction to tragedy. It is an emotion strongly on the negative side. With the exception of sitting down to watch a film of that particular genre, no one prefers to be in horror. Happiness is instead sought, though in a multitude of ways.

4. Lack of cleanliness

Life isn’t about just having fun. There are many aspects to daily life that are unwanted. Who would choose to go to the bathroom? Who actually looks forward to cleaning the dishes and changing diapers? Why is there so much uncleanliness? How can any of that be attractive?

The explanation is that the supposedly unattractive aspects are merely the shadow. That is to say Krishna is the transcendental light, and the back portion is material existence. In that shadow world there are dualities like heat and cold, happiness and sadness, and birth and death. In the spiritual consciousness these are absent.

Moreover, someone of that consciousness does indeed see the negative as positive. They see death as the great opportunity to start again, to shed the temporary clothes that have lost their value in exchange for a new set. They see tragedy as a way to further appreciate the good times.

After all, we don’t say that a movie is unattractive because of the presence of death. There may be heartache depicted on the big screen, but the overall experience is assessed. In the same way, taken together everything about Shri Krishna is attractive, including His maya, which continues to wonderfully fool us into chasing after material gain, fame, honor and distinction instead of the same for their best well-wishing friend, the Supreme Lord.

In Closing:

As the all-attractive one the name,

But how the unwanted to explain?

Like death at unexpected time,

Or terrible tragedy to find.

Diapers changing, bitter cold,

Body becoming wrinkly and old.

Idea that just in the shadow forsaken,

As maya, part of full picture taken.