Jesus Christ and Krishna : Midnight's Children

Dr. Ksh. Imokanta Singh *

Last time I lamented on being considered 'un-invitable' for Christmas Eve party and the story remains unchanged this time also despite (false) promises made by many sympathisers on social media. This foments me to come up with this very newly invented saying, 'to forget is human'.

However, my ears and nerves were teased by the sound bites, at midnight even breaking my good night's sleep, traversing through the benevolent atmosphere which is used by one and all without any cost. Then this idea struck me at this odd hour.

Midnight as Odd hour ? Must be kidding. If that was construed as odd hour, everyone would prefer to come to this earth during that odd hour like Jesus Christ and Krishna, those two Midnight's children. Are you there Mr. Salman Rushdie to add these two in your list ?

There they were on karaoke, singing, 'Give me some sunshine; Give me some rain; Give me another chance; I wanna grow up once again', waking me up, at least to attend the nature's flowing call. Idiots, I mean 3 Idiots. What an apt song for the night. Wishing for Sunshine at this darkest hour, to be bestowed by Christ! Then this idea came rushing in tandem with the flow of the flush.

I patted myself on my tummy, where the brain was, for this great and very original idea. Why Jesus Christ was born at midnight ? Upon further brain teasing I also found out that my Krishna was also born at midnight (then I slept only to rejuvenate that idea in the morning). Was it sheer coincidence or was it gingerly planned? Were all great people born at midnight? At least I was not.

I found out some uncanny similarities between these two great personalities. Both were born in unfavourable situations. Christ (I confess I know very little about him and Christianity, though most of the people outside my land think that I am also a Christian, blanketing all from wintery NE as Christians and wish me on Christmas as 'Merry Christmas' then I have to respond with a smile, 'It's not just Merry Christmas, It's Teri Christmas also'), as I found out, was not born as prince to be laid on velvety bed but was instead put in a manger.

Likewise, Krishna had to come on this earth (or in Veda Vyas's mind) in a troublesome time when his uncle Kansa was ever manning guillotine to club both the birth day and death day of the former on the same day.

But then Krishna had to survive to prove that,
'Yada yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavati bharata;
Abhythanamadharmasya tadatmanam srijamyaham;
Paritranaya sadhunang vinashay cha dushkritam;
Dharmasangsthapanarthay sambhabami yuge yuge'
(I am coming, I am coming,
when there is a loss of religion, then I am coming,
when the iniquity increases, then I am coming to protect the gentlemen,
to destroy the wicked I am coming in to establish religion
and I am born in the age of era).

Krishna had to be on this earth and in the Mahabharata, at least for BR Chopra and Ravi Chopra to let us enjoy him with creaked neck, struggling to insert an eye or two, during those black and white TV eras, when ownership of the machine meant kingship.

Both were born or rather 'made to be born' at midnight. If we talk of the latter 'made to be born' we are talking of those original CS (Cesarean Section) doctors in the garb of powerful theologists, Church men, historians, kings and social (media) influencers who used their mental and spiritual surgical knives to decide when both Christ and Krishna were to be born and then to decide both only to be born at midnight, suiting their agenda.

The agenda of giving light to darkness, power to powerless and intelligence to fools. This symbolism is beautiful since both the personalities are not less than the Sun and moreover, they did not have their own horoscope writers and were open to imaginations and interpretations of their powerful followers who actually did a brilliant job of conquering generations of believers, which is not bad at all.

Both the Birthday Eves are to be celebrated with very similar rituals which are prologues to the birth hour at midnight. Though celebratory rituals and ambiences are variable depending on the cultures where Christ is worshipped, one very notable ensemble is the midnight mass and singing of carols. Enactment of the whole ambience of how Christ was born, wrapped in a cloth and put in a manger.

Lights, be it candles or Christmas trees with twinkling lights are regular features. On the other hand, the Birthday Eve of Krishna is marked, especially amongst the Vaisnavite Hindus, with enactment of Krishna's birth and life through dance drama, devotional singing and night vigil (Ratri jagaran) through the midnight.

It is another matter that Christians today have to celebrate such rituals through karaoke with all sorts of dance numbers through the night. Let alone Christians, non-Christians are up to it doing the same thing or more than that, proving themselves more Christian than real Christians. How can sound bites come out easily without a soothing vibe?

That vibe, of course, is created by that shooting juice. Yes, that juice is not evil at all and it has been a part of, if I am not wrong, Christian rites. Why should the night be dry when winter grips their spines ?

Santa Clause, though, may not need any booster in that furry wind proof gown and wavy beard. I am not complaining but rather appreciating it since it is birthday, not a gloomy or mourning day, though morning may not be no longer morning when the revellers get up the next day which is actually the Christmas day.

As the story progresses, I am trying to coax myself to own up Christ as someone not from far away foreign land but from very nearby. Then I landed up discovering this theory that Christ was actually born a Tamil Brahmin and even with a name - Keshao Krishna and died in the Himalayas. Lo, here also comes the name Krishna, what a revelation! This is definitely becoming eerie.

Let us try and SOL (Shout Out Loud) the two names separately as per their spellings – Christ, Krishna. Both sound very similar with variations which are bound to be there. Is it something like 'two' becoming 'do' or vice versa? Certainly, the theory merits some pondering, at least for the sake of sheer creativity, if not for actually believing it. Mr. Dan Brown may be of use here.