Lord Krishna

One of the most popular Indian deities across the globe, Krishna, has been loved and worshipped by various people from different walks of life. So much oral and written literature speaks of his glories as the most colourful avatars of Lord Vishnu, who is Godhead in Hinduism and more specifically, the Vaishnava tradition. Krishna is a being, larger than life and impossible to capture in this little article, however I will try to grasp some aspects of his life here.

Born in the prison of the city of Mathura during a stormy night, Krishna like Jesus Christ, was a child facing persecution by a tyrannical king, known as Kansa, who dreaded a prophecy which spoke about a child who would kill him. Sadly, the prophesy was about his own sister and brother-in-law’s eighth child. The prophesy declared that the eighth child of his sister, Princess Devaki would kill Kansa. Fearing the prophesy, Kansa immediately imprisoned his sister Devaki and brother-in-law Vasudeva. He mercilessly killed all their children born during the years to come as he awaited the eighth child.

He had imprisoned Devaki and Vasudev in the most heavily guarded prison, where several soldiers guarded all the gates that were seven in total, to ensure that the couple does not have a single chance of escape. However, when Devaki was expecting and about to deliver the eighth child, it is said that on that fateful and stormy night, miraculously, all the soldiers guarding the prison, fell asleep and all the seven gates flung open. Godhead spoke to the couple about the birth of this divine child. His father Vasudev, was instructed to smuggle out the child and drop him at a village across the Yamuna river. Vasudev picked the newly born child and began to cross the river Yamuna and finally dropped the child at the house of his male friend, known as Nanda. There, Nanda’s wife had just given birth to a female child and was lying unconscious. Vasudev placed his son next to Yashoda and carried her daughter with him, back to the prison in Mathura.

As Kansa heard the news, he dashed to the cell to kill the eighth child. This time, as he held the child by her legs to smash her against the prison walls, the child strangely flew away from him and changed its appearance, taking up a fierce form of a warrior goddess who rebuked and warned him, saying that the one meant to kill him, has already come into the world and was safe from him! Thereafter, the goddess turned into a terrible lightening and vanished into the sky. 

Thus Krishna as he was named by his new parents, grew up in the village of Gokul. He was raised as the beloved child of Yashodha his loving mother and Nanda his caring father. While growing up as a cowherd, Krishna was also known as the most mischievous child in the village. He was famous for being a trickster who loved stealing butter with his friends and for being a great flute player. Stories of his time in Gokul are filled with encounters of demons and fights with supernatural creatures, which were also sent by Kansa to kill him.

As he began growing up into a young man, his youth and beauty surpassed all those around him. He was the most good-looking youth in the village and stories about his outstanding appearance spread from one village to another and many maidens fell in love with him, without seeing him. He wore a beautiful peacock feather in his long black wavy hair. His complexion was oddly of a bluish nature, some said it was as a result of fighting off a great serpent that bit him severally. Nevertheless, it and made him stand out among the crowds. His facial features were incredibly attractive and refined and everything about him from head to toe, was charming and attracted those who set their eyes upon him.

He would play overwhelming tunes of music from his favourite musical instrument, which would draw admirers and young maidens desiring to join him and dance around him. Among all these young maiden lovers known as gopis, Radha also known as Radharani, his soulmate and eternal consort, was the most famous lover of Krishna. Radha is the one said to attract this all attractive being. Radha with her exceptional looks and feminine divine charms and overwhelming beauty, captured the attention of this divine flute player and lady killer. His past times in the village during his yonder years give birth to several romantic love stories about the relationship that he shared with Radha.

Due to certain unfavourable circumstances which developed in their lives, including Krishna’s return back to the kingdom and killing of his Uncle Kansa, it is believed that the two lovers did not get married but took to other life partners. Nevertheless, their love story remains immortal and sung by masses of people. Radha remains a symbol of pure devotion and love. She is the soul that thirsts for the divine being and Krishna the supreme being, whose divinity is felt by everyone around him. The divine couple is celebrated and worshipped to date, and thus both Radha and Krishna are revered and worshipped together as icons of pure love and devotion.