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Krishna ( Sanskrit for "black" or "dark blue") is an important deity in the Hindu religion. In some Hindu traditions he is the eighth avatar (approximately "incarnation") of Vishnu, in the others the ninth, and in yet others he is considered to be the source of all incarnations. The story of Krishna's life on Earth is an important part of the Indian epic Mahabharata, which contains astronomical references used by some devout Hindus to date the events before the end of last Dwapara yuga (also known as copper age) approximately 5100 years ago, 3100 BC. However, while Krishna plays a key role in the Mahabharata, it is in the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana that thousands of lines are dedicated solely to extolling His life and philosophy.His place in Hinduism is complex. He appears under many names, in a multiplicity of stories, among different cultures, and in different traditions. On rare occasions, these seem to contradict each other, though there is a well-known and predominantly common core story that is central to most Indians' knowledge of Krishna.
1 Major aspects
Krishna (left) with his eternal consort Radha
Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, England
Among his aspects are:
- Krishna the cowherd, known as Govind/Govinda (leader of cows). He is the god of the pastoralists. He is contrasted in this to his brother Balarama of the cultivators, who is sometimes called Halayudha, the Lord of the plough.
- Childhood of Krishna is easily identified with Indian country life; concentrating mainly on cattle rearing and cultivation.
- Krishna the focus of devotion (Hari) (the lover, the all-attractive, the flute player). He is frequently shown playing the flute (or otherwise called murali, bewitching the gopis (the cowgirls) of Vrindavana.
- Krishna the child, called (in various Indian languages) Gopaal or Gopala. Stories of his upbringing in the forest of Vrindavan are a staple of children's tales in India.
- The incarnation of Vishnu and the divine teacher, or Guru. He teaches Arjuna dharmaThe word dharma ( Sanskrit; "" in the Devanagari script) or dhamma ( Pali) is used in most or all philosophies and religions of Indian origin, Dharmic faiths, namely Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. It occurs first in the Vedas, and yogaYoga meaning union or yoking in Sanskrit, is the primary focus of Hinduism's diverse religious activities. Yoga is a science of the body, the mind, the consciousness and the soul. Yoga is a teaching of wisdom and knowledge which has been transmitted to ma in the Bhagavad GitaBhagavd Gita (literally: Song of the Lord , composed between the fifth and second centuries BCE, is part of the epic poem of Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23 40, and is revered in Hinduism. It is not limited to followers of the Vaishna, and as such is known as the greatest Yogin. The Bhagavad GitaBhagavd Gita (literally: Song of the Lord , composed between the fifth and second centuries BCE, is part of the epic poem of Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23 40, and is revered in Hinduism. It is not limited to followers of the Vaishna is the first true Yoga text in the Yoga tradition.
A number of local traditions and regional deities may have been subsumed into the stories and person of Krishna.
2 Philosophical texts and literature
Accounts of or ballads about Krishna occur in a large number of philosophical, religious and poetic works. These works include the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad GitaBhagavd Gita (literally: Song of the Lord , composed between the fifth and second centuries BCE, is part of the epic poem of Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23 40, and is revered in Hinduism. It is not limited to followers of the Vaishna, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita GovindaThe Gita Govinda or the Song of the Cowherd is a work composed in the 12th century by Jayadeva Goswami. It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis (cowgirls) of Vrindavana, and in particular one gopi named Radha. This work has been of gre.
Among the most important areas of stories of Krishna, are those below;
- Krishna the child. These stories lead on to those of him as a boy and teenage youth, playing with the girls of Vrindavan.
- Govinda Krishna, the cowherd, the focus of the majority of the bhakti traditions of devotional worship in Hinduism. Included in these traditions is the story of his beloved Radha. The original stories of Krishna as a boy included his adolescent play with the Gopis or cowgirls of the village. These were developed to form the basis of the Gita Govinda in the Bhakti traditions, and numerous other later works. Devotees of Krishna subscribe to the concept of lila, or divine play as the central principle of the universe. This is counterpoint to another avatar of Vishnu: Rama, "He of the straight and narrow path of maryada, or rules and regulations."
- Krishna the prince, in the Mahabharata. He is ruler of the Yadava s at Mathura and later at Dwaraka, becames husband of Rukmini, and a friend and ally of the Pandavas.
- Krishna the Supreme personality of Godhead. He is the charioteer and advisor of Arjuna, who teaches and instructs him in dharma and yoga in the Bhagavad Gita. Before the great battle of Kurukshetra (in present day Haryana) starts, Arjuna loses heart with the prospect of fighting his cousins and other relatives for the kingdom. Krishna reminds him that He has done everything he could possibly do to avoid the battle, and that his duty (dharma) is serve Him by fighting . Krishna goes on to show why the Gita is known as the first Yoga Scripture, and gives a lengthy exegesis on the means of fulfilling life's goals through the systems of yoga. In it, he describes in detail the philosophies of Bhakti (devotional), Karma (selfless action), Jnana (self-transcending knowledge), Astanga (meditational) Yoga and all in the ends connect one to Krishna whose personal form is the highest realization of Absolute Truth (as compared to Brahman and Paramatma). He shows Arjuna how to reconcile his misapprehension about the war with the eternal truths that underlie life through the Vedic doctrine of Yoga. These form the basis of the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita.
