The story of Krishna - The enchanting avatar of Vishnu
Child Krishna.
One of the basic and very important aspects of Hinduism is the concept of Avatar. It is the fundamental belief in Hinduism that God descends to earth from time to time to take birth as Human or other forms, whenever the good and piety people suffer and the evil ones have an upper hand. God protects the good, destroy the evil and restore Dharma (righteousness). Such a divine being / person is known as an Avatar.
The 10 Avatars
In Hinduism, Lord Vishnu is the "God who protects". He is attributed with taking 10 such avatars. They are Matsya, Varaha, Koorma, Vamana, Narasimha, Rama, Parasurama, Krishna, Balarama and Kalki. Rama and Krisha Avatars are considered to be the two greatest Avatars of Vishnu in human form.
The Greatness Of Krishna
The Avatar of Krishna is said to have taken place in Dwapara Yuga (a time period dating back to thousands of years). Very elaborate holy mythologies (Srimad Bhagavatam and Mahabharata) are available in Hindu scripture which contain wonderful life history and the details of divine play enacted by Lord Krishna. Plenty of folklores and wonderful literary works too are available practically in all languages of India eulogizing the divine play, particularly the enthralling childhood pranks of Lord Krishna.
Krishna's discourse to his disciple and companion Arjuna on the eve of a grand war is Bhagavat Gita - one of the greatest scriptures of Hinduism and is a philosophical treasure very widely read and adored by people across the world, cutting across religious barriers.
The avatar of Krishna is considered a "Poornavatar" - Godly qualities manifesting in full and Lord Krishna is perhaps the most widely adored and worshiped Avatar by Vaishnavaites (devotees of Vishnu) across the length and breadth of India. Why, worship of Krishna has even transcended the boundaries of India, considering the global appeal of the ISKCON movement (International Society of Krishna Consciousness), spearheaded by Swami Prabhupada.
Krishna is sweetness personified. His attraction to devotees is magnetic. He is ever joyful; He is the preacher of Karma Yoga (the path for unification with God through work without attachment) and he is a perfect Karma Yogi himself, performing work ceaselessly all through his life with joyous detachment and abandonment, seeking no fruits for himself.
Unlike his predecessor of the previous Yuga - Rama, Krishna was fully conscious of his divinity and he never tried to hide his divine prowess. At every right and opportune occasion, he demonstrated his divinely and super-human powers and attributes and utilized them to humble his opponents, destroy the evil doers and to instantly come to the rescue of his devotees in distress. He was all at once the player by the rules and also the lord of the rules - and by virtue of this lordship, a breaker of the rules too, for the goodness of the world.
The divine play of Krishna is something that can not be written across a few pages. It is extremely difficult comprehended Krishna by a mere intellectual analysis. Krishna is amenable more to those who love him than to those who analyze him.
Krishna's Life History
Let us now see very briefly, the life history of Lord Krishna:
In DwaparaYuga, the demon-like king Kamsa ruled the kingdom of Mathura (that belonged to the Yadava clan) by overthrowing his father and the king Ugrasena. He became too powerful and people on earth as well as Devas (the celestial beings) suffered immeasurably under his tyrannical rule. Moved by the earnest prayers of the sufferers, Lord Vishnu decided to take birth in human form and annihilate the evil forces headed by Kamsa.
Another reason for the descent of God as avatar was the problem of excessive population at that period (particularly accentuated by higher proportions of the wicked and evil ones over the righteous ones) and the Mother Earth suffered on account of it. God came to earth as Lord Krishna and one of his roles was to initiate large scale destruction of human race, in order to bring a manageable balance to the earthly resources and establish dharma.
The King Kamsa was forewarned by his astrologers that his death would be caused by the eighth son who would be born to his cousin Devaki. To prevent such a happening, Kamsa arrested Devaki and her husband Vasudeva and incarcerated them in his prison.
As and when a child was born to the couple, he would go to the jail and kill the child then and there. When the eighth child was born, it was Lord Krishna. By a dramatic divine play, at the midnight when the birth took place, the child was miraculously and secretively transported to Gokula (a community of cow herds belonging to Yadava clan at the banks of river Yamuna) to become the foster son of mother Yasoda and King Nanda. A female child born to them (Maya) at the same time was transported back to the prisons. All these took place without the knowledge of Devaki and Yasoda and it was Vasudev who did the exchange at the behest When Kamsa came to know of the birth of the eighth child, he came to the prison as usual and as he lifted the child to kill it, it got freed and flew away laughing aloud that the king was cheated squarely and the child meant to kill him was alive elsewhere. Kamsa was shell shocked.
The 10 Avatars
In Hinduism, Lord Vishnu is the "God who protects". He is attributed with taking 10 such avatars. They are Matsya, Varaha, Koorma, Vamana, Narasimha, Rama, Parasurama, Krishna, Balarama and Kalki. Rama and Krisha Avatars are considered to be the two greatest Avatars of Vishnu in human form.
The Greatness Of Krishna
The Avatar of Krishna is said to have taken place in Dwapara Yuga (a time period dating back to thousands of years). Very elaborate holy mythologies (Srimad Bhagavatam and Mahabharata) are available in Hindu scripture which contain wonderful life history and the details of divine play enacted by Lord Krishna. Plenty of folklores and wonderful literary works too are available practically in all languages of India eulogizing the divine play, particularly the enthralling childhood pranks of Lord Krishna.
Krishna's discourse to his disciple and companion Arjuna on the eve of a grand war is Bhagavat Gita - one of the greatest scriptures of Hinduism and is a philosophical treasure very widely read and adored by people across the world, cutting across religious barriers.
The avatar of Krishna is considered a "Poornavatar" - Godly qualities manifesting in full and Lord Krishna is perhaps the most widely adored and worshiped Avatar by Vaishnavaites (devotees of Vishnu) across the length and breadth of India. Why, worship of Krishna has even transcended the boundaries of India, considering the global appeal of the ISKCON movement (International Society of Krishna Consciousness), spearheaded by Swami Prabhupada.
Krishna is sweetness personified. His attraction to devotees is magnetic. He is ever joyful; He is the preacher of Karma Yoga (the path for unification with God through work without attachment) and he is a perfect Karma Yogi himself, performing work ceaselessly all through his life with joyous detachment and abandonment, seeking no fruits for himself.
Unlike his predecessor of the previous Yuga - Rama, Krishna was fully conscious of his divinity and he never tried to hide his divine prowess. At every right and opportune occasion, he demonstrated his divinely and super-human powers and attributes and utilized them to humble his opponents, destroy the evil doers and to instantly come to the rescue of his devotees in distress. He was all at once the player by the rules and also the lord of the rules - and by virtue of this lordship, a breaker of the rules too, for the goodness of the world.
The divine play of Krishna is something that can not be written across a few pages. It is extremely difficult comprehended Krishna by a mere intellectual analysis. Krishna is amenable more to those who love him than to those who analyze him.
Krishna's Life History
Let us now see very briefly, the life history of Lord Krishna:
In DwaparaYuga, the demon-like king Kamsa ruled the kingdom of Mathura (that belonged to the Yadava clan) by overthrowing his father and the king Ugrasena. He became too powerful and people on earth as well as Devas (the celestial beings) suffered immeasurably under his tyrannical rule. Moved by the earnest prayers of the sufferers, Lord Vishnu decided to take birth in human form and annihilate the evil forces headed by Kamsa.
Another reason for the descent of God as avatar was the problem of excessive population at that period (particularly accentuated by higher proportions of the wicked and evil ones over the righteous ones) and the Mother Earth suffered on account of it. God came to earth as Lord Krishna and one of his roles was to initiate large scale destruction of human race, in order to bring a manageable balance to the earthly resources and establish dharma.
The King Kamsa was forewarned by his astrologers that his death would be caused by the eighth son who would be born to his cousin Devaki. To prevent such a happening, Kamsa arrested Devaki and her husband Vasudeva and incarcerated them in his prison.
As and when a child was born to the couple, he would go to the jail and kill the child then and there. When the eighth child was born, it was Lord Krishna. By a dramatic divine play, at the midnight when the birth took place, the child was miraculously and secretively transported to Gokula (a community of cow herds belonging to Yadava clan at the banks of river Yamuna) to become the foster son of mother Yasoda and King Nanda. A female child born to them (Maya) at the same time was transported back to the prisons. All these took place without the knowledge of Devaki and Yasoda and it was Vasudev who did the exchange at the behest When Kamsa came to know of the birth of the eighth child, he came to the prison as usual and as he lifted the child to kill it, it got freed and flew away laughing aloud that the king was cheated squarely and the child meant to kill him was alive elsewhere. Kamsa was shell shocked.
Immediately on birth, Krishna was carried stealthily by his father Vasudeva to Gokulam. It was a stormy night. The divine snake Adhisesha was there to act as an umbrella to protect the lord.
The Child Krishna
The baby Lord Krishna grew up joyfully in the company of cow herds at Gokula. He was dark skinned and was the most beautiful and charming boy of the community. Whoever came across him fell in instant love with him. He was full of childhood pranks. He loved to steal butter and eat it in the company of fellow cow herd boys. He became the prince charming for all the young girls and women folk (Gopis) of the community.
In the meanwhile, Kamsa sent several powerful demons in varying disguises to search for, seek, locate and kill the boy-who-escaped from the prison. Little Krishna encountered all of them and killed them all as a matter of child play.
Further, little Krishna killed a very ferocious and poisonous Snake Kaliya who lived in the river Yamuna. He extracted the snake from the river and danced at his hood to the awe of one and all. When the celestial lord Indra created heavy rains at Gokula because a worship due to him was denied at the behest of Krishna, Krishna protected the entire community by lifting up the hill Govardhan by holding it like an umbrella at his little finger.
The baby Lord Krishna grew up joyfully in the company of cow herds at Gokula. He was dark skinned and was the most beautiful and charming boy of the community. Whoever came across him fell in instant love with him. He was full of childhood pranks. He loved to steal butter and eat it in the company of fellow cow herd boys. He became the prince charming for all the young girls and women folk (Gopis) of the community.
In the meanwhile, Kamsa sent several powerful demons in varying disguises to search for, seek, locate and kill the boy-who-escaped from the prison. Little Krishna encountered all of them and killed them all as a matter of child play.
Further, little Krishna killed a very ferocious and poisonous Snake Kaliya who lived in the river Yamuna. He extracted the snake from the river and danced at his hood to the awe of one and all. When the celestial lord Indra created heavy rains at Gokula because a worship due to him was denied at the behest of Krishna, Krishna protected the entire community by lifting up the hill Govardhan by holding it like an umbrella at his little finger.
Little Krishna, so calm and charming in the affectionate embrace of Yasoda...
is not all that nice boy after all! He loved butter and never hesitated to steal it from the house of Gopies...
at times, he gets shocked when he is noticed...
and when the Gopis complain to Yasoda about Krishna's behavior, can she afford to leave him scot free?
The mischievous boy is too bold! he killed the most dreaded poisonous snake Kaliya.
Lifting Govardhan Hill is just a child play for him.
When Krishna was in his early teens, his attraction to the womenfolk of Gokula (Gopis) was divine. Their love towards Krishna was so intense that they even ignored their duty and allegiance to their husbands and went madly behind Krishna. Hindu spiritual masters interpret that this love of Gopis towards Krishna was never carnal, but it was the spiritual longing of the individual souls (jivatmas) towards the divine soul (paramatma).
It was during this phase that Radha (or Radhika) of Brindavan developed a deep rooted love for Krishna. The divine love between Radha and Krishna (which was never consummated in a marriage), though not found mentioned in Srimad Bhagavata, is dealt with elaborately in several folklore and Sanskrit literary works. Radha-Krishna love has always been a source of inspiration for the Bhakti movement of Vaishnavaites (worshipers of Vishnu) of eastern India as this love symbolically represents the longing for "yoga" (union) of the individual soul with the Supreme soul.
It was during this phase that Radha (or Radhika) of Brindavan developed a deep rooted love for Krishna. The divine love between Radha and Krishna (which was never consummated in a marriage), though not found mentioned in Srimad Bhagavata, is dealt with elaborately in several folklore and Sanskrit literary works. Radha-Krishna love has always been a source of inspiration for the Bhakti movement of Vaishnavaites (worshipers of Vishnu) of eastern India as this love symbolically represents the longing for "yoga" (union) of the individual soul with the Supreme soul.
When the young boy Krishna played his flute, none can resist him.
No wonder the Gopis were mad after him.
But it was Radha who stole the heart of Krishna. Radha-Krishna love transcends human love. This unique painting in its back ground on right side, shows Sri Gouranga (who spread bhava bakthi on Krishna) and at the right Sri Prabhupada, who spread Kris
When Krishna became a matured boy, it was time for him to go to Mathura and take the bull by its horns to face his uncle Kamsa and destroy him for all his vengeful deeds. Krishna overcame several obstacles at Mathura and finally killed his uncle in a ferocious combat. He released his parents from the jail and re-throned Ugrasena as the king. Over a period of time he got married to Bhama and Rukmini.
The story goes that Krishna later got married to 6 more women. At later period of his story, he killed a demon king by name Bhaumasura and he had to marry 14000 women who were earlier abducted by the demon king. This he did at the behest of the women, who would otherwise lose their honor in society for having been in the custody of the demon king. The story goes that Krishna used his divine maya to be simultaneously present with all his wives in their respective homes and lead happy life with all of them.
The story goes that Krishna later got married to 6 more women. At later period of his story, he killed a demon king by name Bhaumasura and he had to marry 14000 women who were earlier abducted by the demon king. This he did at the behest of the women, who would otherwise lose their honor in society for having been in the custody of the demon king. The story goes that Krishna used his divine maya to be simultaneously present with all his wives in their respective homes and lead happy life with all of them.
Krishna killed Kamsa in a ferocious battle.
Krishna abducted his would-be wife Rukmani who had fallen in love with him and called out for his help to avoid marriage with another prince.
Krishna And The Pandavas
In the meanwhile, his maternal cousins the Pandavas (5 sons of the kind Pandu headed by Yudhishtira)of the Kuru clan at the kingdom of Hastinapur were facing lots of difficulty in claiming their rightful share to the kingdom due to certain acts of omissions and commissions both by themselves as well as their treacherous cousins - the Kouravas headed by Duriyodhan who too claimed the throne of Hastinapur.
The Pandavas were fairly knowledgeable of the divinely nature of Krishna; Arjuna, one of the greatest among the five Pandavas, was a very close friend of Krishna. The Pandavas surrendered to Krishna and sought his help and guidance in overcoming their problems. Krishna intervened frequently in the lives of Pandavas to protect them from innumerable personal problems. He also used his diplomatic skills to create a truce between the Pandavas and Kouravas. But Kouravas had neither respect for Dharma nor for Krishna's counseling.
The Kurukshetra War And The Birth Of Bhagawad Gita
Finally a grand war erupted between Padndavas and Kouravas and numerous kings of the entire subcontinent virtually sidelined and supported either one of the groups according to their relationships and temperament. Dharma was obviously on the side of Pandavas. Krishna, as the king of Mathura and a blood relative of both Pandavas and Kouravas, offered his entire army to take part in the war on one side and he himself without taking-up arms on the other side. He left the choice to Pandavas and Kouravas to choose any one between the two. While Kourvas opted for the army, Pandavas were too glad to have Krishna on their side as a non-fighting assistant. Krishna offered to be the charioteer of Arjuna during the war.
Just before the beginning of the war at Kurukshetra, Arjuna became jittery. He felt it was futile to wage war against his own blood relations and other seniors, respectable elders and masters in the opposite camp. It was at this juncture, that Lord Krishna gave one of the greatest sermons to Arjuna. His utterances form the Bhagavat Gita. In this great spiritual discourse, Lord Krishna predominantly teaches Karma Yoga - the path of attaining the greatest goal of life though self-less action by surrendering all the fruits of actions at the feet of lord.
Krishna, as part of his effort to teach Arjuna during his discourse, gave a divine vision to Arjuna an revealed his Vishwarupa (his cosmic form that transcended the creation, births deaths and time, space and causation) and Arjuna was overwhelmed with awe to see this form of the Supreme Lord Krishna.
Krishna acted as a charioteer to Arjuna and saved his life under many tricky situations. The war ended with the annihilation of Kouravas and the rule of the Pandavas was established.
In the meanwhile, his maternal cousins the Pandavas (5 sons of the kind Pandu headed by Yudhishtira)of the Kuru clan at the kingdom of Hastinapur were facing lots of difficulty in claiming their rightful share to the kingdom due to certain acts of omissions and commissions both by themselves as well as their treacherous cousins - the Kouravas headed by Duriyodhan who too claimed the throne of Hastinapur.
The Pandavas were fairly knowledgeable of the divinely nature of Krishna; Arjuna, one of the greatest among the five Pandavas, was a very close friend of Krishna. The Pandavas surrendered to Krishna and sought his help and guidance in overcoming their problems. Krishna intervened frequently in the lives of Pandavas to protect them from innumerable personal problems. He also used his diplomatic skills to create a truce between the Pandavas and Kouravas. But Kouravas had neither respect for Dharma nor for Krishna's counseling.
The Kurukshetra War And The Birth Of Bhagawad Gita
Finally a grand war erupted between Padndavas and Kouravas and numerous kings of the entire subcontinent virtually sidelined and supported either one of the groups according to their relationships and temperament. Dharma was obviously on the side of Pandavas. Krishna, as the king of Mathura and a blood relative of both Pandavas and Kouravas, offered his entire army to take part in the war on one side and he himself without taking-up arms on the other side. He left the choice to Pandavas and Kouravas to choose any one between the two. While Kourvas opted for the army, Pandavas were too glad to have Krishna on their side as a non-fighting assistant. Krishna offered to be the charioteer of Arjuna during the war.
Just before the beginning of the war at Kurukshetra, Arjuna became jittery. He felt it was futile to wage war against his own blood relations and other seniors, respectable elders and masters in the opposite camp. It was at this juncture, that Lord Krishna gave one of the greatest sermons to Arjuna. His utterances form the Bhagavat Gita. In this great spiritual discourse, Lord Krishna predominantly teaches Karma Yoga - the path of attaining the greatest goal of life though self-less action by surrendering all the fruits of actions at the feet of lord.
Krishna, as part of his effort to teach Arjuna during his discourse, gave a divine vision to Arjuna an revealed his Vishwarupa (his cosmic form that transcended the creation, births deaths and time, space and causation) and Arjuna was overwhelmed with awe to see this form of the Supreme Lord Krishna.
Krishna acted as a charioteer to Arjuna and saved his life under many tricky situations. The war ended with the annihilation of Kouravas and the rule of the Pandavas was established.
Krishna and Arjuna blowing conch shells to announce beginning of war.
The birth of Bhagavad Gita, the lord's sermon to Arjuna, one of the greatest spiritual treasures of Hinduism available cutting across all religions.
Vishwarupa Darshanam - Krishna revealing his cosmic form.
Another picture of Vishwarupa Darsanam being revealed to Arjuna.
Krishna And Dwaraka
At his own Kingdom at Mathura ruled by Ugrasena, Krishna had to face a very tough war against Jarasandha, the father-in-law of the slain king Kamsa. The war was waged 18 times by the extremely powerful king Jarasandha and Krishna had to play hide and seek with the king.
After the last attack, Krishna convinced King Ugrasena and his father, Crown-Prince Vasudeva to rescind the land and establish a new Kingdom at Dwaraka, due to strategic reasons. All the Yadava subjects were shifted to Dwaraka and Krishna lived and ruled there for about 38 years. Jarasandha was ultimately killed by Bhima, one of the Pandavas.
The End Of Krishna
The Yadava clan too was finally destined to get wiped out entirely on account of a civil war within the community. Krishna at his final days retired to forest and was engaged in deep meditation. He was finally slain by a hunter's arrow which was mistakenly aimed at him.
Krishna's entire life was one of an exuberant display of divine play. Krishna's childhood life at Gokula and Vrindavan where he became the very soul of all the lives of Gopas and Gopis and his divine love with Radha continues to be the source of inspiration of Bhakti movment for the Vaishnavites.
Krishna's Bhagavat Gita reins as a supreme reference book of all the various paths of Yoga (Karma, Bhakti, Gnyana and Raja Yoga) for earnest seekers of Hinduism for guidance and enlightenment.
At his own Kingdom at Mathura ruled by Ugrasena, Krishna had to face a very tough war against Jarasandha, the father-in-law of the slain king Kamsa. The war was waged 18 times by the extremely powerful king Jarasandha and Krishna had to play hide and seek with the king.
After the last attack, Krishna convinced King Ugrasena and his father, Crown-Prince Vasudeva to rescind the land and establish a new Kingdom at Dwaraka, due to strategic reasons. All the Yadava subjects were shifted to Dwaraka and Krishna lived and ruled there for about 38 years. Jarasandha was ultimately killed by Bhima, one of the Pandavas.
The End Of Krishna
The Yadava clan too was finally destined to get wiped out entirely on account of a civil war within the community. Krishna at his final days retired to forest and was engaged in deep meditation. He was finally slain by a hunter's arrow which was mistakenly aimed at him.
Krishna's entire life was one of an exuberant display of divine play. Krishna's childhood life at Gokula and Vrindavan where he became the very soul of all the lives of Gopas and Gopis and his divine love with Radha continues to be the source of inspiration of Bhakti movment for the Vaishnavites.
Krishna's Bhagavat Gita reins as a supreme reference book of all the various paths of Yoga (Karma, Bhakti, Gnyana and Raja Yoga) for earnest seekers of Hinduism for guidance and enlightenment.
The end of the glorious Krishna Avatar. Krishna was killed by a misdirected arrow from a hunter, when He was sitting in meditation.
The beautiful pictures appearing in this article are all sourced from various websites and since all of them appear to belong to public domain and found freely used in several sites, I too have used them accordingly. I sincerely thank the various websites that have posted these pictures
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