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Krishna: The Man and his Philosophy
White contains all the colors of the spectrum yet it seems to be colourless; it contains all these colours in such synthesis that they all disappear.
696 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
767 people are currently reading
2121 people want to read
About the author
Osho
4,302 books6,803 followersRajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain, 11 December 1931 – 19 January 1990) and latter rebranded as Osho was leader of the Rajneesh movement. During his lifetime he was viewed as a controversial new religious movement leader and mystic.
In the 1960s he traveled throughout India as a public speaker and was a vocal critic of socialism, Mahatma Gandhi, and Hindu religious orthodoxy.
Rajneesh emphasized the importance of meditation, mindfulness, love, celebration, courage, creativity and humor—qualities that he viewed as being suppressed by adherence to static belief systems, religious tradition and socialization.
In advocating a more open attitude to human sexuality he caused controversy in India during the late 1960s and became known as "the sex guru".
In 1970, Rajneesh spent time in Mumbai initiating followers known as "neo-sannyasins". During this period he expanded his spiritual teachings and commented extensively in discourses on the writings of religious traditions, mystics, and philosophers from around the world. In 1974 Rajneesh relocated to Pune, where an ashram was established and a variety of therapies, incorporating methods first developed by the Human Potential Movement, were offered to a growing Western following. By the late 1970s, the tension between the ruling Janata Party government of Morarji Desai and the movement led to a curbing of the ashram's development and a back taxes claim estimated at $5 million.
In 1981, the Rajneesh movement's efforts refocused on activities in the United States and Rajneesh relocated to a facility known as Rajneeshpuram in Wasco County, Oregon. Almost immediately the movement ran into conflict with county residents and the state government, and a succession of legal battles concerning the ashram's construction and continued development curtailed its success.
In 1985, in the wake of a series of serious crimes by his followers, including a mass food poisoning attack with Salmonella bacteria and an aborted assassination plot to murder U.S. Attorney Charles H. Turner, Rajneesh alleged that his personal secretary Ma Anand Sheela and her close supporters had been responsible. He was later deported from the United States in accordance with an Alford plea bargain.[
After his deportation, 21 countries denied him entry. He ultimately returned to India and a revived Pune ashram, where he died in 1990. Rajneesh's ashram, now known as OSHO International Meditation Resort and all associated intellectual property, is managed by the Zurich registered Osho International Foundation (formerly Rajneesh International Foundation). Rajneesh's teachings have had a notable impact on Western New Age thought, and their popularity has increased markedly since his death.
In the 1960s he traveled throughout India as a public speaker and was a vocal critic of socialism, Mahatma Gandhi, and Hindu religious orthodoxy.
Rajneesh emphasized the importance of meditation, mindfulness, love, celebration, courage, creativity and humor—qualities that he viewed as being suppressed by adherence to static belief systems, religious tradition and socialization.
In advocating a more open attitude to human sexuality he caused controversy in India during the late 1960s and became known as "the sex guru".
In 1970, Rajneesh spent time in Mumbai initiating followers known as "neo-sannyasins". During this period he expanded his spiritual teachings and commented extensively in discourses on the writings of religious traditions, mystics, and philosophers from around the world. In 1974 Rajneesh relocated to Pune, where an ashram was established and a variety of therapies, incorporating methods first developed by the Human Potential Movement, were offered to a growing Western following. By the late 1970s, the tension between the ruling Janata Party government of Morarji Desai and the movement led to a curbing of the ashram's development and a back taxes claim estimated at $5 million.
In 1981, the Rajneesh movement's efforts refocused on activities in the United States and Rajneesh relocated to a facility known as Rajneeshpuram in Wasco County, Oregon. Almost immediately the movement ran into conflict with county residents and the state government, and a succession of legal battles concerning the ashram's construction and continued development curtailed its success.
In 1985, in the wake of a series of serious crimes by his followers, including a mass food poisoning attack with Salmonella bacteria and an aborted assassination plot to murder U.S. Attorney Charles H. Turner, Rajneesh alleged that his personal secretary Ma Anand Sheela and her close supporters had been responsible. He was later deported from the United States in accordance with an Alford plea bargain.[
After his deportation, 21 countries denied him entry. He ultimately returned to India and a revived Pune ashram, where he died in 1990. Rajneesh's ashram, now known as OSHO International Meditation Resort and all associated intellectual property, is managed by the Zurich registered Osho International Foundation (formerly Rajneesh International Foundation). Rajneesh's teachings have had a notable impact on Western New Age thought, and their popularity has increased markedly since his death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
October 30, 2015
This is the first book of Osho's that I have ever read.
I had quite a few pre-conceived ideas about Osho till now (not all of them complimentary) based on whatever I had heard about him over the years. The irony is that most of the times, the people who were speaking to me about him were actually praising him. However, the idea was firmly set in my mind that Osho’s teachings were the direct opposite of what Vivekananda, a hero to me since my childhood years, professed.
Perhaps this was why I could never bring myself to actually read much of Osho’s works. A paragraph here and there was fine but I really couldn’t shake off the idea that here was something which was an intelligent manner of playing to the galleries.
That was till I read “Krishna – The Man and His Philosophy.”
I still don’t agree with everything that Osho writes, there are still questions unanswered, doubts raise their head when I traverse through some of the answers that Osho gives, but it is difficult to refute the fact that one is forced to think, and think hard, about some very interesting ideas that Osho discusses.
And that is what makes reading Osho so much fun.
“Krishna – The Man and His Philosophy” is basically conversations which Osho has with his followers during a 10 day meditation course at Manali in 1970. What begins as a free-wheeling discussion on the personality of the historical figure called Krishna becomes nothing short of an interpretation of the essence of The Bhagavad Gita.
Nor is Krishna the only personality discussed. Constant parallels are drawn with Buddha, Mahavir, Christ and Mohammed. What is refreshing to see is that Osho doesn’t just extol the virtues of any one of these great personalities. He points out the ideologies of each of them, leaving for us to decide which “path” we choose to seek.
Seekers such as Diogenes, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Tagore and Krishnamurthy are also spoken of. Enjoyable, memorable and hence, recall-worthy anecdotes about each of them are scattered throughout the book. Sri Aurobindo of Pondicherry (whose identity I was initially confused about since Osho keeps referring to him simply as ‘Aravind’), however, comes in for severe criticism.
What made the book most enjoyable was the fact that Osho keeps narrating one anecdote after another to drive home his point. Albeit these sometimes simplify the message to a great degree, they are nonetheless essential for a beginner (like myself) to understand the core of what Osho is trying to convey.
A great book, if for nothing else but for its ability to force you to think (rethink?) about religious and spiritual stand-points. An absolute must-read.
I had quite a few pre-conceived ideas about Osho till now (not all of them complimentary) based on whatever I had heard about him over the years. The irony is that most of the times, the people who were speaking to me about him were actually praising him. However, the idea was firmly set in my mind that Osho’s teachings were the direct opposite of what Vivekananda, a hero to me since my childhood years, professed.
Perhaps this was why I could never bring myself to actually read much of Osho’s works. A paragraph here and there was fine but I really couldn’t shake off the idea that here was something which was an intelligent manner of playing to the galleries.
That was till I read “Krishna – The Man and His Philosophy.”
I still don’t agree with everything that Osho writes, there are still questions unanswered, doubts raise their head when I traverse through some of the answers that Osho gives, but it is difficult to refute the fact that one is forced to think, and think hard, about some very interesting ideas that Osho discusses.
And that is what makes reading Osho so much fun.
“Krishna – The Man and His Philosophy” is basically conversations which Osho has with his followers during a 10 day meditation course at Manali in 1970. What begins as a free-wheeling discussion on the personality of the historical figure called Krishna becomes nothing short of an interpretation of the essence of The Bhagavad Gita.
Nor is Krishna the only personality discussed. Constant parallels are drawn with Buddha, Mahavir, Christ and Mohammed. What is refreshing to see is that Osho doesn’t just extol the virtues of any one of these great personalities. He points out the ideologies of each of them, leaving for us to decide which “path” we choose to seek.
Seekers such as Diogenes, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Tagore and Krishnamurthy are also spoken of. Enjoyable, memorable and hence, recall-worthy anecdotes about each of them are scattered throughout the book. Sri Aurobindo of Pondicherry (whose identity I was initially confused about since Osho keeps referring to him simply as ‘Aravind’), however, comes in for severe criticism.
What made the book most enjoyable was the fact that Osho keeps narrating one anecdote after another to drive home his point. Albeit these sometimes simplify the message to a great degree, they are nonetheless essential for a beginner (like myself) to understand the core of what Osho is trying to convey.
A great book, if for nothing else but for its ability to force you to think (rethink?) about religious and spiritual stand-points. An absolute must-read.
July 10, 2016
This is one of most amazing book i have read. No one can explain Krishna like the way Osho does... He is not interpreting Krishna but reflecting him as he is.... Wow. Just wow for this book... Must read... But if you are not ready even the right is wrong for you... So are you ready?
July 9, 2016
Osho and Krishna!my two most favorite men! words seem utterly stupid and useless in front of them!!
December 4, 2013
My Humble Review:
This book narrates the current situation of the world in atomic power. Osho narrates, how the world was when there was occasional wars between nations and how it induced the people to live an aspiring and an abundant life. He emphasizes that war is essential and should happen between some decades. This is a harder perspective to accept, but reading his reason for this view convinces the reader on its bestiality by referring to Japan or German. Yes, we must accept it. These are well developed countries and their failure in the world war was the stimulation for these countries to aspire and grow higher.
We certainly need a stimulation to lead a fully alive life, the stimulation may be positive or negative but we need it! In the subsequent chapters, He depicts the true philosophy of Krishna and The Gita.
In this book, the reader is envisioned on both the Gita and the life of Krishna. The reader is aspired by the words on how to be our own selves which will makes us an equally enlightened man like Him.
Good luck!
http://thesupremewisdom.blogspot.com
This book narrates the current situation of the world in atomic power. Osho narrates, how the world was when there was occasional wars between nations and how it induced the people to live an aspiring and an abundant life. He emphasizes that war is essential and should happen between some decades. This is a harder perspective to accept, but reading his reason for this view convinces the reader on its bestiality by referring to Japan or German. Yes, we must accept it. These are well developed countries and their failure in the world war was the stimulation for these countries to aspire and grow higher.
We certainly need a stimulation to lead a fully alive life, the stimulation may be positive or negative but we need it! In the subsequent chapters, He depicts the true philosophy of Krishna and The Gita.
In this book, the reader is envisioned on both the Gita and the life of Krishna. The reader is aspired by the words on how to be our own selves which will makes us an equally enlightened man like Him.
Good luck!
http://thesupremewisdom.blogspot.com
June 2, 2015
I took a whole lot of time to complete this book. Prime reason being, this like so many of Osho's books is a collection of his talks. Osho was a highly intellectual man. His thoughts are original, thought provoking and free from hypocricy. I'm a fan of Lord Krishna so the book piqued my interest. Although, you'd find a lot about Buddhu, Jesus and Mahavira to in this book. Can be a bit ennui inducing for the unintiated into spirituality.
July 8, 2012
In this book Osho has portrayed Lord Krishna and His life in utmost depth, analyzing every aspect of His Philosophy with minute details.He has allayed all doubts and queries of devotees with perfection. A great book for Lord Krishna devotees and Osho fans.
October 22, 2015
Another masterpiece from this incredibly interesting human being, OSHO. This entire book is Questions from the seekers across the globe and the impromptu and insightful answers given by this man. The book, in actual, has nothing to do with Krishna or any spiritual body who is going to be the remover of all our agony someday in future. It is rather about a deep journey into our own self. This man, OSHO, along with Khalil Gibran, Tagore, Tolstoy, Maupassent and a few more have caused me enough harm. No more do I feel like reading mundane fictions. But yet, I love & look up to them all so much for causing me this irreparable harm. Read this book. You will not regret giving your time to it.
May 18, 2016
Osho is refreshing. He revives the concept of spirituality and blows a breathe of fresh air into religion. It is a highly remarkable experience to be acquainted with the brilliance of Indian thought on reality. It is also a matter of sorrow that the original ideas behind concepts like renunciation, non attachment, liberation has been lost through the ages. All that remains are words without the meaning and understanding they once conveyed.
Enlightenment is the liberation from ego. It is the cessation of duality and time. There are two ways to enlightenment - In the first path, followed by Buddha and Mahavir, the answer to the question "who are you?" is "nothing". This is the path of total negation. The second way, followed by Krishna, leads to the answer "everything". This state is of total acceptance. Both these methods are two sides of the same coin. Both lead to the same result.
Krishna is extraordinary in the spiritual history of India which is wrought with the stoic philosophy of discipline, renunciation and denial of life. But for Krishna, what is is the reality. He accepts everything and so he can flirt and play pranks with the village girls. He can also participate in a great war like Mahabharat. There is no difficultly whatsoever. One cannot imagine Buddha and Mahavir to participate in war. He is the ultimate actor and everything is his play, his leela.
Osho is not concerned if Krishna actually happened in history. What he is concerned with is whether a man like Krishna is possible. Krishna, in Gita, declares himself to be the "Kamdhenu among cows", "airavat among the elephants" and "vasuki among the snakes". This means that whatever he is, he is the ultimate flowering of it. If a cow has failed to be Kamdhenu, it means he has failed to achieve his highest potential. When a being achieves to its ultimate flowering, he attains to Christ or Krishna Consciousness.
The Hindi word for religion is Dharma, which means "inner nature " or "nature as it is". When he instigates Arjuna to fight, he is basically telling him to follow the Dharma, to be a religious person. Krishna is the most religious man, even though he is not known for performing rituals and chanting mantras, because he is in perfect attunement with his inner nature.
I would like to share a story of Krishna here :
I am glad I read this. The idea I formed about Krishna in my childhood was that he was troublesome and mischievous character. But realizing that these mischiefs has innocence in its foundations completely shook my view of how one ought to live. While it is a discussion on Krishna, it makes one think about himself and the society, and on other topics such as the nature of love and morality, the meaning of religion, the schism between reality and thought, the purpose and way of action, and so on. Must Read!
Enlightenment is the liberation from ego. It is the cessation of duality and time. There are two ways to enlightenment - In the first path, followed by Buddha and Mahavir, the answer to the question "who are you?" is "nothing". This is the path of total negation. The second way, followed by Krishna, leads to the answer "everything". This state is of total acceptance. Both these methods are two sides of the same coin. Both lead to the same result.
Krishna is extraordinary in the spiritual history of India which is wrought with the stoic philosophy of discipline, renunciation and denial of life. But for Krishna, what is is the reality. He accepts everything and so he can flirt and play pranks with the village girls. He can also participate in a great war like Mahabharat. There is no difficultly whatsoever. One cannot imagine Buddha and Mahavir to participate in war. He is the ultimate actor and everything is his play, his leela.
Osho is not concerned if Krishna actually happened in history. What he is concerned with is whether a man like Krishna is possible. Krishna, in Gita, declares himself to be the "Kamdhenu among cows", "airavat among the elephants" and "vasuki among the snakes". This means that whatever he is, he is the ultimate flowering of it. If a cow has failed to be Kamdhenu, it means he has failed to achieve his highest potential. When a being achieves to its ultimate flowering, he attains to Christ or Krishna Consciousness.
The Hindi word for religion is Dharma, which means "inner nature " or "nature as it is". When he instigates Arjuna to fight, he is basically telling him to follow the Dharma, to be a religious person. Krishna is the most religious man, even though he is not known for performing rituals and chanting mantras, because he is in perfect attunement with his inner nature.
I would like to share a story of Krishna here :
There is a beautiful story about the flute of Krishna. You know Krishna always holds a flute in his hand, but there is a great story behind it. Everyday Krishna would go in the garden and say to all the plants, “I love you”. The plants were very happy and responded back and said “Krishna, we love You, too”. One day Krishna rushed quickly into the garden very alarmed. He went to the bamboo plant and the bamboo plant asked, “Krishna, what´s wrong with you?” Krishna said “I have something to ask you, but it is very difficult”. The bamboo said “Tell me: if I can, I will give it to you”. So Krishna said “I need your life. I need to cut you”. The bamboo thought for a while and then said “You don´t have any other choice. You don’t have any other way?” Krishna said, “No, no other way”. And it said “OK, I surrender to you”. So Krishna cut the bamboo, made holes in it, and each time, while he was doing that, the bamboo was crying with pain, because he was paining the bamboo so much. Krishna made a beautiful flute out of it. And this flute was with Krishna all the time. 24 hours a day, it was with Krishna. Even the Gopis were jealous of the flute. They said, “Look, Krishna is our Lord, but yet we get to spend only some time with him. He wakes up with you, He sleeps with you, all the time you are with him”. So one day they asked the bamboo, “Tell us the secret of it. What secret do you have, that the Lord treasures you so much?” And the bamboo said “The secret is that I´m empty inside. And the Lord does whatever he wants with me, whenever he wants with me and however he wants with me”. So this is complete surrender: where God can do whatever He wants with you, whenever He wants, as He wants. And for that you
don’t need to be scared, you know, you have just to give yourself. And who is yourself in reality? It’s just Him!
I am glad I read this. The idea I formed about Krishna in my childhood was that he was troublesome and mischievous character. But realizing that these mischiefs has innocence in its foundations completely shook my view of how one ought to live. While it is a discussion on Krishna, it makes one think about himself and the society, and on other topics such as the nature of love and morality, the meaning of religion, the schism between reality and thought, the purpose and way of action, and so on. Must Read!
June 26, 2016
When you are at the start of your spiritual journey and looking for logic and reasoning to justify your search, this book is good . But if you have even smallest glimpse of silence or stillness then this book would be more of repetitive and the use of words and logic sometimes become annoying .
August 4, 2012
Transformed the outlook on violence, lethargic energies to alert and active energies!
Active void state of enlightenment, playful-dancing-naughty dimensions of spirituality! :P
Active void state of enlightenment, playful-dancing-naughty dimensions of spirituality! :P
January 16, 2014
Amazing theory..
July 29, 2013
this book full of comparison between ancient great spiritual people, sometimes osho describe through stories that is the best part of this book overall good and long book keep reading
Read
July 18, 2016it opens your mind at first...it further stretches the cravices...and by the end..it will explode your mind...OSHO was indeed a man with thinking beyond time and space.
April 7, 2020
Take a bow, Osho!
There could be no one who could unravel the mystical being of "Krishna" like Osho has did in this book. A life time knowledge of understanding Krishna's psyche , nature, and his whole being can be missed if you don't read this book!
Highly, highly recommend it to all.
There could be no one who could unravel the mystical being of "Krishna" like Osho has did in this book. A life time knowledge of understanding Krishna's psyche , nature, and his whole being can be missed if you don't read this book!
Highly, highly recommend it to all.
Read
July 30, 2025The Man and His Philosophy isn’t just a book.It’s an experience that brings Krishna alive in the most human, yet divine way. Through Osho’s writing you don’t just read about Krishna,you begin to understand his laughter, his freedom, and his fearless way of living. The book beautifully unpacks his teachings.It deepens your admiration for Krishna while gently shifting your perspective on everything-desire, detachment, love, and the self.GO FOR IT!!
June 21, 2020
I experience a strange calmness/emptiness as I finish reading 692 pages of the mammoth book “Krishna - The Man and His Philosophy” by Chandra Mohan Jain (popularly known as Acharya Rajneesh/Osho). It was during a ten day meditation camp in 1970 at Manali that Osho gave a discourse that was later transcribed into this beautiful book.
Every religion, up to now, has divided life into two parts, and while they accept one part they deny the other, Krishna alone accepts the whole of life. Acceptance of life and its dichotomies has attained full fruition in Krishna. This is the reason India held him to be a perfect incarnation of God.
Osho draws analogies from the life of Buddha, Mahavira, Christ and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to better explain the beautiful yet complex nature of Krishna. To bring home a point, Osho often shares interesting anecdotes from the life of great seers like Buddha, Zen Masters and Kabir.
The old religions taught suppression as the way to God. With Freud a new kind of awareness has dawned on man: that suppression is wrong, that suppression brings with it nothing but self-pity and anguish. If a man fights with himself he can only ruin and destroy himself. Krishna alone seems relevant to the new awareness, to the new understanding that came to man in the wake of Freud and his findings. It is because in the whole history of the old humanity Krishna alone is against repression. Krishna accepts the duality, the dialectics of life altogether and therefore transcends duality.
Despite having read several translations of the Bhagavad Gita, never before have I read the concept of action, inaction and non-action explained with such immense clarity, as Osho explains during his discourse, wherein a full chapter is dedicated to explaining the nuances and how best to put them in practice in real life. Reading this chapter makes the essence of the Gita come alive. The other notable subjects that Osho demystifies in this book are - Religion & Spiritualism, Atheism & Theism and Non-attachment & Aversion.
To grasp the (sometimes radical) teachings within this book, you need to be willing to unlearn your old beliefs. Figuratively speaking, only when your hands are empty can you receive the gift being presented to you. The essence of Osho’s teachings can be summed up in an autograph he once gave to a budding actor, wherein he wrote: “Act as if it is real life and live as if it is acting”.
P.S. Jaico Publication House, if you are reading this note, please take action on it. The transcription of this otherwise beautiful book (2015 edition) is filled with spelling mistakes. It’s hard to believe that in the era of Word processing software, a book was published without a spellcheck.
Every religion, up to now, has divided life into two parts, and while they accept one part they deny the other, Krishna alone accepts the whole of life. Acceptance of life and its dichotomies has attained full fruition in Krishna. This is the reason India held him to be a perfect incarnation of God.
Osho draws analogies from the life of Buddha, Mahavira, Christ and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to better explain the beautiful yet complex nature of Krishna. To bring home a point, Osho often shares interesting anecdotes from the life of great seers like Buddha, Zen Masters and Kabir.
The old religions taught suppression as the way to God. With Freud a new kind of awareness has dawned on man: that suppression is wrong, that suppression brings with it nothing but self-pity and anguish. If a man fights with himself he can only ruin and destroy himself. Krishna alone seems relevant to the new awareness, to the new understanding that came to man in the wake of Freud and his findings. It is because in the whole history of the old humanity Krishna alone is against repression. Krishna accepts the duality, the dialectics of life altogether and therefore transcends duality.
Despite having read several translations of the Bhagavad Gita, never before have I read the concept of action, inaction and non-action explained with such immense clarity, as Osho explains during his discourse, wherein a full chapter is dedicated to explaining the nuances and how best to put them in practice in real life. Reading this chapter makes the essence of the Gita come alive. The other notable subjects that Osho demystifies in this book are - Religion & Spiritualism, Atheism & Theism and Non-attachment & Aversion.
To grasp the (sometimes radical) teachings within this book, you need to be willing to unlearn your old beliefs. Figuratively speaking, only when your hands are empty can you receive the gift being presented to you. The essence of Osho’s teachings can be summed up in an autograph he once gave to a budding actor, wherein he wrote: “Act as if it is real life and live as if it is acting”.
P.S. Jaico Publication House, if you are reading this note, please take action on it. The transcription of this otherwise beautiful book (2015 edition) is filled with spelling mistakes. It’s hard to believe that in the era of Word processing software, a book was published without a spellcheck.
June 21, 2016
This is one book that has definitely changed the way i look at world, the way i look up to God. It enlightened me about God and his beauty, his joy in all together in a different way. Before reading this I have blind faith about God. I was always taught if i pray to God, good things will happen and if some bad things are happening it is because i did not pray to him for this and that, i did not asked for his blessings. If a person is rich, it is due to blessing of God and that very person will pray blindly believing that if he stopped praying he will be poor and unhappy. Yes, He is the absolute controller. But he is not some tyrant who need to be pleased. He loves all mankind. He is not doing good and bad things to you; why would he do? Whatever is happening is due to some reason; be it Karma or anything which i am not aware of. And most important from whom are we seeking happiness, wealth, or any other wish and the answer must be God. But if you see the life of any God, be it Rama, Krishna, Jesus, Guru Nanak; was there life a fairy-tale? .No, it was full of struggle; it has ups and downs; no one can avoid this cycle . And this book, taught me to be realistic, fearless and peaceful. I started believing more in myself, my existence and my God. But i don't agree with him at every point. Moreover, i think OSHO didn't want people to blindly believe him. But, It is defintely a thought provoking journey with this book
September 8, 2016
A great book on spirituality and philosophy of life. This is one such book that can/needs to be read again and again.
In the form of questions and their answers, Osho's wordings are more than mere words and sentences. It takes a lot of thinking to analyse and know what Osho is trying to convey using the examples of our ancient history. Overall, he takes Lord Shri Krishna to exemplify the simple facts and facets of our lives, which we fail to see beyond the obvious. There are so many awesome instances where the logic used by Osho would leave the reader utterly speechless. All in all, a must read for the hungry souls who believe in spiritual science.
In the form of questions and their answers, Osho's wordings are more than mere words and sentences. It takes a lot of thinking to analyse and know what Osho is trying to convey using the examples of our ancient history. Overall, he takes Lord Shri Krishna to exemplify the simple facts and facets of our lives, which we fail to see beyond the obvious. There are so many awesome instances where the logic used by Osho would leave the reader utterly speechless. All in all, a must read for the hungry souls who believe in spiritual science.
March 23, 2017
This book is mind blowing. It is a tight slap on the face of many preconceived notions and prejudices we all might have. This takes you one step closer to the majestic personality of Krishna. However, it would be a little difficult for a reader who is not very thorough with the Eastern philosophy or Indian way of thinking to understand and comprehend fully.
November 12, 2024
Amazing book with some really important life principles discussed from various philosophies. This book will make your life feel like a play. I am really happy I came across this wonderful work.
There some things that I could not relate to but everything around action, inaction and detachment was just brilliant.
There some things that I could not relate to but everything around action, inaction and detachment was just brilliant.
October 24, 2013
A fantastic book about the life and philosophy of Krishna. Each and every seemingly contradictory action of Krishna is explained in excruciating details. Very novel and unique insights are presented
But there are quite a few typos - stopped me from giving 5 stars.
But there are quite a few typos - stopped me from giving 5 stars.
March 22, 2016
Osho never fails to impress with his unique style of story telling and philosophy. Osho's portrayal of "krishna"-the Hindu deity is surreal. Each aspect of krishna's life is slowly unwound in this beautifully written book.
A masterpiece!
A masterpiece!
June 9, 2023
Krishna views
I would like to call it a treatise. Happy to read this book.
This is the 1st book on the subject with open discussions and agrees on other views as well.
I enjoyed the discussions, though do not agree on every view.
I would like to call it a treatise. Happy to read this book.
This is the 1st book on the subject with open discussions and agrees on other views as well.
I enjoyed the discussions, though do not agree on every view.
August 4, 2013
Krishna Is Multi-Dimensional person...
Osho is an ultimate person
Really Nice Philosofy By Rajnish
Life Is A Picture, Enjoy Every Moment- Osho Rajnish
Osho is an ultimate person
Really Nice Philosofy By Rajnish
Life Is A Picture, Enjoy Every Moment- Osho Rajnish
January 15, 2014
i have no words
March 29, 2023
I read this book over a course of twelve months. Not because it was slow but because it was a cluster of meaningful paragraphs, each of which deserved acknowledgement, appreciation and absorption with appropriate time. Capturing verses, narratives and discussion pointers from a congregation of devotees that had occurred at the foothills of the Himalayas, this book is structured in the form of questions and answers covering a wide range of topics, overlapping with the theme of Krishna and his tales. The book is a must read for anyone who is conflicted with the choices of deity, helping them to understand him better and even to those who are life long worshippers of the controversial but magnetic god-figure the text offers explanations that can challenge their conventional understanding of a particular topic.
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September 27, 2021I bought this big book after great reviews, I admire lord Krishna and believe he was and is the god of great wisdom to have given answers to all worldly issues, since I heard a lot about OSHO, I bought my first book of his on Krishna, the first few pages were amazing, but as I started my journey in the book I could sense OSHO pushing his idealogies through the life of lord Krishna, he kept on comparing Buddha and Mahavira with Krishna, and how Krishna was above them, which didnt fit well with me, I believe to eulogize one it isn't necessary to demean the another, he said the Buddha and Mahavira felt world is full of suffering etc, but in reality Buddha and Mahavira said attaching oneself to worldly pleasures bring suffering, but osho misconstrued that despite being born as a Jain himself, he did the same with Lord Krishna and Jesus Christ, though I do believe Krishna was and is a perfect example of how to live right in the world and face tough times with a smile and wisdom. However the next thing was subtly introducing nudity in some chapter of the book where he talks about Gopis bathing in water and Krishna stealing their clothes etc , which was clearly an OSHO'S version in the garb of Krishna's teachings. Lord Krishna was a lord and we don't know his real story, just based on some hearsay and tweaking the story to weave a completely different version doesnt work for me. He has taken many self help story examples and fit them in which is apparent in the pages. I closed the book mid-way in order to not steer my mind to a fabricated version and keep intact the actual Krishna philosophy . I gave it 2 stars because it has some good examples, but I would like the readers to buy the Bhagwad Gita or any other book on Lord Krishna for his actual teachings , this one definitely is Osho speaking his philosophy through Krishna's life.
August 12, 2020
My first book by Osho; took me a while to read; only to feel that it should be read by everyone who is interested to know more about Krishna and His mysterious yet playful ways. Unquestionably He is called as Leela Purushottam (Leela - plays of life, Purushottam - Highest amongst men, Leela Purushottam thus is someone who excels amongst all in playfully living life)
Osho, in extreme details explains the philosophies of Lord Krishna, sheds light on what Krishna embodies, what He did, why He did what He did. Osho, himself has never written any book. All publications by his name are actually a compilation of questions asked by seers and Osho answering them in maximum detail possible. The conversations compiled in this book are general and specific questions that may arise in minds of lots of people with sense of devotion, skeptics, inquisitiveness, awe, reveration and love for Krishna. The way Osho answers these questions demonstrates his deeper understanding of not only Krishna, but also of human psychology, the way religions like Christianity and Islaam are organised, differences between religion & spirituality and most importantly how Krishna and His philosophies are relevant today more than any time in human history.
My favourite parts of the book which I enjoyed thoroughly or which made me stop reading to mull over for sometime or which were sort of eye opener for me were :
- Differences between Rama & Krishna (I personally enjoy this a lot) and how devotion of Hanuman towards Rama was different to that of Meera towards Krishna.
- Mis-interpretations of Gita, including that of Gandhi's. Osho addresses the most common misinterpretations of Gita about Krishna invoking Arjuna to wage war, about Krishna's promise of taking births in all ages for protection of Dharma (mind that closest english translation of Dharma is Righteous ness, not religion), about Krishna's take on violence towards body and spirit.
- Where Osho reasons the need for the war of Mahabharata, which was never for the sake of fighting but only to prevent evil mindset from growing futher & winning
- Explanations on concepts of hell & heaven and how good & bad are not opposites rather complementary to each other and too much of either can create imbalance
- The egocentric nature of humans who think of everything and everyone in terms of utility
- Differences in lives & philosophies of Krishna, Christ, Budha, Mahavira, Muhammad and explains how Krishna encompasses all these arguably different belief systems.
- Why and how Krishna is gaining pull of western civilization ? and why Christ is gaining importance in India ? - very interesting take.
- How westerns are more honest in their investigation for search of truths in philosophies, science, religion and how Indians are comparatively prejudiced towards the authority of Vedas, Upanishads or Dhammapada.
- Philosophies of Nietzsche (which I find too crude to comprehend otherwise), Jiddu Krishnamurti, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Marshal McLuhan, Shree Arvind, Ramana Maharshi, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and many more.
- The concept of Sanyas i.e renunciation and why Krishna never took it. Osho also explains the concepts of attachment, non attachment, aversion.
- Lessons on Karma (action, in action, non action), reincarnation, life after death, theism, atheism, spirits.
- Helplessness or non value addition of concepts or approaches of neutrality and equivocation.
- To think if violence is only physical and verbal. Isn't it mental as well ?
Is Violence real ? even if not, thoughts of violence are very much real and enough grounds to attract Karmic retributions.
- Osho's thoughts on psyche of men & women (how different and yet complementary they are), on constitution of marriage, his take on living in relationship, observations on society with patriarchal vs matriarchal orders, including his thoughts on homosexuality and how different are the cultures which accept or reject it.
- To think of life in terms of work or celebration. How too much focus on work has distorted the idea of life being a celebration by replacing it with life where entertainment has become alternative of celebration.
- Beautiful definitions of fundamental concepts of morality and equality. Why equality in society has to be measured in terms of only material wealth, why not on the basis of cerebral competencies ?
- Differentiation between meditation, chanting, prayer, devotion, discipline and he also touches upon the concept of transcendental meditation
- Role that rituals play in spiritual disciplines and how significant should they be considered.
The most refreshing part is when unlike all spiritual/religious gurus or advocates/advertisers of different schools of spirituality/religion, Osho never asks us to be like Krishna for he is strictly against any form of imitiation. Neither he advises us to unquestioningly follow Krishna's philosophies. All he suggests is to try understanding Krishna, for he is the most incomprehensible and mis comprehended being in known human history (I'm consciously chosing the word history instead Myth) and in the process of understanding a Man like him, we will start understanding ourselves deeper & clearer. What could be better than that ?
I would recommend this book to everyone. Doesn't matter you are Indian or not, doesn't matter you are believer or not (even though non believers also believe in something, just that they are more on negation side), doesn't matter whether you believe if a Man like Krishna was/is possible or not, what matters is whether you are willing to learn and understand. Like I mentioned above, the book revolves around Krishna but has pearls on many things.
Don't pick it up for the sake of reading. This books rightfully deserves your time, patience, skeptics and unprejudiced approach towards understanding Krishna. Start reading, see what hits you, stop right there, think more about it, research (if you're a deep diver) and start reading further. Not every page is full of something awesome but every chapter has something to think on about this world, about people, about yourself and about India's (and world's) one of the most widely worshipped, loved, inspiring, playful, mysterious, historical (debatably though, mostly in political parlance) figure - KRISHNA.
Osho, in extreme details explains the philosophies of Lord Krishna, sheds light on what Krishna embodies, what He did, why He did what He did. Osho, himself has never written any book. All publications by his name are actually a compilation of questions asked by seers and Osho answering them in maximum detail possible. The conversations compiled in this book are general and specific questions that may arise in minds of lots of people with sense of devotion, skeptics, inquisitiveness, awe, reveration and love for Krishna. The way Osho answers these questions demonstrates his deeper understanding of not only Krishna, but also of human psychology, the way religions like Christianity and Islaam are organised, differences between religion & spirituality and most importantly how Krishna and His philosophies are relevant today more than any time in human history.
My favourite parts of the book which I enjoyed thoroughly or which made me stop reading to mull over for sometime or which were sort of eye opener for me were :
- Differences between Rama & Krishna (I personally enjoy this a lot) and how devotion of Hanuman towards Rama was different to that of Meera towards Krishna.
- Mis-interpretations of Gita, including that of Gandhi's. Osho addresses the most common misinterpretations of Gita about Krishna invoking Arjuna to wage war, about Krishna's promise of taking births in all ages for protection of Dharma (mind that closest english translation of Dharma is Righteous ness, not religion), about Krishna's take on violence towards body and spirit.
- Where Osho reasons the need for the war of Mahabharata, which was never for the sake of fighting but only to prevent evil mindset from growing futher & winning
- Explanations on concepts of hell & heaven and how good & bad are not opposites rather complementary to each other and too much of either can create imbalance
- The egocentric nature of humans who think of everything and everyone in terms of utility
- Differences in lives & philosophies of Krishna, Christ, Budha, Mahavira, Muhammad and explains how Krishna encompasses all these arguably different belief systems.
- Why and how Krishna is gaining pull of western civilization ? and why Christ is gaining importance in India ? - very interesting take.
- How westerns are more honest in their investigation for search of truths in philosophies, science, religion and how Indians are comparatively prejudiced towards the authority of Vedas, Upanishads or Dhammapada.
- Philosophies of Nietzsche (which I find too crude to comprehend otherwise), Jiddu Krishnamurti, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Marshal McLuhan, Shree Arvind, Ramana Maharshi, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and many more.
- The concept of Sanyas i.e renunciation and why Krishna never took it. Osho also explains the concepts of attachment, non attachment, aversion.
- Lessons on Karma (action, in action, non action), reincarnation, life after death, theism, atheism, spirits.
- Helplessness or non value addition of concepts or approaches of neutrality and equivocation.
- To think if violence is only physical and verbal. Isn't it mental as well ?
Is Violence real ? even if not, thoughts of violence are very much real and enough grounds to attract Karmic retributions.
- Osho's thoughts on psyche of men & women (how different and yet complementary they are), on constitution of marriage, his take on living in relationship, observations on society with patriarchal vs matriarchal orders, including his thoughts on homosexuality and how different are the cultures which accept or reject it.
- To think of life in terms of work or celebration. How too much focus on work has distorted the idea of life being a celebration by replacing it with life where entertainment has become alternative of celebration.
- Beautiful definitions of fundamental concepts of morality and equality. Why equality in society has to be measured in terms of only material wealth, why not on the basis of cerebral competencies ?
- Differentiation between meditation, chanting, prayer, devotion, discipline and he also touches upon the concept of transcendental meditation
- Role that rituals play in spiritual disciplines and how significant should they be considered.
The most refreshing part is when unlike all spiritual/religious gurus or advocates/advertisers of different schools of spirituality/religion, Osho never asks us to be like Krishna for he is strictly against any form of imitiation. Neither he advises us to unquestioningly follow Krishna's philosophies. All he suggests is to try understanding Krishna, for he is the most incomprehensible and mis comprehended being in known human history (I'm consciously chosing the word history instead Myth) and in the process of understanding a Man like him, we will start understanding ourselves deeper & clearer. What could be better than that ?
I would recommend this book to everyone. Doesn't matter you are Indian or not, doesn't matter you are believer or not (even though non believers also believe in something, just that they are more on negation side), doesn't matter whether you believe if a Man like Krishna was/is possible or not, what matters is whether you are willing to learn and understand. Like I mentioned above, the book revolves around Krishna but has pearls on many things.
Don't pick it up for the sake of reading. This books rightfully deserves your time, patience, skeptics and unprejudiced approach towards understanding Krishna. Start reading, see what hits you, stop right there, think more about it, research (if you're a deep diver) and start reading further. Not every page is full of something awesome but every chapter has something to think on about this world, about people, about yourself and about India's (and world's) one of the most widely worshipped, loved, inspiring, playful, mysterious, historical (debatably though, mostly in political parlance) figure - KRISHNA.
January 5, 2011
Krishna
The Man who always been a mystery through his activities.. Enjoy his acts thoroughly, you can also get answers for your questions which is in your mind about krishna's acts through this book.
The Man who always been a mystery through his activities.. Enjoy his acts thoroughly, you can also get answers for your questions which is in your mind about krishna's acts through this book.
September 12, 2008
very good book to read. he explains krishna oin a new dimension
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