Who told you Krishna’s life was full of sufferings? He is Krishna. And Krishna also means ‘full of ananda’ along with the meaning as ‘All Attractive’. If you see his story, he appeared in the jail as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva. Devaki and Vasudeva were Aditi devi and Sage Kashyapa who had done penance to get Lord Vishnu as their son. So, in first birth they were Prushni and Sutapa wherein Lord Vishnu incarnated as Prushnigarbha. In second birth they were Sage Kashyapa and Aditi devi. In that birth Lord Vishnu appeared as Vaamana and was also known as Upendra. In the next birth when they were born as Devaki Vasudeva wherein Lord Vishnu appeared as Krishna. They both had done penance to please Lord Vishnu and wanted him to appear as their son. So, thats why he appeared as their son.
Now, after appearance Krishna went to Nandagokula. There too Yashoda devi and Nanda gopa took care of him. Yashoda-Nandagopa were none other than Dharanidevi and Drona named Vasu who did tapasya to get Lord Vishnu as their son. So, Lord Krishna being the eternal Lord Srihari himself came to them. There he stayed with Balaramadeva and enchanted everyone with his baalaleelas. He stole the hearts of the Gopis along with their butter, milk and curds. He went to Vrindavana along with all the people of Nandagokula. He killed various demons and protected the people of Vrindavana. He danced on the hoods of Kaliya and lifted Govardhana parvata on his little finger effortlessly for 7 days and broke Indra’s arrogance. He played Raasakreeda with the Gopikas. By this raasakreeda he gave ananda to the gopikas. These Gopikas were also great devotees of Krishna who surrendered to Krishna wholly. They didn’t just love him as lovers. They knew the reality of Krishna. In Gopigeetam they say:
Na khalu gopika nandano bhavaan akhiladehinaam antaraatmadhruk
(You are not merely son of a Gopika [Yashoda devi], but you are the one who resides in everyone)
[SrimadBhagavatam, Dashama Skanda, Gopigeetam]
These Gopikas were the apsara strees who were born in Vraja to get the sanga of Krishna. So, after doing Katyayani Vrata, they all got Lakshmi sannidhana within them and hence did Raasakreeda with Krishna. (One must note that without Lakshmi sannidhana, Krishna doesn’t touch anyone) These Gopikas had both Mahatmya Gyaana (knowledge of the greatness of Krishna) as well as unwavering love for Krishna both combined together. And when this Mahatmya gyaana and prema (love) goes hand in hand, it results in Bhakti. Throughout the Gopigeetam and their lives, both their Mahatmya gyaana for Krishna as well as, their utmost prema for Krishna is present. Thus they were great Bhaktas of Krishna. Thus, Krishna gave immense pleasure to the Gopikas, and married the Gopikas who did Katyayani Vratam. Krishna married Neela, who was the daughter of Yashoda’s brother. He lived happily in Vrindavana.
After this, he killed Arishthasura, Keshi and Vyomasura. On the call of Akroora, he went to Mathura. Here also, Krishna was never sad for leaving Vrindavana. He is present everywhere with the same sannidhana. Be it Nandagokula, Vrindavana, Dwaraka, Kurukshetra or anything it is the same Krishna present there.
After going Mathura, he killed many asuras along with Kamsa and his brothers. He crowned Ugrasena as the king of Mathura. Krishna sent Uddhava to Vrindavana with his letter to the Gopikas. He went to Saandeepani aashram and learnt 64 vidyas in 64 days itself. Though he being the all-knowing paramatma too, he went to gurukula and studied under Saandeepani maharshi and as a guru dakshina brought his dead son back to life. Jarasandha on knowing the death of his son-in-law Kamsa, attacked Mathura, waging a revenge from Krishna for killing Kamsa. Krishna defeated Jarasandha effortlessly 18 times and at the 18th time, he went to Dwaraka and established the Yadu dynasty there.
Krishna married the princess of Vidarbha named Rukmini, who was none other than Saakshaat SriMahalakshmi devi herself. She was non-different from Lakshmidevi (Sridevi), thus married Krishna. When Satrajita, accused Krishna of stealing the Syamantaka jewel, then also Krishna was not angry or sad. He went and fought Jambavan for 28 days and won. He showed his Raama roopa to Jambavan and took the Syamantaka jewel along with a kanyamani by the name Jambavati. He married Jambavan’s daughter Jambavati. Satrajita asked forgiveness to Krishna and gave his daughter Satyabhama devi to Krishna. Krishna married Satyabhama, who was none other than saakshaat Bhu roopi Mahalakshmi devi.
He married 5 more queens namely, Kalindi, Mitravrinda, Lakshana, Nagnajiti, Bhadra. He went along with Satyabhama devi to Pragjyotishapura and killed Narakasura. One must note here that Satyabhama devi is the avatara of Bhu roopi Mahalakshmi(This Bhu roopi Mahalakshmi is different from Mother earth Bhudevi. Both are Lord Vishnu’s wives only, but this Bhudevi or mother earth had the special sannidhana of Bhu roopi Mahalakshmi devi). There after killing Narakasura, Krishna released all the 16,100 rajakumaris whom Narakasura had kidnapped. He married all those 16,100 kanyas. Now, here people doubt about Krishna’s character and question that he had 16,108 wives. But in reality these 16,100 rajakumaris were agniputras who had done penance to get Krishna as their husband, and thus were born in Dvaparayuga to marry Krishna. After Krishna released those rajakumaris, Lakshmidevi entered these Rajakumaris and thus they had Lakshmi sannidhana in them and hence Krishna married them. Another reason for him to marry these raajakumaris is that all these were kidnapped by Narakasura, so no one would marry them. So, when the whole world rejects, Krishna accepts. So, Krishna provided them refuge and married them.
SriKrishna protected the Pandavas. He along with Arjuna and Bheemasena went to Magadha and made Bheemasena kill Jarasandha. After that Dharmaraja Yudhishthira did Rajasuya yagya wherein Krishna killed Shishupala. When Yudhishthira lost the gambling game, Duryodhana tried to humiliate Draupadi and asked Dushasana to do the cheera harana. At this time also, Krishna saved Draupadi’s maana by providing Akshayambara or Akshaya vastra. Even during the Vanavasa, Krishna used to visit the Pandavas along with Satyabhama devi and protected them. He made Arjuna gain many weapons like Paashupatastra. He killed many more asuras like Paundraka Vaasudeva, Hamsa-Dibhika, Dantavakra.
Even in the Kurukshetra yuddha, Krishna gave the upadesha of BhagavadGita to Arjuna, thus removing all the confusions of Arjuna, protected Arjuna and other Pandavas, and made them gain victory over Kauravas. Then he ruled Dvaraka, blessed his dearest friend Kuchela, also known as Sudama by eating his tandoola and blessing him with immense wealth. At the end Krishna gave upadesha to Uddhava, also known as Uddhava Gita. After this Krishna ended his avatara and returned back to Vaikuntham and merged with Srihari. Krishna throughout his life, lived peacefully and happily. His name itself means that he full of eternal and purest joy or ananda. He is never affected by the trigunas. The Mahabharata itself calls him Traigunyavarjitam ajam vibhum aadyameesham.
Even during his avatara on the earth, he just acted like a human, though he showed at every step that he was God. In Ramavatara, SriRama didn’t show much that he was God, but in Krishnavatara, SriKrishna showed in each and every step that he was God. His life itself is a message that one must live his life fully and should remain the same in both happiness and sorrow. In Ramavatara, he lived the BhagavadGita, thus showing that how a person should live, whereas in Krishnavatara, he told the same BhagavadGita, and in Vyasavatara, he wrote the BhagavadGita in the Mahabharata. Krishna never suffered. He is swaramana because he doesn’t even have moha on Lakshmidevi. Lakshmidevi gets ananda from him. He is full of ananda within himself only. But he loves Lakshmidevi not as in he needs her for his ananda or has moha on her. He loves Lakshmidevi for her utmost and the highest devotion in him and she is his dearmost wife. Nobody’s devotion can equal to the devotion which Mahalakshmidevi has for Lord Krishna/Narayana. Lord Narayana though is svaramana but he immensely loves his devotees.
Hence, in a conclusion Krishna never suffered his whole life. Instead he is the supreme enjoyer who is always in ananda. His name itself means, the one who is full of supreme, eternal, pure joy and bliss. Yes, there are some instances where he cries or shows as if he is in sorrow, but its just he acting. I am not telling this out of emotion or anything. I am telling this because, see Krishna is God. He is Lord Narayana himself. Lord Krishna is transcendental or aprakrutika and has aprakrutika gunas. Be it moolaroopi Narayana or avatara roopa, both are transcendental and are unaffected by materialistic or praakrutika gunas like roga, dukkha, shoka, peeda etc. So, when Krishna is fully transcendental, and is untouched by the prakrutika gunas, how can sufferings or dukkha can even touch him? How can he suffer? So, certainly over here, since he has taken a manujaakruti or human form, he is just acting like a human for teaching the noble people how to live a quality and good life and to delude the ignorant people. That’s why he is known as Leelamaanushavigraha or Mayamaanushavigraha. Krishna doesn’t has hunger or thirst or sorrow. But for Bhaktas, he sometimes expresses these bhaavas which again doesn’t means that he literally possess those things.
Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
SriKrishnarpanamastu!