Krishna

Major deity in Hinduism

This article is about the Hindu deity. For other uses, see Krishna (disambiguation).

"Krsna" redirects here. For other uses, see Krsna (disambiguation).

Krishna

God of Protection, Compassion, Tenderness, and Love,[1] Lord of Yogis[2][3]
The Supreme Being (Krishnaism-Vaishnavism)

Member of Dashavatara

Statue of Krishna at Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore

Other names| Achyuta, Damodara, Gopala, Gopinath, Govinda, Keshava, Madhava, Radha Ramana, Vāsudeva
Devanagari| कृष्ण
Sanskrit transliteration| Kṛṣṇa
Affiliation|

* Svayam Bhagavan [4] (Krishnaism-Vaishnavism)
* Avatar of Vishnu
* Dashavatara
* Radha Krishna

Abode|

* Goloka
* Vrindavan
* Gokul
* Mathura
* Dvaraka
* Vaikuntha

Mantra|

* Hare Krishna
* Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya

Weapon|

* Sudarshana Chakra
* Kaumodaki

Battles| Kurukshetra War (Mahabharata)
Day| Wednesday
Mount| Garuda
Texts|

* Mahabharata (incl. Bhagavad Gita)
* Harivamsa
* Bhagavata Purana
* Brahma Vaivarta Purana
* Vishnu Purana
* Garuda Purana
* Padma Purana
* Garga Samhita
* Brahma Samhita

Gender| Male
Festivals|

* Krishna Janmashtami
* Gita Mahotsav
* Gopashtami
* Govardhan Puja
* Kartik Purnima
* Sharad Purnima
* Lathmar Holi
* Holi

Genealogy
Avatar birth| Mathura, Surasena (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)[5]
Avatar end| Bhalka, Saurashtra (present-day Veraval, Gujarat, India)[6]
Parents|

* Devaki (mother)
* Vasudeva (father)
* Yashoda (foster-mother)
* Nanda (foster-father)
* Rohini and the other wives of Vasudeva (step-mothers)

Siblings|

* Balarama (elder brother)
* Subhadra (half-sister)
* other children of Vasudeva

Consorts|

* Radha
* Rukmini
* Satyabhama
* Jambavati
* other 5 chief queens
* 16,000 – 16,100 Junior queens[10]

[note 2]
Children|

* Pradyumna
* Samba and other children[7]

[note 1]
Dynasty| Yaduvamsha – Chandravamsha
Dashavatara Sequence

Predecessor| Rama
Successor| Buddha

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Krishna (/ˈkrɪʃnə/;[12] Sanskrit: कृष्ण, IAST: Kṛṣṇa Sanskrit: [ˈkr̩ʂɳɐ] ⓘ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right.[13] He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love;[14][1] and is widely revered among Hindu divinities.[15] Krishna's birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Krishna Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar.[16][17][18]

The anecdotes and narratives of Krishna's life are generally titled as Krishna Līlā. He is a central figure in the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, and the Bhagavad Gita, and is mentioned in many Hindu philosophical, theological, and mythological texts.[19] They portray him in various perspectives: as a god-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero, and the universal supreme being.[20] His iconography reflects these legends and shows him in different stages of his life, such as an infant eating butter, a young boy playing a flute, a handsome youth with Radha or surrounded by female devotees, or a friendly charioteer giving counsel to Arjuna.[21]

The name and synonyms of Krishna have been traced to 1st millennium BCE literature and cults.[22] In some sub-traditions, like Krishnaism, Krishna is worshipped as the Supreme God and Svayam Bhagavan (God Himself). These sub-traditions arose in the context of the medieval era Bhakti movement.[23][24] Krishna-related literature has inspired numerous performance arts such as Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, and Manipuri dance.[25][26] He is a pan-Hindu god, but is particularly revered in some locations, such as Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh,[27] Dwarka and Junagadh in Gujarat; the Jagannatha aspect in Odisha, Mayapur in West Bengal;[23][28][29] in the form of Vithoba in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, Shrinathji at Nathdwara in Rajasthan,[23][30] Udupi Krishna in Karnataka,[31] Parthasarathy in Tamil Nadu, Aranmula and Guruvayoorappan (Guruvayoor) in Kerala.[32]

Since the 1960s, the worship of Krishna has also spread to the Western world, largely due to the work of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).[33]

## Names and epithets

[edit]

Main article: List of titles and names of Krishna

The name "Krishna" originates from the Sanskrit word kṛṣṇa, which means "black", "dark" or "dark blue".[34] The waning moon is called Krishna Paksha, relating to the adjective meaning "darkening".[34] Some Vaishnavas also translate the word as "All-Attractive", though it lacks that meaning in Sanskrit.[35]

As a name of Vishnu, Krishna is listed as the 57th name in the Vishnu Sahasranama. Based on his name, Krishna is often depicted in idols as black- or blue-skinned.[36] Krishna is also known by various other names, epithets, and titles that reflect his many associations and attributes. Among the most common names are Mohan "enchanter"; Govinda "chief herdsman",[37] Keev "prankster", and Gopala "Protector of the 'Go'", which means "soul" or "the cows".[38][39] Some names for Krishna hold regional importance; Jagannatha, found in the Puri Hindu temple, is a popular incarnation in Odisha state and nearby regions of eastern India.[40][41][42]

## Historical and literary sources

[edit]

The tradition of Krishna appears to be an amalgamation of several independent deities of ancient India, the earliest to be attested being Vāsudeva.[43] Vāsudeva was a hero-god of the tribe of the Vrishnis, belonging to the Vrishni heroes, whose worship is attested from the 5th–6th century BCE in the writings of Pāṇini, and from the 2nd century BCE in epigraphy with the Heliodorus pillar.[43] At one point in time, it is thought that the tribe of the Vrishnis fused with the tribe of the Yadavas, whose own hero-god was named Krishna.[43] Vāsudeva and Krishna fused to become a single deity, which appears in the Mahabharata, and they started to be identified with Vishnu in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita.[43] Around the 4th century CE, another tradition, the cult of Gopala-Krishna of the Ābhīras, the protector of cattle, was also absorbed into the Krishna tradition.[43]

### Early epigraphic sources

[edit]

Main article: Vāsudeva-Krishna

#### Depiction in coinage (2nd century BCE)

[edit]

Vāsudeva-Krishna, on a coin of Agathocles of Bactria, c. 180 BCE.[44][45][46] This is "the earliest unambiguous image" of the deity.[47]

Around 180 BCE, the Indo-Greek king Agathocles issued some coinage (discovered in Ai-Khanoum, Afghanistan) bearing images of deities that are now interpreted as being related to Vaisnava imagery in India.[48][49] The deities displayed on the coins appear to be Saṃkarṣaṇa-Balarama with attributes consisting of the gada mace and the plow, and Vāsudeva-Krishna with attributes of the shankha (conch) and the sudarshana chakra wheel.[48][50] According to Bopearachchi, the headdress of the deity is actually a misrepresentation of a shaft with a half-moon parasol on top (chattra).[48]

#### Inscriptions

[edit]

Heliodorus Pillar in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, erected about 120 BCE. The inscription states that Heliodorus is a Bhagvatena, and a couplet in the inscription closely paraphrases a Sanskrit verse from the Mahabharata.[51][52]

The Heliodorus Pillar, a stone pillar with a Brahmi script inscription, was discovered by colonial era archaeologists in Besnagar (Vidisha, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh). Based on the internal evidence of the inscription, it has been dated to between 125 and 100 BCE and is now known after Heliodorus – an Indo-Greek who served as an ambassador of the Greek king Antialcidas to a regional Indian king, Kasiputra Bhagabhadra.[48][51] The Heliodorus pillar inscription is a private religious dedication of Heliodorus to "Vāsudeva", an early deity and another name for Krishna in the Indian tradition. It states that the column was constructed by "the Bhagavata Heliodorus" and that it is a "Garuda pillar" (both are Vishnu-Krishna-related terms). Additionally, the inscription includes a Krishna-related verse from chapter 11.7 of the Mahabharata stating that the path to immortality and heaven is to correctly live a life of three virtues: self-temperance (damah), generosity (cagah or tyaga), and vigilance (apramadah).[51][53][54] The Heliodorus pillar site was fully excavated by archaeologists in the 1960s. The effort revealed the brick foundations of a much larger ancient elliptical temple complex with a sanctum, mandapas, and seven additional pillars.[55][56] The Heliodorus pillar inscriptions and the temple are among the earliest known evidence of Krishna-Vasudeva devotion and Vaishnavism in ancient India.[57][48][58]

Balarama and Krishna with their attributes at Chilas. The Kharoshthi inscription nearby reads Rama [kri]ṣa. 1st century CE.[47]

The Heliodorus inscription is not isolated evidence. The Hathibada Ghosundi Inscriptions, all located in the state of Rajasthan and dated by modern methodology to the 1st century BCE, mention Saṃkarṣaṇa and Vāsudeva, also mention that the structure was built for their worship in association with the supreme deity Narayana. These four inscriptions are notable for being some of the oldest-known Sanskrit inscriptions.[59]

A Mora stone slab found at the Mathura-Vrindavan archaeological site in Uttar Pradesh, held now in the Mathura Museum, has a Brahmi inscription. It is dated to the 1st century CE and mentions the five Vrishni heroes, otherwise known as Saṃkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, and Samba.[60][61][62]

The inscriptional record for Vāsudeva starts in the 2nd century BCE with the coinage of Agathocles and the Heliodorus pillar, but the name of Krishna appears rather later in epigraphy. At the Chilas II archaeological site dated to the first half of the 1st-century CE in northwest Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, are engraved two males, along with many Buddhist images nearby. The larger of the two males held a plough and club in his two hands. The artwork also has an inscription with it in Kharosthi script, which has been deciphered by scholars as Rama-Krsna, and interpreted as an ancient depiction of the two brothers, Balarama and Krishna.[63][64]

The first known depiction of the life of Krishna himself comes relatively late, with a relief found in Mathura, and dated to the 1st–2nd century CE.[65] This fragment seems to show Vasudeva, Krishna's father, carrying baby Krishna in a basket across the Yamuna.[65] The relief shows at one end a seven-hooded Naga crossing a river, where a makara crocodile is thrashing around, and at the other end a person seemingly holding a basket over his head.[65]

### Literary sources

[edit]

#### Mahabharata

[edit]

See also: Krishna in the Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita

Krishna advising Pandavas

The earliest text containing detailed descriptions of Krishna as a personality is the epic Mahabharata, which depicts Krishna as an incarnation of Vishnu.[66] Krishna is central to many of the main stories of the epic. The eighteen chapters of the sixth book (Bhishma Parva) of the epic that constitute the Bhagavad Gita contain the advice of Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield.

During the ancient times that the Bhagavad Gita was composed in, Krishna was widely seen as an avatar of Vishnu rather than an individual deity, yet he was immensely powerful and almost everything in the universe other than Vishnu was "somehow present in the body of Krishna".[67] Krishna had "no beginning or end", "fill[ed] space", and every god but Vishnu was seen as ultimately him, including Brahma, "storm gods, sun gods, bright gods", light gods, "and gods of ritual."[67] Other forces also existed in his body, such as "hordes of varied creatures" that included "celestial serpents."[67] He is also "the essence of humanity."[67]

The Harivamsa, a later appendix to the Mahabharata, contains a detailed version of Krishna's childhood and youth.[68]

#### Other sources

[edit]

Krishna is celebrated in the Vaishnava tradition in various stages of his life.

The Chandogya Upanishad (verse III.xvii.6) mentions Krishna in Krishnaya Devakiputraya as a student of the sage Ghora of the Angirasa family. Ghora is identified with Neminatha, the twenty-second tirthankara in Jainism, by some scholars.[69] This phrase, which means "To Krishna the son of Devaki", has been mentioned by scholars such as Max Müller[70] as a potential source of fables and Vedic lore about Krishna in the Mahabharata and other ancient literature - only potential because this verse could have been interpolated into the text,[70] or the Krishna Devakiputra, could be different from the deity Krishna.[71] These doubts are supported by the fact that the much later age Sandilya Bhakti Sutras, a treatise on Krishna,[72] cites later age compilations such as the Narayana Upanishad but never cites this verse of the Chandogya Upanishad. Other scholars disagree that the Krishna mentioned along with Devaki in the ancient Upanishad is unrelated to the later Hindu god of the Bhagavad Gita fame. For example, Archer states that the coincidence of the two names appearing together in the same Upanishad verse cannot be dismissed easily.[73]

Yāska's Nirukta, an etymological dictionary published around the 6th century BCE, contains a reference to the Shyamantaka jewel in the possession of Akrura, a motif from the well-known Puranic story about Krishna.[74] Shatapatha Brahmana and Aitareya-Aranyaka associate Krishna with his Vrishni origins.[75]

In Ashṭādhyāyī, authored by the ancient grammarian Pāṇini (probably belonged to the 5th or 6th century BCE), Vāsudeva and Arjuna, as recipients of worship, are referred to together in the same sutra.[76][77][78]

Bala Krishna dancing, 14th century CE Chola sculpture, Tamil Nadu, in the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Megasthenes, a Greek ethnographer and an ambassador of Seleucus I to the court of Chandragupta Maurya towards the end of 4th century BCE, made reference to Herakles in his famous work Indica. This text is now lost to history, but was quoted in secondary literature by later Greeks such as Arrian, Diodorus, and Strabo.[79] According to these texts, Megasthenes mentioned that the Sourasenoi tribe of India, who worshipped Herakles, had two major cities named Methora and Kleisobora, and a navigable river named the Jobares. According to Edwin Bryant, a professor of Indian religions known for his publications on Krishna, "there is little doubt that the Sourasenoi refers to the Shurasenas, a branch of the Yadu dynasty to which Krishna belonged".[79] The word Herakles, states Bryant, is likely a Greek phonetic equivalent of Hari-Krishna, as is Methora of Mathura, Kleisobora of Krishnapura, and the Jobares of Jamuna. Later, when Alexander the Great launched his campaign in the northwest Indian subcontinent, his associates recalled that the soldiers of Porus were carrying an image of Herakles.[79]

The Buddhist Pali canon and the Ghata-Jâtaka (No.  454) polemically mention the devotees of Vâsudeva and Baladeva. These texts have many peculiarities and may be a garbled and confused version of the Krishna legends.[80] The texts of Jainism mention these tales as well, also with many peculiarities and different versions, in their legends about Tirthankaras. This inclusion of Krishna-related legends in ancient Buddhist and Jaina literature suggests that Krishna theology was existent and important in the religious landscape observed by non-Hindu traditions of ancient India.[81][82]

The ancient Sanskrit grammarian Patanjali in his Mahabhashya makes several references to Krishna and his associates found in later Indian texts. In his commentary on Pāṇini's verse 3.1.26, he also uses the word Kamsavadha or the "killing of Kamsa", an important part of the legends surrounding Krishna.[79][83]

#### Puranas

[edit]

Many Puranas tell Krishna's life story or some highlights from it. Two Puranas, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana, contain the most elaborate telling of Krishna's story,[84] but the life stories of Krishna in these and other texts vary, and contain significant inconsistencies.[85][86] The Bhagavata Purana consists of twelve books subdivided into 332 chapters, with a cumulative total of between 16,000 and 18,000 verses depending on the version.[87][88] The tenth book of the text, which contains about 4,000 verses (~25%) and is dedicated to legends about Krishna, has been the most popular and widely studied part of this text.[89][90]

## Iconography

[edit]

* The Variation in Iconography Depicting Krishna and the Ras Leela
* Krishna dances in the Raslila with the Gopis.jpg

* Radha, Krishna and the gopis, Bharatiya Lok Kala Museum, Udaipur, India.jpg

* Krishna dancing with the gopis (6124519381).jpg

* Krishna and Radha dancing the Rasalila, Jaipur, 19th century.jpg

* Fresco depicting Raslila, the joyful dance of Krishna with his favourite gopi, Radha, from a Hindu temple in Fateh Jang, Attock district.jpg

* ShyamRai Mandir Bishnupur WB Terracotta works Ras Leela.jpg

* The Hindu deity Krishna playing the flute.jpg 15th Century South-Indian statue of Krishna carved from Granite

Krishna is represented in the Indian traditions in many ways, but with some common features.[91] His iconography typically depicts him with black, dark, or blue skin, like Vishnu.[92] But ancient and medieval reliefs and stone-based arts depict him in the natural color of the material out of which he is formed, both in India and in southeast Asia.[93][94] In some texts, his skin is poetically described as the color of Jambul (Jamun, a purple-colored fruit).[95]

Depiction of Krishna playing the flute in Todai-ji Temple, constructed in 752 CE on the order of Emperor Shomu, in Nara, Japan

Krishna is often depicted wearing a peacock-feather wreath or crown, and playing the bansuri (Indian flute).[96][97] In this form, he is usually shown standing with one leg bent in front of the other in the Tribhanga posture. He is sometimes accompanied by cows or a calf, which symbolise the divine herdsman Govinda. Alternatively, he is shown as a romantic young boy with the gopis (milkmaids), often making music or playing pranks.[98]

Krishna lifting Govardhana at Bharat Kala Bhavan, recovered from Varanasi. It is dated to the Gupta Empire era (4th/6th century CE).[99]

In other icons, he is a part of battlefield scenes of the epic Mahabharata. He is shown as a charioteer, notably when he is addressing the Pandava prince Arjuna, symbolically reflecting the events that led to the Bhagavad Gita - a scripture of Hinduism. In these popular depictions, Krishna appears in the front as the charioteer, either as a counsel listening to Arjuna or as the driver of the chariot while Arjuna aims his arrows in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.[100][101]

Alternate icons of Krishna show him as a baby (Bala Krishna, the child Krishna), a toddler crawling on his hands and knees, a dancing child, or an innocent-looking child playfully stealing or consuming butter (Makkan Chor),[102] holding Laddu in his hand (Laddu Gopal)[103][104] or as a cosmic infant sucking his toe while floating on a banyan leaf during the Pralaya (the cosmic dissolution) observed by sage Markandeya.[105] Regional variations in the iconography of Krishna are seen in his different forms, such as Jaganatha in Odisha, Vithoba in Maharashtra,[106] Shrinathji in Rajasthan[107] and Guruvayoorappan in Kerala.[108]

Guidelines for the preparation of Krishna icons in design and architecture are described in medieval-era Sanskrit texts on Hindu temple arts such as Vaikhanasa agama, Vishnu dharmottara, Brihat samhita, and Agni Purana.[109] Similarly, early medieval-era Tamil texts also contain guidelines for sculpting Krishna and Rukmini. Several statues made according to these guidelines are in the collections of the Government Museum, Chennai.[110]

Krishna iconography forms an important element in the figural sculpture on 17th–19th century terracotta temples of Bengal. In many temples, the stories of Krishna are depicted on a long series of narrow panels along the base of the facade. In other temples, the important Krishnalila episodes are depicted on large brick panels above the entrance arches or on the walls surrounding the entrance.[111]

## Life and legends

[edit]

This summary is an account based on literary details from the Mahābhārata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana. The scenes from the narrative are set in ancient India, mostly in the present states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat. The legends about Krishna's life are called Krishna charitas (IAST: Kṛṣṇacaritas).[112]

### Birth

[edit]

Main article: Birth of Krishna

Baby Krishna on a swing, depicted with his foster parents Nanda and Yashoda.

In the Krishna Charitas, Krishna is born to Devaki and her husband, Vasudeva, in Mathura.[113][page needed] Devaki's brother is a tyrant named Kamsa. At Devaki's wedding, according to Puranic legends, Kamsa is told by fortune tellers that a child of Devaki would kill him. Sometimes, it is depicted as an akashvani announcing Kamsa's death. Kamsa arranges to kill all of Devaki's children. When Krishna is born, Vasudeva secretly carries the infant Krishna away across the Yamuna, and exchanges him with Yashoda's daughter. When Kamsa tries to kill the newborn, the exchanged baby appears as the Hindu goddess Yogamaya, warning him that his death has arrived in his kingdom, and then disappears, according to the legends in the Puranas. Krishna grows up with Nanda and his wife, Yashoda, near modern-day Mathura.[114][115][116] Two of Krishna's siblings also survive, namely Balarama and Subhadra, according to these legends.[117] The day of the birth of Krishna is celebrated as Krishna Janmashtami.

### Childhood and youth

[edit]

The legends of Krishna's childhood and youth describe him as a cow-herder, a mischievous boy whose pranks earn him the nickname Makhan Chor (butter thief), and a protector who steals the hearts of the people in both Gokul and Vrindavana. The texts state, for example, that Krishna lifts the Govardhana hill to protect the inhabitants of Vrindavana from devastating rains and floods.[118]

Krishna and Balarama Studying with the Brahman Sandipani (Bhagavata Purana, 1525–1550 CE print).

Other legends describe him as an enchanter and playful lover of the gopis (milkmaids) of Vrindavana, especially Radha. These metaphor-filled love stories are known as the Rasa lila and were romanticized in the poetry of Jayadeva, author of the Gita Govinda. They are also central to the development of the Krishna bhakti traditions worshiping Radha Krishna.[119]

Krishna's childhood illustrates the Hindu concept of Lila, playing for fun and enjoyment and not for sport or gain. His interaction with the gopis at the rasa dance or Rasa-lila is an example. Krishna plays his flute and the gopis come immediately, from whatever they were doing, to the banks of the Yamuna River and join him in singing and dancing. Even those who could not physically be there join him through meditation. He is the spiritual essence and the love-eternal in existence, the gopis metaphorically represent the prakṛti matter and the impermanent body.[120]: 256

This Lila is a constant theme in the legends of Krishna's childhood and youth. Even when he is battling with a serpent to protect others, he is described in Hindu texts as if he were playing a game.[120]: 255 This quality of playfulness in Krishna is celebrated during festivals as Rasa-Lila and Janmashtami, where Hindus in some regions such as Maharashtra playfully mimic his legends, such as by making human gymnastic pyramids to break open handis (clay pots) hung high in the air to "steal" butter or buttermilk, spilling it all over the group.[120]: 253–261

### Adulthood

[edit]

Further information: Krishna in the Mahabharata

Krishna with his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama and his mount Garuda, Tamil Nadu, India, late 12th–13th century[121]

Krishna legends then describe his return to Mathura. He overthrows and kills the tyrant king, his maternal uncle Kamsa/Kansa after quelling several assassination attempts by Kamsa. He reinstates Kamsa's father, Ugrasena, as the king of the Yadavas and becomes a leading prince at the court.[122] In one version of the Krishna story, as narrated by Shanta Rao, Krishna after Kamsa's death leads the Yadavas to the newly built city of Dwaraka. Thereafter Pandavas rise. Krishna befriends Arjuna and the other Pandava princes of the Kuru kingdom. Krishna plays a key role in the Mahabharata.[123]

The Bhagavata Purana describes eight wives of Krishna that appear in sequence as Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti (also called Satya), Bhadra and Lakshmana (also called Madra).[124] This has been interpreted as a metaphor where each of the eight wives signifies a different aspect of him.[125] Vaishnava texts mention all Gopis as wives of Krishna, but this is understood as spiritual symbolism of devotional relationship and Krishna's complete loving devotion to each and everyone devoted to him.[126]

In Krishna-related Hindu traditions, he is most commonly seen with Radha. All of his wives and his lover Radha are considered in the Hindu tradition to be the avatars of the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu.[127][11] Gopis are considered as Lakshmi's or Radha's manifestations.[11][128]

### Kurukshetra War and Bhagavad Gita

[edit]

Main articles: Kurukshetra War and Bhagavad Gita

According to the epic poem Mahabharata, Krishna becomes Arjuna's charioteer for the Kurukshetra War, but on the condition that he personally will not raise any weapon. Upon arrival at the battlefield and seeing that the enemies are his family, his grandfather, and his cousins and loved ones, Arjuna is moved and says his heart will not allow him to fight and kill others. He would rather renounce the kingdom and put down his Gandiva (Arjuna's bow). Krishna then advises him about the nature of life, ethics, and morality when one is faced with a war between good and evil, the impermanence of matter, the permanence of the soul and the good, duties and responsibilities, the nature of true peace and bliss and the different types of yoga to reach this state of bliss and inner liberation. This conversation between Krishna and Arjuna is presented as a discourse called the Bhagavad Gita.[129][130][131]

### Death and ascension

[edit]

Main article: Mausala Parva

It is stated in the Indian texts that the legendary Kurukshetra War led to the death of all the hundred sons of Gandhari. After Duryodhana's death, Krishna visits Gandhari to offer his condolences when Gandhari and Dhritarashtra visited Kurukshetra, as stated in Stree Parva. Feeling that Krishna deliberately did not put an end to the war, in a fit of rage and sorrow, Gandhari said, "Thou were indifferent to the Kurus and the Pandavas whilst they slew each other. Therefore, O Govinda, thou shalt be the slayer of thy own kinsmen!" According to the Mahabharata, a fight breaks out at a festival among the Yadavas, who end up killing each other. Mistaking the sleeping Krishna for a deer, a hunter named Jara shoots an arrow towards Krishna's foot that fatally injures him. Krishna forgives Jara and dies.[132][6][133] The pilgrimage (tirtha) site of Bhalka in Gujarat marks the location where Krishna is believed to have died. It is also known as Dehotsarga, states Diana L. Eck, a term that literally means the place where Krishna "gave up his body".[6] The Bhagavata Purana in Book 11, Chapter 31 states that after his death, Krishna returned to his transcendent abode directly because of his yogic concentration. Waiting gods such as Brahma and Indra were unable to trace the path Krishna took to leave his human incarnation and return to his abode.[134][135]

### Versions and interpretations

[edit]

Krishna iconography appears in many versions across India. For example (left to right): Srinath, Jagannath, Vithoba.

There are numerous versions of Krishna's life story, of which three are most studied: the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.[136] They share the basic storyline but vary significantly in their specifics, details, and styles.[137] The most original composition, the Harivamsa is told in a realistic style that describes Krishna's life as a poor herder but weaves in poetic and allusive fantasy. It ends on a triumphal note, not with the death of Krishna.[138] Differing in some details, the fifth book of the Vishnu Purana moves away from Harivamsa realism and embeds Krishna in mystical terms and eulogies.[139] The Vishnu Purana manuscripts exist in many versions.[140]

The tenth and eleventh books of the Bhagavata Purana are widely considered to be a poetic masterpiece, full of imagination and metaphors, with no relation to the realism of pastoral life found in the Harivamsa. Krishna's life is presented as a cosmic play (Lila), where his youth is set as a princely life with his foster father Nanda portrayed as a king.[141] Krishna's life is closer to that of a human being in Harivamsa, but is a symbolic universe in the Bhagavata Purana, where Krishna is within the universe and beyond it, as well as the universe itself, always.[142] The Bhagavata Purana manuscripts also exist in many versions, in numerous Indian languages.[143][89]

## Proposed datings and historicity

[edit]

See also: Vedic-Puranic chronology and History of Hinduism

14th-century fresco of Radha Krishna in Udaipur, Rajasthan

The date of Krishna's birth is celebrated every year as Janmashtami.[144]

According to Guy Beck, "most scholars of Hinduism and Indian history accept the historicity of Krishna - that he was a real male person, whether human or divine, who lived on Indian soil by at least 1000 BCE and interacted with many other historical persons within the cycles of the epic and puranic histories." Yet, Beck also notes that there is an "enormous number of contradictions and discrepancies surrounding the chronology of Krishna's life as depicted in the Sanskrit canon".[145]

Some scholars believe that, among others, the detailed description of Krishna's peace mission in the 5th Book of the Mahabharata (Udyogaparvan) is likely to be based on real events. The epic's translator J.A.B. van Buitenen in this context assumes “that there was some degree of verisimilitude in the Mahabharata’s depictions of life.”[146]

## Philosophy and theology

[edit]

12th-century art depicting Krishna playing flute with gathered living beings at Hoysaleswara temple, Karnataka

A wide range of theological and philosophical ideas are presented through Krishna in Hindu texts. The teachings of the Bhagavad Gita can be considered, according to Friedhelm Hardy, as the first Krishnaite system of theology.[23]

Ramanuja, a Hindu theologian and philosopher whose works were influential in Bhakti movement,[147] presented Krishna in terms of qualified monism, or nondualism (namely Vishishtadvaita school).[148] Madhvacharya, a philosopher whose works led to the founding of Haridasa tradition of Vaishnavism,[149] presented Krishna in the framework of dualism (Dvaita).[150] Bhedabheda - a group of schools, which teaches that the individual self is both different and not different from the ultimate reality - predates the positions of monism and dualism. Among medieval Bhedabheda thinkers are Nimbarkacharya, who founded the Kumara Sampradaya (Dvaitadvaita philosophical school),[151] and Jiva Goswami, a saint from Gaudiya Vaishnava school,[152] who described Krishna theology in terms of Bhakti yoga and Achintya Bheda Abheda.[153] Krishna theology is presented in a pure monism (Shuddhadvaita) framework by Vallabha Acharya, the founder of Pushti sect of Vaishnavism.[154][155] Madhusudana Sarasvati, an India philosopher,[156] presented Krishna theology in nondualism-monism framework (Advaita Vedanta), while Adi Shankara, credited with unifying and establishing the main currents of thought in Hinduism,[157][158][159] mentioned Krishna in his early eighth-century discussions on Panchayatana puja.[160]

The Bhagavata Purana synthesizes an Advaita, Samkhya, and Yoga framework for Krishna, but it does so through loving devotion to Krishna.[161][162][163] Bryant describes the synthesis of ideas in Bhagavata Purana as:

> The philosophy of the Bhagavata is a mixture of Vedanta terminology, Samkhyan metaphysics, and devotionalized Yoga praxis. (...) The tenth book promotes Krishna as the highest absolute personal aspect of godhead – the personality behind the term Ishvara and the ultimate aspect of Brahman.

— Edwin Bryant, Krishna: A Sourcebook[164]

While Sheridan and Pintchman both affirm Bryant's view, the latter adds that the Vedantic view emphasized in the Bhagavata is non-dualist with a difference. In conventional nondual Vedanta, all reality is interconnected and one, the Bhagavata posits that the reality is interconnected and plural.[165][166]

Across the various theologies and philosophies, the common theme presents Krishna as the essence and symbol of divine love, with human life and love as a reflection of the divine. The longing and love-filled legends of Krishna and the gopis, his playful pranks as a baby,[167] as well as his later dialogues with other figures, are philosophically treated as metaphors for the human longing for the divine and for meaning, and the play between the universals and the human soul.[168][169][170] Krishna's lila is a theology of love-play. According to John Koller, "love is presented not simply as a means to salvation, it is the highest life". Human love is God's love.[171]

Other texts that include Krishna such as the Bhagavad Gita have attracted numerous bhasya (commentaries) in the Hindu traditions.[172] Though only a part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita has functioned as an independent spiritual guide. It allegorically raises the ethical and moral dilemmas of human life through Krishna and Arjuna. It then presents a spectrum of answers, addressing the ideological questions on human freedoms, choices, and responsibilities towards self and others.[172][173] This Krishna dialogue has attracted numerous interpretations, from being a metaphor for inner human struggle that teaches non-violence to being a metaphor for outer human struggle that advocates a rejection of quietism and persecution.[172][173][174]

Madhusudana Sarasvati, known for his contributions to classical Advaita Vedanta, was also a devotee of Krishna and expressed his devotion in various verses within his works, notably in his Bhagavad Gita commentary, Bhagavad Gita Gudarthadipika. In his works, Krishna is identified as Supreme Deity and as Bhagavan, whom Madhusudana describes as nondual Self, embodying Being, Consciousness, and Bliss, the pure Existence underlying all. In his commentary on the Gita, Krishna is often interpreted as representing nirguna Brahman, thus presenting a transtheistic understanding of deity.[175]

## Influence

[edit]

### Vaishnavism

[edit]

Main articles: Vaishnavism and Krishnaism

Relief from the Chennakeshava Temple of Krishna with flute with humans and cows listening, 1258 CE.

The worship of Krishna is part of Vaishnavism, a major tradition within Hinduism. Krishna is considered a full avatar of Vishnu, or one with Vishnu himself.[176] However, the exact relationship between Krishna and Vishnu is complex and diverse,[177] with Krishna of Krishnaite sampradayas considered an independent deity and supreme.[23][178] Vaishnavas accept many incarnations of Vishnu, but Krishna is particularly important. Their theologies are generally centered either on Vishnu or an avatar such as Krishna as supreme. The terms Krishnaism and Vishnuism have sometimes been used to distinguish the two, the former implying that Krishna is the transcendent Supreme Being.[179] Some scholars, as Friedhelm Hardy, do not define Krishnaism as a sub-order or offshoot of Vaishnavism, considering it a parallel and no less ancient current of Hinduism.[23]

All Vaishnava traditions recognise Krishna as the eighth avatar of Vishnu; others identify Krishna with Vishnu, while Krishnaite traditions such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism,[180][181] Ekasarana Dharma, Mahanam Sampraday, Nimbarka Sampradaya and the Vallabha Sampradaya regard Krishna not just as an avatar of Vishnu, but as the Svayam Bhagavan, the original form of Lord or the same as the concept of Brahman in Hinduism.[4][182][183][184][185] Gitagovinda of Jayadeva considers Krishna to be the supreme lord while the ten incarnations are his forms. Swaminarayan, the founder of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, also worshipped Krishna as God himself. "Greater Krishnaism" corresponds to the second and dominant phase of Vaishnavism, revolving around the cults of the Vasudeva, Krishna, and Gopala of the late Vedic period.[186] Today the faith has a significant following outside of India as well.[187]

#### Early traditions

[edit]

The deity Krishna-Vasudeva (kṛṣṇa vāsudeva "Krishna, the son of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi") is historically one of the earliest forms of worship in Krishnaism and Vaishnavism.[22][74] It is believed to be a significant tradition of the early history of Krishna religion in antiquity.[188] Thereafter, there was an amalgamation of various similar traditions. These include ancient Bhagavatism, the cult of Gopala, of "Krishna Govinda" (cow-finding Krishna), of Balakrishna (baby Krishna) and of "Krishna Gopivallabha[189]" (Krishna the lover).[190][191] According to Andre Couture, the Harivamsa contributed to the synthesis of various figures as aspects of Krishna.[192]

Already in the early Middle Ages, Jagannathism (a.k.a. Odia Vaishnavism) originated as the cult of the god Jagannath (lit. ''Lord of the Universe'') - an abstract form of Krishna.[193] Jagannathism was a regional temple-centered version of Krishnaism,[23] where Jagannath is understood as a principal god, Purushottama and Para Brahman, but can also be regarded as a non-sectarian syncretic Vaishnavite and all-Hindu cult.[194] According to the Vishnudharma Purana (c. 4th century), Krishna is woshipped in the form of Purushottama in Odia (Odisha).[195] The notable Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha has been particularly significant within the tradition since about 800 CE.[196]

### Bhakti tradition

[edit]

Main articles: Bhakti movement and Bhakti yoga

Krishna has been a major part of the Bhakti movement. One of the key devotees was Meera (pictured).

The use of the term bhakti, meaning devotion, is not confined to any one deity. However, Krishna is an important and popular focus of the devotionalism tradition within Hinduism, particularly among the Vaishnava Krishnaite sects.[180][197] Devotees of Krishna subscribe to the concept of lila, meaning 'divine play', as the central principle of the universe. It is a form of bhakti yoga, one of three types of yoga discussed by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.[181][198][199]

#### Indian subcontinent

[edit]

The bhakti movements devoted to Krishna became prominent in southern India in the 7th to 9th centuries CE. The earliest works included those of the Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu.[200] A major collection of their works is the Divya Prabandham. Alvar Andal's popular collection of songs Tiruppavai, in which she conceives of herself as a gopi, is the most famous of the oldest works in this genre.[201][202][203]

The movement originated in South India during the 7th century CE, spreading northwards from Tamil Nadu through Karnataka and Maharashtra; by the 15th century, it was established in Bengal and northern India.[204] Early Krishnaite Bhakti pioneers included Nimbarkacharya (7th century CE),[205][206][note 3] and his disciple Srinivasacharya but most emerged later, including Vallabhacharya (15th century CE) and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. They started their own schools, namely Nimbarka Sampradaya, Vallabha Sampradaya, and Gaudiya Vaishnavism, with Krishna and Radha as the supreme gods. In addition, since the 15th century, flourished Tantric variety of Krishnaism, Vaishnava-Sahajiya, is linked to the Bengali poet Chandidas.[207]

In the Deccan, particularly in Maharashtra, saint poets of the Warkari sect such as Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Janabai, Eknath, and Tukaram promoted the worship of Vithoba,[106] a local form of Krishna, from the 13th to 18th century.[20] Before the Warkari tradition, Krishna devotion became well established in Maharashtra due to the rise of the Mahanubhava Sampradaya founded by Sarvajna Chakradhara.[208] The Pranami Sampradaya emerged in the 17th century in Gujarat, based on the Krishna-focussed syncretist Hindu-Islamic teachings of Devchandra Maharaj and his famous successor, Mahamati Prannath.[209] In southern India, Purandara Dasa and Kanakadasa of Karnataka composed songs devoted to the Krishna image of Udupi. Rupa Goswami of Gaudiya Vaishnavism has compiled a comprehensive summary of bhakti called Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu.[197]

In South India, the acharyas of the Sri Sampradaya have written reverently about Krishna in most of their works, including the Tiruppavai by Andal[210] and Gopalavimshati by Vedanta Desika.[211]

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala states have many major Krishna temples, and Janmashtami is one of the widely celebrated festivals in South India.[212]

#### Outside Asia

[edit]

Krishna (left) with Radha at Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, England

By 1965, the Krishna-bhakti movement had spread outside India after Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (as instructed by his guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura) travelled from his homeland in West Bengal to New York City. A year later, in 1966, after gaining many followers, he was able to form the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), popularly known as the Hare Krishna movement. The purpose of this movement was to write about Krishna in English and to share the Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy with people in the Western world by spreading the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In the biographies of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the mantra he received when he was given diksha or initiation in Gaya was the six-word verse of the Kali-Santarana Upanishad, namely "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare; Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare". In the Gaudiya tradition, it is the maha-mantra, or the great mantra of Krishna bhakti.[213][214] The chanting of this maha-mantra is known as hari-nama sankirtana.[215]

The maha-mantra gained the attention of George Harrison and John Lennon of the Beatles fame,[216] and Harrison produced a 1969 recording of the mantra by devotees from the London Radha Krishna Temple.[217] Titled "Hare Krishna Mantra", the song reached the top twenty on the UK music charts and was also successful in West Germany and Czechoslovakia.[216][218] The mantra of the Upanishad thus helped bring Bhaktivedanta and ISKCON ideas about Krishna into the West.[216] ISKCON has built many Krishna temples in the West, as well as other locations such as South Africa.[219]

### Southeast Asia

[edit]

Krishna lifting the "Govardhan" mountain, a 7th-century artwork from an archaeological site in Da Nang, Vietnam[220][221]

Krishna is found in Southeast Asian history and art, but to a far lesser extent than Shiva, Durga, Nandi, Agastya, and Buddha. In temples (candi) of the archaeological sites in hilly volcanic Java, Indonesia, temple reliefs do not portray his pastoral life or his role as the erotic lover, nor do the historic Javanese Hindu texts.[222] Rather, either his childhood or the life as a king and Arjuna's companion have been more favored. The most elaborate temple arts of Krishna is found in a series of Krsnayana reliefs in the Prambanan Hindu temple complex near Yogyakarta. These are dated to the 9th century CE.[222][223][224] Krishna remained a part of the Javanese cultural and theological fabric through the 14th century, as evidenced by the 14th-century Penataran reliefs along with those of the Hindu god Rama in east Java, before Islam replaced Buddhism and Hinduism on the island.[225]

The medieval era arts of Vietnam and Cambodia feature Krishna. The earliest surviving sculptures and reliefs are from the 6th and 7th centuries, and these include Vaishnavism iconography.[220] According to John Guy, the curator and director of Southeast Asian arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Krishna Govardhana art from 6th/7th-century Vietnam at Danang, and 7th-century Cambodia at Phnom Da cave in Angkor Borei, are some of the most sophisticated of this era.[220]

Krishna's iconography has also been found in Thailand, along with those of Surya and Vishnu. For example, a large number of sculptures and icons have been found in the Si Thep and Klangnai sites in the Phetchabun region of northern Thailand. These are dated to about the 7th and 8th centuries, from both the Funan and Zhenla period archaeological sites.[226]

## Performance arts

[edit]

### Dance and culture

[edit]

The Krishna legends in the Bhagavata Purana have inspired many performance arts repertoire, such as Kathak, Kuchipudi (left), Odissi and Krishnanattam (right).[24][26] The Rasa Lila where Krishna plays with the gopis in Manipuri dance style (center)

Indian dance and music theatre traces its origins and techniques to the ancient Sama Veda and Natyasastra texts.[227][228] The stories enacted and the numerous choreographic themes are inspired by the legends in Hindu texts, including Krishna-related literature such as Harivamsa and Bhagavata Purana.[229]

The Krishna stories have played a key role in the history of Indian theatre, music, and dance, particularly through the tradition of Rasaleela. These are dramatic enactments of Krishna's childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. One common scene involves Krishna playing flute in Rasa Leela, only to be heard by certain gopis (cowherd maidens), which is theologically supposed to represent divine call only heard by certain enlightened beings.[230] Some of the text's legends have inspired secondary theatre literature such as the eroticism in Gita Govinda.[231]

Krishna-related literature such as the Bhagavata Purana accords a metaphysical significance to the performances and treats them as a religious ritual, infusing daily life with spiritual meaning, thus representing a good, honest, happy life. Similarly, Krishna-inspired performances aim to cleanse the hearts of faithful actors and listeners. Singing, dancing, and performing any part of Krishna Lila is an act of remembering the dharma in the text, as a form of para bhakti (supreme devotion). To remember Krishna at any time and in any art, asserts the text, is to worship the good and the divine.[232]

Classical dance styles such as Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam in particular are known for their Krishna-related performances.[233] Krisnattam (Krishnattam) traces its origins to Krishna legends, and is linked to another major classical Indian dance form called Kathakali.[234] Bryant summarizes the influence of Krishna stories in the Bhagavata Purana as, "[it] has inspired more derivative literature, poetry, drama, dance, theatre and art than any other text in the history of Sanskrit literature, with the possible exception of the Ramayana.[25][235]

The Palliyodam, a type of large boat built and used by Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple in Kerala for the annual water processions of Uthrattathi Jalamela and Valla Sadhya has the legend that it was designed by Krishna and were made to look like Sheshanaga, the serpent on which Vishnu rests.[236]

### In popular culture

[edit]

#### Films

[edit]

* In the 1933 Bengali film Radha Krishna, Krishna was portrayed by Shreemati Lakshmi.[237]
* In the 1957 Telugu-Tamil film Mayabazar, the 1966, 1967 and 1971 Telugu films Sri Krishna Tulabharam, Sri Krishnavataram and Sri Krishna Vijayamu respectively, Krishna was portrayed by N. T. Rama Rao.[238][239][240]
* In the 1971 Hindi film Shri Krishna Leela, Krishna was portrayed by Sachin.[241]
* In the 1986 Hindi film Krishna-Krishna, Krishna was portrayed by Biswajeet.
* In the 2012 Hindi animated film Krishna Aur Kans, Krishna was voiced by Prachi Save Saathi.[242]

#### Television

[edit]

* In B. R. Chopra's 1988 series Mahabharat, Krishna was portrayed by Nitish Bharadwaj.[243]
* In Ramanand Sagar's 1993 series Shri Krishna, Krishna was portrayed by Sarvadaman D. Banerjee, Swapnil Joshi and Ashok Kumar Balkrishnan.[244]
* In the 2008 series Jai Shri Krishna, Krishna was portrayed by Meghan Jadhav, Dhriti Bhatia and Pinky Rajput.
* In the 2008 series Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki, Krishna was portrayed by Mrunal Jain.[245]
* In the 2011 series Dwarkadheesh Bhagwan Shree Krishn and the 2019 series Dwarkadheesh Bhagwan Shree Krishn – Sarvkala Sampann, Krishna was portrayed by Vishal Karwal.
* In the 2013 series Mahabharat , Krishna was portrayed by Saurabh Raj Jain.[246]
* In the 2017 series Vithu Mauli, Krishna was portrayed by Ajinkya Raut.
* In the 2017 series Paramavatar Shri Krishna, Krishna was portrayed by Sudeep Sahir and Nirnay Samadhiya.[247]
* In the 2018 series RadhaKrishn, Krishna was portrayed by Sumedh Mudgalkar and Himanshu Soni.[248]
* In the 2019 series Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran, Krishna was portrayed by Rajneesh Duggal.[249]
* In the 2021 series Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki, Krishna was portrayed by Hazel Gaur.[250]
* In the 2022 series Brij Ke Gopal, Krishna was portrayed by Paras Arora.[251]

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Modern

* Aurobindo
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## Outside Hinduism

[edit]

### Jainism

[edit]

The Jainism tradition lists 63 Śalākāpuruṣa or notable figures which, amongst others, includes the twenty-four Tirthankaras (spiritual teachers) and nine sets of triads. One of these triads is Krishna as the Vasudeva, Balarama as the Baladeva, and Jarasandha as the Prati-Vasudeva. In each age of the Jain cyclic time is born a Vasudeva with an elder brother termed the Baladeva. Between the triads, Baladeva upholds the principle of non-violence, a central idea of Jainism. The villain is the Prati-vasudeva, who attempts to destroy the world. To save the world, Vasudeva-Krishna has to forsake the non-violence principle and kill the Prati-Vasudeva.[252] The stories of these triads can be found in the Harivamsa Purana (8th century CE) of Jinasena (not be confused with its namesake, the addendum to Mahābhārata) and the Trishashti-shalakapurusha-charita of Hemachandra.[253][254]

The story of Krishna's life in the Puranas of Jainism follows the same general outline as those in the Hindu texts, but in details, they are very different: they include Jain Tirthankaras as figures in the story, and generally are polemically critical of Krishna, unlike the versions found in the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.[255] For example, Krishna loses battles in the Jain versions, and his gopis and his clan of Yadavas die in a fire created by an ascetic named Dvaipayana. Similarly, after dying from the hunter Jara's arrow, the Jaina texts state Krishna goes to the third hell in Jain cosmology, while his brother is said to go to the sixth heaven.[256]

Vimalasuri is attributed to be the author of the Jain version of the Harivamsa Purana, but no manuscripts have been found that confirm this. It is likely that later Jain scholars, probably Jinasena of the 8th century, wrote a complete version of Krishna legends in the Jain tradition and credited it to the ancient Vimalasuri.[257] Partial and older versions of the Krishna story are available in Jain literature, such as in the Antagata Dasao of the Svetambara Agama tradition.[257]

In other Jain texts, Krishna is stated to be a cousin of the twenty-second Tirthankara, Neminatha. The Jain texts state that Neminatha taught Krishna all the wisdom that he later gave to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. According to Jeffery D. Long, a professor of religion known for his publications on Jainism, this connection between Krishna and Neminatha has been a historic reason for Jains to accept, read, and cite the Bhagavad Gita as a spiritually important text, celebrate Krishna-related festivals, and intermingle with Hindus as spiritual cousins.[258]

### Buddhism

[edit]

Depiction of Krishna playing the flute, mural of Bhutia Busty Monastery, Darjeeling district, India

The story of Krishna occurs in the Jataka tales in Buddhism.[259] The Vidhurapandita Jataka mentions Madhura (Sanskrit: Mathura), the Ghata Jataka mentions Kamsa, Devagabbha (Sk: Devaki), Upasagara or Vasudeva, Govaddhana (Sk: Govardhana), Baladeva (Balarama), and Kanha or Kesava (Sk: Krishna, Keshava).[260][261]

Like the Jain versions of the Krishna legends, the Buddhist versions such as one in Ghata Jataka follow the general outline of the story,[262] but are different from the Hindu versions as well.[260][81] For example, the Buddhist legend describes Devagabbha (Devaki) to have been isolated in a palace built upon a pole after she is born, so no future husband could reach her. Krishna's father similarly is described as a powerful king, but who meets up with Devagabbha anyway, and to whom Kamsa gives away his sister Devagabbha in marriage. The siblings of Krishna are not killed by Kamsa, though he tries. In the Buddhist version of the legend, all of Krishna's siblings grow to maturity.[263]

Krishna and his siblings' capital becomes Dvaravati. The Arjuna and Krishna interaction is missing in the Jataka version. A new legend is included, wherein Krishna laments in uncontrollable sorrow when his son dies, and a Ghatapandita feigns madness to teach Krishna a lesson.[264] The Jataka tale also includes internecine destruction among his siblings after they all get drunk. Krishna also dies in the Buddhist legend by the hand of a hunter named Jara, but while he is traveling to a frontier city. Mistaking Krishna for a pig, Jara throws a spear that fatally pierces his feet, causing Krishna great pain and then his death.[263]

At the end of this Ghata-Jataka discourse, the Buddhist text declares that Sariputta, one of the revered disciples of the Buddha in the Buddhist tradition, was incarnated as Krishna in his previous life to learn lessons on grief from the Buddha in his prior rebirth:

> Then he [Master] declared the Truths and identified the Birth: "At that time, Ananda was Rohineyya, Sariputta was Vasudeva [Krishna], the followers of the Buddha were the other persons, and I myself was Ghatapandita."

— Jataka Tale No. 454, Translator: W. H. D. Rouse[265]

While the Buddhist Jataka texts co-opt Krishna-Vasudeva and make him a student of the Buddha in his previous life,[265] the Hindu texts co-opt the Buddha and make him an avatar of Vishnu.[266][267] In Chinese Buddhism, Taoism and Chinese folk religion, the figure of Krishna has been amalgamated and merged with that of Nalakuvara to influence the formation of the god Nezha, who has taken on iconographic characteristics of Krishna such as being presented as a divine god-child and slaying a nāga in his youth.[268][269]

### Other

[edit]

Krishna's life is written about in "Krishna Avtar" of the Chaubis Avtar, a composition in Dasam Granth traditionally and historically attributed to Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.[270]

Within the Sikh-derived 19th-century Radha Soami movement, the followers of its founder Shiv Dayal Singh used to consider him the Living Master and incarnation of God (Krishna/Vishnu).[note 4]

Baháʼís believe that Krishna was a "Manifestation of God", or one in a line of prophets who have revealed the Word of God progressively for a gradually maturing humanity. In this way, Krishna shares an exalted station with Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb, and the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, Bahá'u'lláh.[272][273]

Ahmadiyya, a 20th-century Islamic movement, consider Krishna as one of their ancient prophets.[274][275][276] Ghulam Ahmad stated that he was himself a prophet in the likeness of prophets such as Krishna, Jesus, and Muhammad,[277] who had come to earth as a latter-day reviver of religion and morality.

Krishna worship or reverence has been adopted by several new religious movements since the 19th century, and he is sometimes a member of an eclectic pantheon in occult texts, along with Greek, Buddhist, biblical, and even historical figures.[278] For instance, Édouard Schuré, an influential figure in perennial philosophy and occult movements, considered Krishna a Great Initiate, while Theosophists regard Krishna as an incarnation of Maitreya (one of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom), the most important spiritual teacher for humanity along with Buddha.[279][280]

Krishna was canonised by Aleister Crowley and is recognised as a saint of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica in the Gnostic Mass of Ordo Templi Orientis.[281][282]

## See also

[edit]

* Krishnaism

## Explanatory notes

[edit]

This article contains special characters. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols.

1. ^ The number of Krishna's children varies from one interpretation to another. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna had 10 sons from each of his 8 chief wives (80 sons) and 1 daughter, Charumati, from Rukmini.[8][9]
2. ^ Radha is seen as Krishna's lover-consort (although in some beliefs Radha is considered to be Krishna's married consort). On the other hand, Rukmini and others are already married to him. Krishna had eight chief wives, known as Ashtabharyas. Regional texts vary in the identity of Krishna's wives (consorts), some presenting them as Rukmini, some as Radha, all gopis, and some identifying all as different aspects or manifestations of the goddess Lakshmi.[10][11]
3. ^ "The first Kṛṣṇaite sampradāya was developed by Nimbārka."[23]
4. ^ "Various branches of Radhasoami have argued about the incarnationalism of Satguru (Lane, 1981). Guru Maharaj Ji has accepted it and identifies with Krishna and other incarnations of Vishnu."[271]

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b Bryant & Ekstrand 2004, pp. 20–25, quote: "Three Dimensions of Krishna's Divinity (...) divine majesty and supremacy, (...) divine tenderness and intimacy, (...) compassion and protection., (..., p. 24) Krishna as the God of Love".
2. ^ Swami Sivananda (1964). Sri Krishna. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 4.
3. ^ "Krishna the Yogeshwara". The Hindu. 12 September 2014.
4. ^ a b K. Klostermaier (1997). The Charles Strong Trust Lectures, 1972–1984. Crotty, Robert B. Brill Academic Pub. p. 109\. ISBN 978-90-04-07863-5. "(...) After attaining to fame eternal, he again took up his real nature as Brahman. The most important among Visnu's avataras is undoubtedly Krsna, the black one, also called Syama. For his worshippers he is not an avatara in the usual sense, but Svayam Bhagavan, the Lord himself."
5. ^ Raychaudhuri 1972, p. 124
6. ^ a b c Diana L. Eck (2012). India: A Sacred Geography. Harmony. pp. 380–381\. ISBN 978-0-385-53190-0., Quote: "Krishna was shot through the foot, hand, and heart by the single arrow of a hunter named Jara. Krishna was reclining there, so they say, and Jara mistook his reddish foot for a deer and released his arrow. There Krishna died."
7. ^ Naravane, Vishwanath S. (1987). A Companion to Indian Mythology: Hindu, Buddhist & Jaina. Thinker's Library, Technical Publishing House.
8. ^ Mani 1975, p. 426-27 "Ten sons were born to each of the eight chief wives—from Rukmiṇī to Lakṣmaṇā—of Kṛṣṇa. Names of the chief among those eighty sons are given below....".
9. ^ Sinha, Purnendu Narayana (1950). A Study of the Bhagavata Purana: Or, Esoteric Hinduism. Library of Alexandria. ISBN 978-1-4655-2506-2. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
10. ^ a b John Stratton Hawley, Donna Marie Wulff (1982). The Divine Consort: Rādhā and the Goddesses of India. Motilal Banarsidass Publisher. p. 12\. ISBN 978-0-89581-102-8.
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13. ^ "Krishna". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 26 June 2023.
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19. ^ Richard Thompson, Ph.D. (December 1994). "Reflections on the Relation Between Religion and Modern Rationalism". Archived from the original on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
20. ^ a b Mahony, W. K. (1987). "Perspectives on Krsna's Various Personalities". History of Religions. 26 (3): 333–335\. doi:10.1086/463085. ISSN 0018-2710. JSTOR 1062381. S2CID 164194548. Quote: "Krsna's various appearances as a divine hero, alluring god child, cosmic prankster, perfect lover, and universal supreme being (...)".
21. ^ Knott 2000, pp. 15, 36, 56
22. ^ a b Hein, Norvin (1986). "A Revolution in Kṛṣṇaism: The Cult of Gopāla". History of Religions. 25 (4): 296–317\. doi:10.1086/463051. JSTOR 1062622. S2CID 162049250.Kṛṣṇaism:+The+Cult+of+Gopāla&rft.volume=25&rft.issue=4&rft.pages=296-317&rft.date=1986&rft_id=https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:162049250#id-name=S2CID&rft_id=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1062622#id-name=JSTOR&rft_id=info:doi/10.1086/463051&rft.aulast=Hein&rft.aufirst=Norvin&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Krishna" class="Z3988">
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* Apte Sanskrit–English Dictionary Archived 16 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine
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42. ^ For the historic Jagannath temple in Ranchi, Jharkhand see: Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt (1989). Chota Nagpur, a Little-known Province of the Empire. Asian Educational Services (Orig: 1903). pp. 61–64\. ISBN 978-81-206-1287-7.
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246. ^ Nishi Tiwari. "Review: Mahabharat, so far so good". Rediff. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
247. ^ "Ssudeep Sahir to play grown-up Krishna in 'Paramavatar Shri Krishna'". The Times of India. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
248. ^ "Mallika Singh and Sumedh Mudgalkar: We feel fortunate, it's a blessing to portray Radha and Krishna". The Times of India. 13 February 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
249. ^ "Uddhav Thackeray extends his best wishes to the team of Color's 'Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran'! SEE PICS". ABP News. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
250. ^ "Star Bharat announces the launch of 'Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki'". Tribune India. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
251. ^ "Manul Chudasama & Paras Arora to play Radha and Krishna in the new historical show Brij Ke Gopal". Zoom TV Entertainment. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
252. ^ Jaini, P. S. (1993), Jaina Puranas: A Puranic Counter Tradition, SUNY Press, ISBN 978-0-7914-1381-4
253. ^ Upinder Singh 2016, p. 26.
254. ^ See Jerome H. Bauer "Hero of Wonders, Hero in Deeds: "Vasudeva Krishna in Jaina Cosmohistory" in Beck 2005, pp. 167–169
255. ^ Cort, J. E. (1993), Wendy Doniger (ed.), An Overview of the Jaina Puranas, in Purana Perennis, SUNY Press, pp. 220–233, ISBN 978-1-4384-0136-2
256. ^ Helmuth von Glasenapp (1999). Jainism: An Indian Religion of Salvation. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 316–318\. ISBN 978-81-208-1376-2.
257. ^ a b Cort, J. E. (1993), Wendy Doniger (ed.), An Overview of the Jaina Puranas, in Purana Perennis, SUNY Press, p. 191, ISBN 978-1-4384-0136-2
258. ^ Jeffery D. Long (2009). Jainism: An Introduction. I.B. Tauris. p. 42\. ISBN 978-1-84511-625-5.
259. ^ "Andhakavenhu Puttaa". www.vipassana.info. Retrieved 15 June 2008.
260. ^ a b Law, B. C. (1941). India as Described in Early Texts of Buddhism and Jainism. Luzac. pp. 99–101.
261. ^ Jaiswal, S. (1974). "Historical Evolution of the Ram Legend". Social Scientist. 21 (3–4): 89–97\. doi:10.2307/3517633. JSTOR 3517633.3–4&rft.pages=89-97&rft.date=1974&rft_id=info:doi/10.2307/3517633&rft_id=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3517633#id-name=JSTOR&rft.au=Jaiswal,+S.&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Krishna" class="Z3988">
262. ^ G.P. Malalasekera (2003). Dictionary of Pali Proper Names. Asian Educational Services. p. 439\. ISBN 978-81-206-1823-7.
263. ^ a b H. T. Francis; E. J. Thomas (1916). Jataka Tales. Cambridge University Press (Reprinted: 2014). pp. 314–324\. ISBN 978-1-107-41851-6. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
264. ^ Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera (2007). Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names: A-Dh. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 825–826\. ISBN 978-81-208-3021-9.
265. ^ a b E.B. Cowell; WHD Rouse (1901). The Jātaka: Or, Stories of the Buddha's Former Births. Cambridge University Press. p. 57.
266. ^ Daniel E Bassuk (1987). Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: The Myth of the God-Man. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 40\. ISBN 978-1-349-08642-9.
267. ^ Edward Geoffrey Parrinder (1997). Avatar and Incarnation: The Divine in Human Form in the World's Religions. Oxford: Oneworld. pp. 19–24, 35–38, 75–78, 130–133\. ISBN 978-1-85168-130-3.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
268. ^ Shahar, Meir (2015). Oedipal god : the Chinese Nezha and his Indian origins. Honolulu. ISBN 978-0-8248-4760-9. OCLC 899138008.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
269. ^ Shen, Xuezheng; Li, Jingwen; Zhang, Yunzhuo; Liu, Shanshan; Hong, Jangsun; Lee, Jongyoon (31 March 2020). "Devil or God: Image Transformation of Chinese Mythology Character "Nezha"（1927–2019）". Cartoon and Animation Studies. 58: 159–200\. doi:10.7230/KOSCAS.2020.58.159. ISSN 1738-009X. S2CID 219661006.
270. ^ "Chaubis Avtar". info-sikh.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017.
271. ^ DuPertuis, Lucy (1986). "How People Recognize Charisma: The Case of Darshan in Radhasoami and Divine Light Mission". Sociological Analysis. 47 (2). Oxford University Press: 111–124\. doi:10.2307/3711456. JSTOR 3711456.
272. ^ Smith, Peter (2000). "Manifestations of God". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 231. ISBN 978-1-85168-184-6.
273. ^ Esslemont, J. E. (1980). Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (5th ed.). Wilmette, Illinois: Baháʼí Publishing Trust. p. 2\. ISBN 978-0-87743-160-2.
274. ^ Siddiq & Ahmad (1995), Enforced Apostasy: Zaheeruddin v. State and the Official Persecution of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan, Law & Inequality, Volume 14, pp. 275–324
275. ^ Minahan, James (2012). Ethnic groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 6–8\. ISBN 978-1-59884-659-1.
276. ^ Burhani A. N. (2013), Treating minorities with fatwas: a study of the Ahmadiyya community in Indonesia, Contemporary Islam, Volume 8, Issue 3, pp. 285–301
277. ^ Cormack, Margaret (2013). Muslims, and Others in Sacred Space. Oxford University Press. pp. 104–105.
278. ^ Harvey, D. A. (2003). "Beyond Enlightenment: Occultism, Politics, and Culture in France from the Old Regime to the Fin-de-Siècle". The Historian. 65 (3): 665–694\. doi:10.1111/1540-6563.00035. S2CID 143606373.
279. ^ Schure, Edouard (1992). Great Initiates: A Study of the Secret History of Religions. Garber Communications. ISBN 978-0-89345-228-5.
280. ^ See for example: Hanegraaff, Wouter J. (1996). New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought. Brill Publishers. p. 390\. ISBN 978-90-04-10696-3., Hammer, Olav (2004). Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age. Brill Publishers. pp. 62, 174. ISBN 978-90-04-13638-0., and Ellwood, Robert S. (1986). Theosophy: A Modern Expression of the Wisdom of the Ages. Quest Books. p. 139\. ISBN 978-0-8356-0607-3.
281. ^ Crowley associated Krishna with Roman god Dionysus and Magickal formulae IAO, AUM and INRI. See Crowley, Aleister (1991). Liber Aleph. Weiser Books. p. 71\. ISBN 978-0-87728-729-2. and Crowley, Aleister (1980). The Book of Lies. Red Wheels. pp. 24–25\. ISBN 978-0-87728-516-8.
282. ^ Apiryon, Tau; Apiryon (1995). Mystery of Mystery: A Primer of Thelemic Ecclesiastical Gnosticism. Berkeley: Red Flame. ISBN 978-0-9712376-1-2.

### General and cited sources

[edit]

* Archer, W. G. (2004) [1957]. The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry. Mineola, NY: Dover Publ. ISBN 0-486-43371-4.
* Basu, M. M. (1932). The Post-Caitanya Sahajiya Cult of Bengal. Calcutta: University of Calcutta Press.
* Beck, Guy L. (1993). Sonic Theology: Hinduism and Sacred Sound. Studies in Comparative Religion. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 0872498557.
* Beck, Guy L., ed. (2005). Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity. Albany, NY: SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-6415-1.
* Brown, C. Mackenzie (1983). "The Origin and Transmission of the Two "Bhāgavata Purāṇas": A Canonical and Theological Dilemma". Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 51 (4): 551–567\. doi:10.1093/jaarel/li.4.551. JSTOR 1462581.
* Bryant, Edwin F.; Ekstrand, Maria (2004). The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-50843-8.
* Bryant, Edwin F. (2003). Krishna: the beautiful legend of God: Srimad Bhagavata Purana. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-191337-7.
* Bryant, Edwin F. (2007), Krishna: A Sourcebook, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-514891-6
* Eschmann, Anncharlott; Kulke, Hermann; Tripathi, Gaya Charan, eds. (1978) [Rev. ed. 2014]. The Cult of Jagannath and the regional tradition of Orissa. South Asian Studies, 8. New Delhi: Manohar. ISBN 978-8173046179.
* Flood, Galvin D. (1996), An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-43878-0
* Hardy, Friedhelm E. (1987). "Kṛṣṇaism". In Mircea Eliade (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Religion. Vol. 8\. New York: MacMillan. pp. 387–392\. ISBN 978-0-02897-135-3 - via Encyclopedia.com.
* Hawley, John Stratton (2020). Krishna's Playground: Vrindavan in the 21st Century. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0190123987.
* Irwin, John (1974). "The Heliodorus Pillar at Besanagar". Purātattva. 8. Archaeological Society of India (co-published Art and Archaeology Research Papers, USA): 166–176.
* Khare, M. D. (1967). "Discovery of a Vishnu temple near the Heliodorus pillar, Besnagar, Dist. Vidisha (MP)". Lalit Kala. 13: 21–27\. JSTOR 44138838.
* Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
* Miśra, Narayan (2005). Durga Nandan Mishra (ed.). Annals and Antiquities of the Temple of Jagannātha. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons. ISBN 81-7625-747-8.
* Shah, Natubhai (2004) [1998], Jainism: The World of Conquerors, vol. I, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-81-208-1938-2
* Singh, Upinder (2016), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson Education, ISBN 978-93-325-6996-6
* The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli, published between 1883 and 1896
* The Vishnu-Purana, translated by H. H. Wilson, (1840)
* The Srimad Bhagavatam, translated by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, (1988) copyright Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
* Knott, Kim (2000), Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-285387-5
* The Jataka or Stories of the Buddha's Former Births, edited by E. B. Cowell, (1895)
* Matchett, Freda (2001). Kṛṣṇa, Lord or Avatāra?. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7007-1281-6.
* Susan V Mishra; Himanshu P Ray (2017). The Archaeology of Sacred Spaces. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-67920-7.
* Garuda Pillar of Besnagar, Archaeological Survey of India, Annual Report (1908–1909). Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing, 1912, 129.
* Marijke J. Klokke (2000). Narrative Sculpture and Literary Traditions in South and Southeast Asia. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-11865-2.
* Kumar Das, Sisir (2006). A history of Indian literature, 500–1399. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-260-2171-0.
* Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972). Political History of Ancient India. Calcutta: University of Calcutta. Originally published in 1923.
* Ramnarace, Vijay (2014). Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's Vedāntic Debut: Chronology & Rationalisation in the Nimbārka Sampradāya (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Edinburgh. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
* Rocher, Ludo (1986). The Puranas. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-02522-5.
* Rosen, Steven (2006). Essential Hinduism. New York: Praeger. ISBN 978-0-275-99006-0.
* Schomer, Karine; McLeod, W. H., eds. (1987), The Sants: Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120802773
* Sheridan, Daniel (1986). The Advaitic Theism of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. Columbia, Mo: South Asia Books. ISBN 978-81-208-0179-0.
* Starza, O. M. (1993). The Jagannatha Temple at Puri: Its Architecture, Art and Cult. Studies in South Asian culture, 15. Leiden; New York; Köln: Brill. ISBN 90-04-09673-6.
* Toffin, Gérard (2012). "The Power of Boundaries: Transnational Links among Krishna Pranamis of India and Nepal". In John Zavos; et al. (eds.). Public Hinduisms. New Delhi: Sage Publ. India. pp. 249–254\. ISBN 978-81-321-1696-7.
* History of Indian Theatre By M. L. Varadpande. Chapter Theatre of Krishna, pp. 231–94. Published 1991, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 81-7017-278-0.
* Varadpande, Manohar Laxman (1987). History of Indian theatre. Vol. 3\. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 978-81-7017-221-5.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Brown, Sara Black (2014). "Krishna, Christians, and Colors: The Socially Binding Influence of Kirtan Singing at a Utah Hare Krishna Festiva". Ethnomusicology. 58 (3): 454–480\. doi:10.5406/ethnomusicology.58.3.0454. JSTOR 10.5406/ethnomusicology.58.3.0454.
* Case, Margaret H. (2000). Seeing Krishna: The Religious World of a Brahman Family in Vrindavan. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513010-3.
* Crooke, W. (March 1900). "The Legends of Krishna". Folklore. 11 (1): 1–42\. doi:10.1080/0015587X.1900.9720517. JSTOR 1253142.
* Hudson, Dennis (1980). "Bathing in Krishna: A Study in Vaiṣṇava Hindu Theology". The Harvard Theological Review. 73 (3/4): 539–566\. doi:10.1017/S0017816000002315. JSTOR 1509739. S2CID 162804501.

## External links

[edit]

Krishna at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Media from Commons
* Quotations from Wikiquote
* Texts from Wikisource
* Data from Wikidata

* Krishna at the Encyclopædia Britannica

* v
* t
* e

Krishna

Forms|

* Bala Krishna
* Gopala-Krishna
* Govinda
* Jagannath
* Radha Krishna
* Shrinathji
* Vāsudeva-Krishna
* Vithoba
* Other names

Consorts|

* Radha
* Ashtabharya
* Rukmini
* Satyabhama
* Jambavati
* Kalindi
* Nagnajiti
* Mitravinda
* Lakshmana
* Bhadra
* Other 16000 - 16100 Junior wives
* Rohini

Other relatives|

* Aniruddha
* Arjuna
* Balarama
* Devaki
* Kamsa
* Kunti
* Nanda
* Pradyumna
* Samba
* Subhadra
* Ugrasena
* Vasudeva
* Yashoda
* More

Worship|

* Sects
* Krishnaism
* Vaishnavism
* Festivals
* Krishna Janmashtami
* Gita Mahotsav
* Holi
* Pilgrimage circuits
* 48 Kos Parikrama of Kurukshetra
* Vraja Parikrama

Holy sites|

* Associated with Krishna's life
* Mathura
* Gokul
* Govardhan Hill
* Vrindavan
* Dvaraka
* Kurukshetra
* Jyotisar
* Bhalka
* Other sites:
* Guruvayur
* Nathdwara
* Pandharpur
* Puri
* Udupi

Epigraphy|

* Hathibada Ghosundi
* Heliodorus pillar
* Mora Well
* Naneghat
* Vasu Doorjamb

Texts|

* Bhagavata Purana
* Gita Govinda
* Mahabharata
* Bhagavad Gita
* Krishna's role
* Brahma Samhita
* Uddhava Gita

See also|

* Svayam Bhagavan
* Avatar
* Dashavatara
* Vishnu
* Guru–shishya tradition

* v
* t
* e

Avatars of Vishnu

Dashavatara
(for example)1|

* Matsya
* Kurma
* Varaha
* Narasimha
* Vamana
* Parashurama
* Rama
* Balarama
* Krishna
* Buddha
* Kalki

Other avatars|

* Four Kumaras
* Narada
* Nara-Narayana
* Kapila
* Dattatreya
* Yajna
* Rishabha
* Prithu
* Dhanvantari
* Mohini
* Vyasa
* Prsnigarbha
* Hayagriva
* Hamsa

1 The list of the "ten avatars" varies regionally. Two substitutions[clarification needed] involve Balarama, Krishna, and Buddha. Krishna is almost always included; in exceptions, he is considered the source of all avatars.

* v
* t
* e

Hindu deities and texts

Gods|

* Trimurti
* Brahma
* Vishnu
* Shiva
* Agni
* Ashvins
* Chandra
* Dattatreya
* Ganesha
* Hanuman
* Indra
* Kama
* Kartikeya
* Krishna
* Kubera
* Rama
* Shasta
* Surya
* Varuna
* Vayu
* Vishvakarma
* Yama
* more

Goddesses|

* Tridevi
* Saraswati
* Lakshmi
* Parvati
* Aditi
* Bhumi
* Chhaya
* Durga
* Ganga
* Gayatri
* Indrani
* Kali
* Mahadevi
* Mahavidya
* Matrikas
* Radha
* Rati
* Rohini
* Rukmini
* Sanjna
* Sati
* Shakti
* Shashthi
* Sita
* more

Deity groups|

* Adityas
* Apsaras
* Asuras
* Daitya
* Danavas
* Devatas
* Dikpalas
* Gandharvas
* Ganas
* Gramadevatas
* Kuladevatas
* Kinnaras
* Kimpurushas
* Maruts
* Navagraha
* Pitṛs
* Rakshasas
* Rudras
* Ribhus
* Sadhyas
* Vahanas
* Vasus
* Vidyadharas
* Yakshas / Yakshini

Texts (list)|

* Vedas
* Rig
* Sama
* Yajur
* Atharva
* Upanishads
* Puranas
* Ramayana
* Mahabharata
* Bhagavad Gita
* Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
* more

* Hinduism
* Hindu mythology

* v
* t
* e

Mahabharata

Traditional author
and narrators|

* Vyasa
* Vaisampayana
* Ugrashrava Sauti

Books (parvas)|

* Adi
* Sabha
* Vana
* Virata
* Udyoga
* Bhishma
* Bhagavad Gita
* Drona
* Karna
* Shalya
* Sauptika
* Stri
* Shanti
* Anushasana
* Ashvamedhika
* Ashramavasika
* Mausala
* Mahaprasthanika
* Svargarohana

Kingdoms
and Tribes|

* Kuru
* Hastinapur
* Indraprastha
* Kurukshetra
* Panchala
* Kampilya
* Ahichchhatra
* Anarta
* Dvaraka
* Gandhara
* Matsya
* Upaplavya
* Madra
* Kunti
* Magadha
* Chedi
* Kashi
* Kosala
* Sindhu
* Shalva
* Avanti
* Anga
* Kekaya
* Kalinga
* Vidarbha
* Pandya
* Trigarta
* Bahlikas
* Kambojas
* Yadavas
* Vrishni
* Bhoja
* Nishadas
* more

Major Events|

* Sarpa Satra
* Lakshagriha
* Svayamvara
* Mayasabha
* Rajasuya
* Vanavasa
* Ghoshyatra
* Ajnatavasa
* Kurukshetra War
* Vishvarupa
* Chakravyūha
* Ashvamedha

Characters|

| Pandavas|

* Yudhishthira
* Bhima
* Arjuna
* Nakula
* Sahadeva

|

Pandava
Alliance|

* Krishna
* Role in the Mahabharata
* Dhrishtadyumna
* Drupada
* Virata
* Satyaki
* Abhimanyu
* Shikhandi
* Dhrishtaketu
* Ghatotkacha
* Uttamaujas and Yudhamanyu
* Draupadeyas
* Yuyutsu
* Iravan
* Uttara
* Sahadeva
* Jayatsena

Kauravas|

* Duryodhana
* Dushasana
* Vikarna
* 97 more

Kaurava
Alliance|

* Bhishma
* Drona
* Karna
* Shalya
* Ashvatthama
* Shakuni
* Kripa
* Jayadratha
* Kritavarma
* Bahlika
* Bhurishravas
* Bhagadatta
* Vinda and Anuvinda
* Susharma
* Sudakshina
* Shrutayudha
* Lakshmana
* Uluka
* Vrishasena

Remaining
Kuru Family|

* Shantanu
* Satyavati
* Chitrangada
* Vichitravirya
* Ambika
* Ambalika
* Dhritarashtra
* Gandhari
* Pandu
* Kunti
* Madri
* Vidura
* Draupadi
* Subhadra
* Hidimbi
* Ulupi
* Chitrāngadā
* Babruvahana
* Uttarā
* Parikshit
* Janamejaya
* Dushala

Other
important|

* Amba
* Balarama
* Chitrasena
* Dhaumya
* Durvasa
* Ekalavya
* Ganga
* Hidimba
* Jarasandha
* Jatasura
* Kichaka
* Kindama
* Lomasha
* Parashurama
* Purochana
* Rukmi
* Sanjaya
* Shishupala
* Sudeshna
* Vyasa
* more

Related|

* Avatars
* Kingdoms
* Vedic era
* Epic-Puranic chronology
* Harivamsha
* Nala Upakhyana
* Rama Upakhyana
* Savitri Upakhyana
* Shakuntala Upakhyana
* Sarasvati River

Category

* v
* t
* e

Hinduism topics

* Glossary
* Index
* Timeline

Philosophy|

| Concepts|

* Brahman
* Om
* Ishvara
* Atman
* Maya
* Karma
* Saṃsāra

* Puruṣārthas
* Dharma
* Artha
* Kama
* Moksha

* Niti
* Ahimsa
* Asteya
* Aparigraha
* Brahmacharya
* Satya
* Dāna
* Damah
* Dayā
* Akrodha

|

Schools|

* Āstika: Samkhya
* Yoga
* Nyaya
* Vaisheshika
* Mīmāṃsā
* Vedanta
* Svābhāvika Bhedābheda
* Dvaita
* Advaita
* Vishishtadvaita
* Nāstika: Charvaka

Texts|

| Classification|

* Śruti
* Smṛti

|

Vedas|

* Rigveda
* Yajurveda
* Samaveda
* Atharvaveda

Divisions|

* Samhita
* Brahmana
* Aranyaka

Upanishads|

* Aitareya
* Kaushitaki
* Brihadaranyaka
* Isha
* Taittiriya
* Katha
* Maitrayaniya
* Shvetashvatara
* Chandogya
* Kena
* Mundaka
* Mandukya
* Prashna

Upavedas|

* Ayurveda
* Dhanurveda
* Natyaveda
* Sthapatyaveda

Vedanga|

* Shiksha
* Chandas
* Vyākaraṇa
* Nirukta
* Kalpa
* Jyotisha

Other|

* Bhagavad Gita
* Agamas
* Itihasas
* Ramayana
* Mahabharata
* Puranas
* Minor Upanishads
* Arthashastra
* Nitisara
* Dharmaśāstra
* Manusmriti
* Nāradasmṛti
* Yājñavalkya Smṛti
* Sutras
* Stotras
* Subhashita
* Tantras
* Yoga Vasistha
* Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Sangam literature|

* Tirumurai
* Divya Prabandham
* Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai
* Thiruppugal
* Thirukkural
* Kamba Ramayanam
* Five Great Epics
* Eighteen Greater Texts
* Eighteen Lesser Texts
* Athichudi
* Iraiyanar Akapporul
* Abhirami Antati
* Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam
* Vinayagar Agaval
* Vedarthasamgraha

Deities|

| Gods|

* Trimurti
* Brahma
* Vishnu
* Shiva
* Agni
* Dattatreya
* Ganesha
* Hanuman
* Indra
* Kartikeya
* Krishna
* Rama
* Surya
* Varuna
* Vayu
* more

|

Goddesses|

* Tridevi
* Saraswati
* Lakshmi
* Parvati
* Bhumi
* Durga
* Kali
* Mahavidya
* Matrika
* Radha
* Rukmini
* Sati
* Shakti
* Shashthi
* Sita
* more

Practices|

| Worship|

* Temple
* Murti
* Puja
* Bhakti
* Japa
* Bhajan
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