Krishna (Sanskrit: black or all-attractive one) is an important deity in the Hindu religion. In most Hindu traditions he is a god himself, and he is also the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. The story of Krishna's life on Earth is told in the epic poem Mahabharata, which contains astronomical references dating it to the 15th century BC.
His place in Hinduism is complex. He appears under many names, in a multiplicity of stories, among different cultures, and in different traditions. Sometimes these contradict each other.
Among his aspects are;
Accounts of Krishna occur in a large number of religious, mythological and poetical works. These works include the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda.
Among the most important areas of literature and stories of Krishna, are those below;
Bhakti, meaning devotion, is not confined to any one deity of Hinduism. However Krishna has become the most important and popular focus of the devotional and ecstatic aspects of Hindu religion. Those bhakti movements devoted to Krishna developed in southern and eastern India from the late first millennium AD, and spread to the rest of India by the middle of the second millennium. Earlier works included those of the Alvar saints of the Tamil country.
ISKCON, sometimes called the Hare Krishna movement, is a modern derivation of the movements started by Chaitanya, targeted at a western audience.
The name and word in the original Sanskrit is written Kṛṣṇa in scholarly phonetic script. The original pronunciation included a vowalic 'r' in the middle. This resembles the pronunciation of the vowels in the first syllable of 'crystal' or 'Christmas' in some English dialects. In some modern Indian languages, the vowel 'i' has been introduced; in some other languages it may be replaced with a 'u' sound (Krushna).
Many idols of him are of a black or dark skinned figure. For instance, this can be seen in modern idols and other pictorial representations of Lord Jaganatha at Puri (Krishna as Lord of the World). In the same representations, his brother and sister are shown with a distinctly lighter complexion.
Early pictorial representations also generally show him as dark or black skinned. Rajasthani miniature paintings of the 16th century are often of a brown or black skinned figure. However, by the ninenteenth century, he is almost always shown as blue skinned. This change is probably due to an increasing perception of dark skin colour as unattractive in India.
In the majority of modern illustrations in print, he is generally shown as blue skinned, as are many other Hindu deities. However, he does often continue to be shown as brown or black-skinned, especially in representations of older images.
Sometimes the term Krishna has been explained as meaning 'attractive'. This may be derived from a reference given in one instance in the Mahabharata, but in this case probably referring specifically to Arjuna.
Major aspects
A number of local traditions and regional deities may have been subsumed into the stories and person of Krishna. Religious texts, mythology and literature
Summary of the story of Krishna
This summary is derived from the Mahabharata, and the Harivamsaparva, an addendum to it.The birth of Krishna
Krishna was born in a prison cell at Mathura, in modern Haryana. His mother was Devaki and his father Vasudeva. Devaki was imprisoned because her brother Kamsa, the king, knew that a son of hers would overthrow him, and he intended to kill her children as they were born. Krishna was smuggled out to be raised in the village of Gokula, in the forest of Vrindavan. Krishna at Vrindavan
Krishna the child, together with his brother Balarama and sister Subhadra, were raised by his foster mother Yasoda in a cow herding community within Vrindavan forest. A number of children's stories are derived from this source. He is known as Gopala, the cowherd, due to this upbringing. Stories of Krishna's childhood and youth depict him as mischievous and clever, stealing butter, and breaking pots for ghee, and playing transcendental pranks. As he grows, the stories come to include his play with the gopis of the village. Krishna the prince
Krishna as a young man returned to Mathura, overthrew his uncle Kamsa, and became ruler of the Yadavas at Mathura. With his elder brother Balarama, he ruled there. In this period he became a friend of Arjuna and the other Pandava princes of the Kuru kingdom on the other side of the Yamuna. Later, he takes his Yadava subjects to Dwaraka (in modern Gujarat). He married Rukmini, daughter of King Bhishmaka of Vidarbha (a region of central India).The Kurukshetra War
In the Mahabharata, Krishna is cousin to both sides in the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. But he effectively takes the Pandava side. He counsels and guides the Pandavas, in contrast to his brother Balarama who is more inclined to be neutral or to favour the Kauravas. He protects Draupadi when Dushasana tries to strip her in the court. He agrees to be the chariot driver for Arjuna in the great battle. The last days
Krishna rules the Yadavas at Dwaraka with his wife Rukmini. In the end, the Yadavas kill themselves in infighting, and Krishna is killed by accident by a hunter. The Bhakti traditions
Gita Govinda - the song of the cowherd
Certain literary works were important to later development of the bhakti traditions, including the Gita Govinda. This work was composed by Jayadeva Goswami in eastern India, in the 12th century AD. It elaborated part of the story of Krishna, and of one particular Gopi, called Radha who had been a minor character in the Mahabharata. According to one interpretation of this work, Radha represented humanity, and Krishna represented divinity. The desire of Radha for Krishna can be seen as allegory of the desire of humanity for union with the godhead. In the Vaishnava bhakti traditions, Radha has acquired aspects of divinity herself, in some instances being seen as a primary aspect of the great goddess, or Devi. Recent Krishna bhakti movements
The bhakti traditions include those promoted by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (16th century in Bengal), who has sometimes been raised to the status of an avatara of Vishnu. A number of modern movements belong in this tradition. The name
Krishna the Dark One
The term Krishna means black in Sanskrit; it is related to similar words in other Indo-European languages meaning black. The name is often translated as 'the black one'. Other names of Krishna
He is known by numerous other names or titles. These include;
Other uses of the name
Certain other mythological characters are also sometimes called Krishna. These include (with added phonetic spellings);
The name is also applied to;