Dazzling Luxury with Spirituality

Celebrating Lord Krishna’s birthday – 22 August 2011

 By Swami Anand Kul Bhushan

After five thousand years, it will take another five thousand years to fully understand Lord Krishna, says Osho. When the supreme Lord Krishna walked this earth, India had reached the peak of its progress and civilisation – be it the arts, the sciences, the technology, the culture and religion. The unlimited luxury and magnificence of the kings of that era remains unmatched till today. The manner in which Lord Krishna celebrated life with his flute and dance, pranks and feasts, mischief and mirth is copied up to this day in festivals but remains unmatched. The unlimited love of his mother(s), the adoration of his Gopis, his adventures with his friends and his bouts against villains are legendary and unmatched. This celebration of life with music, dance, song and laughter in all its splendour remains unrivalled till now.

Once again, Modern India is making commendable progress on the path to prosperity in many different dimensions. And with prosperity, the rich are beginning to enjoy – indeed celebrate – life. Osho’s famous mantra — ‘Live, Love, and Laugh’– is catching on in India today. Indians are beginning to celebrate the joy of living, singing, dancing and laughing openly on television, films and in their daily lives after centuries of oppression and decades of government controls after independence.  

When people become rich, the first luxury goods they flaunt are watches and cars. Indians are buying super luxury watches and cars like there is no tomorrow. Osho provided a fleeting glimpse of this lifestyle of the super-rich with his designer robes, hand-crafted diamond-studded watches and his fleet of Rollers, as in Rolls Royces. Osho was not attached to any of them as he gifted them away or left them behind as he moved on. But the total lifestyle of Krishna has yet to come to India.

As Lord Krishna grew up, his suave diplomacy, pertinent counselling and, above all, divine wisdom culminating in the Gita remain unequalled, indeed, eternal down the millennia. In just over two decades, the 800+ books by Osho have become the stockpile of the total wisdom and spirituality of mankind. Osho’s unique concepts of Zorba The Buddha, the blending of the science of the West and the Spirituality of the East; his discourses on all great spiritual masters down the centuries;  and his unique, cathartic meditation techniques are the basis of his concept of ‘religiousness’ beyond narrow religions and political boundaries.

When we celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna, we celebrate his luxurious, hilarious and spiritual lifestyle. When we celebrate Osho, we celebrate the ultimate luxury and spirituality by realising our total potential with his meditations. Dazzling with his peacock feather, ornaments and silks, Lord Krishna is the only god with flute and dance, and Osho is the only enlightened master dazzling with hand-crafted watches, limousines and dancing disciples’ both of them celebrating life to the hilt.

In dollar terms, India has around 400 millionaires and almost 50 billionaires today who flaunt their hedonistic lifestyles — but without much spirituality. Over 35 years ago, Osho showed them the missing dimension of spirituality that must crown all luxury to really live it up. People did not understand him then. Like Lord Krishna, it will take many more millennia to understand Osho.

“Krishna has immense significance for our future. And that future, when Krishna’s image will shine in all its brilliance, is increasingly close. And whenever a laughing, singing and dancing religion comes into being it will certainly have Krishna’s stone in its foundation,” – said Osho, back in 1970, Osho declared in his discourses, “Krishna – The Man and His Philosophy”.

“He accepts life in all its facets, in all its climates and colours. He alone does not choose he accepts life unconditionally. He does not shun love; being a man he does not run away from women. As one who has known and experienced God, he alone does not turn his face from war. He is full of love and compassion, and yet he has the courage to accept and fight a war. His heart is utterly nonviolent, yet he plunges into the fire and fury of violence when it becomes unavoidable. He accepts the nectar, and yet he is not afraid of poison.

Osho World News, August 2011

* Published in print edition on 19 August 2011