Today people say, “I am spiritual but not religious”. This is the man who distinguished religion and spirituality thousands of years ago. He is the man who said if religion promotes your well beings and the well being of society and environment follow that else avoid that. He is the first man who went against his religion and stopped the Indra Puja (Traditional puja is done yearly to please the god of rain, Indra). Not just that, he is the man who suggests you discard religion if you want to be spiritual. Now don’t get the conclusion fast, he wanted to say that if your religion promotes spirituality if your religious values promote spirituality then follow that else don’t. He was never against religion but was against the things added by the Pujari (Priest), in the name of religion which actually diverts the essence of the religion.
I can easily conclude that Krishna is a Spiritual man but not a religious man from his participation in the war, the Mahabharata too. See, a religious man can never be a politician as politics is all about lies, deception, and fraud. The ideologies of any religion don’t allow that. So, basically a truly Religious person can never be a true politician who can revolutionize society. Now, the question will arise, then how can lies, deception, and fraud be good? The first very thing that people must understand is that religion has taught us these things as bad and religion is not wrong either but spirituality doesn’t distinguish anything as good or bad. It’s the purpose that makes the action good or bad. This distinguishes Krishna’s philosophy from religious belief. Krishna chose to lie and deception in his politics in order to win the battle as it was very important. The future of millions of people depended on the war, if the Karavas won the war the situation was going to be the worst so he chose to become a fraud. If he was a religious being he was not supposed to do that, but he was spiritual and his purpose was very pure so his fraud was good according to the situation. Although, he faced the curse and consequences for that.
Krishna believed, the one with knowledge must enter politics as politics is the means that can directly change the life of millions of people, for that the one must also be able to take the help of a lie if needed. But that doesn’t mean Krishna promoted lie, no not at all. He says if you are lying that will hit you in any way. So, if your purpose of the lie is good and will help a lot of people and you are ready to face the consequences then only you are supposed to choose the path, but one must avoid being in that path.
