Play Fight

Here are some considerations when trying to digest the violent side of God:

Attraction – Krishna’s activities are known as lila, or ‘divine play.’ They are eternal, full of bliss and knowledge, and create auspiciousness in every conceivable way. Even when there is conflict and battle, we should understand that these are not ordinary, mundane passions. As loving competition with friends, couples and families increases the sweetness of the relationship, Krishna, as rasaraja, the king of all relationships, knows how to bring everyone closer to Him. Transcendental violence has none of the detrimental side effects and harm that mundane violence generates, and such incidents draw everyone involved closer to Him – not just the participants but the observers too.

Absorption – the presence of demons, and the subsequent prowess of Krishna in combating them, stirs an ocean of emotions in His devotees. As they fear for His safety, and gasp in wonder when He is attacked, they come closer and closer to Him in consciousness. To increase the sense of dependency, Krishna performs these pastimes, keeping devotees on the edge of their seats.

Variation - In the spiritual world there are no demons, but only rumours of demons! Thus, when the Lord wants to experience a different type of exchange He comes to the material world and, while uplifting the universe and protecting His devotees, simultaneously experiences the act of fighting.

Purification – just as different criminals are given different jail sentences, demons, who cause universal uproar on a mass scale, are corrected in different ways. A famous dictum states: “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” It’s actually the Lord’s mercy that He takes the time and trouble to carefully punish each demon appropriately, such that their heart will be purified and their consciousness refined. A certain level of violence is sometimes required because of the base mentality and layers of illusion covering these souls. Demons have a deranged mentality – out of everyone in this world, the desire to kill God is the worst! Therefore, Krishna relates to them accordingly. The depth of Krishna’s love, even in these situations, can only be appreciated when we simultaneously consider the length and breadth of the living entity’s existence.

Instruction – to those of the future, and to each one of us, Krishna performs such violent acts to warn us of the fatal consequences of acting in a harmful or hurtful way while ‘nobody is watching.’ The Supreme Lord, protector of dharma and His devotees, is unable to tolerate any mistreatment and mischief caused towards them. Where good arguments fail, violence may need to be employed for a higher cause. Since the aggressive leaders had recklessly abused their positions and their subjects, a nonviolent approach would have been ineffective. Thus, Parasurama adopted an alternative response.