Krishna: The Man and His Philosophy - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 1. THE FUTURE BELONGS TO KRISHNA
simplicity, his goodness does not admit to any weakness and escape from reality. His feet are
set firmly on the ground; he is a realist, and he is not going to allow Arjuna to run away from the
battlefield.
Perhaps the world is once again being divided into two classes, into two camps. It happens often
enough when a decisive moment comes and war becomes inevitable. Men like Gandhi and Russell
will be of no use in this eventuality. In a sense they are all Arjunas. They will again say that war
should be shunned at all costs, that it is better to be killed than to kill others. A Krishna will again
be needed, one who can clearly say that the forces of good must fight, that they must have the
courage to handle a gun and fight a war. And when goodness fights only goodness flows from it.
It is incapable of harming anyone. Even when it fights a war it becomes, in its hands, a holy war.
Goodness does not fight for the sake of fighting, it fights simply to prevent evil from winning.
By and by the world will soon be divided into two camps. One camp will stand for materialism and
all that it means, and the other camp will stand for freedom and democracy, for the sovereignty of
the individual and other higher values of life. But is it possible that this camp representing good will
find a Krishna to again lead it?
It is quite possible. When man’s state of affairs, when his destiny comes to a point where a decisive
event becomes imminent, the same destiny summons and sends forth the intelligence, the genius
that is supremely needed to lead the event. And a right person, a Krishna appears on the scene.
The decisive event brings with it the decisive man too.
It is for this also that I say Krishna has great significance for the future.
There are times when the voices of those who are good, simple and gentle cease to be effective,
because people inclined to evil don’t hear them, don’t fear them, blindly go their own way. In fact, as
good people shrink back just out of goodness, in the same measure the mischief makers become
bold, feel like having a field day. India had many such good people after the Mahabharat, like Buddha
and Mahavira. Nothing was lacking in their goodness; their goodness was infinite. In fact, it was too
much – so much that the country’s mind shrank under the weight of this goodness. The result was
that the aggressors of the whole world set loose their hordes on India.
It is not only that some people invade others, there are people who invite invasion on themselves.
You are not only responsible when you hit others, you are also responsible when others hit you. If
you slap someone’s face, your responsibility for this act is only fifty percent, the other fifty percent of
the responsibility should go to the person who invited and attracted your slap, who took it passively,
without resistance. Know well that when someone slaps you, half the responsibility rests with you,
because your being weak and passive becomes an invitation for him to hurt you.
A long succession of good people, of absolutely good people, was responsible for constricting and
enfeebling the mind of India, for making it weak and passive. And this became a kind of invitation
to aggressors around the world. And, responding to this invitation, they came, almost with walking
sticks in their hands, and subjugated us, enslaved us. For long spells of time they ruled over us and
oppressed us. And when they left, they did so on their own; we did not throw them out.
What is unfortunate is that we continue to be a shrunken people, suppressed and enfeebled in our
minds and hearts. And we can again invite some aggressor to enslave us. If tomorrow Mao overruns
Krishna: The Man and His Philosophy 16 Osho