Sei sulla pagina 1di 9

1/29/2016

KrishnaWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Krishna
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

"Vsudeva"redirectshere.ForthefatherofKrishna,seeVasudeva.ForVaishnavism,seeKrishna
Vasudeva.
ThisarticleisabouttheHindudeity.Forotheruses,seeKrishna(disambiguation).
Thisarticlehas
[hide]
multipleissues.Please
helpimproveitordiscuss
theseissuesonthetalk
page.
Thisarticleneeds
additionalcitations
forverification.(November
2015)

Theneutralityofthis
articleisdisputed.
(November2015)

Krishna
Krushna

StatueofLordKrishna
Devanagari

Sanskrittransliteration

Affiliation

EighthandcompleteavatarofVishnuorSvayamBhagavan

Abode

GolokaVrindavana,Gokula,Dwarka

Mantra

HareKrishna,JaiShriKrishna

Weapon

SudarshanaChakra

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna

1/9

1/29/2016

KrishnaWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Consort

Radha,Rukmini,Satyabhama,Jambavati,Kalindi,Mitravinda,Nagnajiti,Bhadra,Lakshmanaandother
16,000or16,100juniorqueens

Parents

Devaki,Vasudeva

Mount

Garuda

Texts

BhagavataPurana,VishnuPurana,Mahabharata,BhagavadGita

Krishna(/krn/Sanskrit:
,KainIAST,
pronounced[kr
]( listen))isaHindudeity,worshipped

Partofaserieson

Hinduism

acrossmanytraditionsofHinduisminavarietyofdifferent
perspectives.Krishnaisrecognizedasthecompleteand
eighthavataroftheGodVishnuorastheSupremeGodin
ownright.Krishnaisoneofthemostwidelyreveredand
popularofallHindudeities.[1]
HinduHistory

KrishnaknownviamanynamessuchasKishan,Makhanchor,
Kanha.Krishnaisoftendescribedandportrayedasaninfant

Concepts

[show]

eatingbutter,ayoungboyplayingafluteasintheBhagavata

Schools

[show]

Purana,[2]ayoungmanalongwithRadhaorasanelder

Deities

[show]

givingdirectionandguidanceasintheBhagavadGita.[3]The

Texts

[show]

Practices

[show]

Gurus,saints,philosophers

[show]

Othertopics

[show]

storiesofKrishnaappearacrossabroadspectrumofHindu
philosophicalandtheologicaltraditions.[4]Theyportrayhimin
variousperspectives:agodchild,aprankster,amodellover,
adivinehero,andtheSupremeBeing.[5]Theprincipal
scripturesdiscussingKrishna'sstoryaretheMahabharata,
theHarivamsa,theBhagavataPurana,andtheVishnu

GlossaryofHinduismterms
Hinduismportal

Purana.

VTE

WorshipofthedeityKrishna,eitherintheformofdeity
KrishnaorintheformofVasudeva,BalaKrishnaorGopalacanbetracedtoasearlyasthe4thcentury
BC.[6][7]WorshipofKrishnaasSvayamBhagavan,orthesupremebeing,knownasKrishnaism,arosein
theMiddleAgesinthecontextoftheBhaktimovement.Fromthe10thcenturyAD,Krishnabecamea
favouritesubjectinperformingartsandregionaltraditionsofdevotiondevelopedforformsofKrishnasuch
asJagannathainOdisha,VithobainMaharashtraandShrinathjiinRajasthan.Sincethe1960stheworship
ofKrishnahasalsospreadintheWesternworldandinAfricalargelyduetotheInternationalSocietyfor
KrishnaConsciousness.[8]
Contents[hide]
1Namesandepithets
2Iconography
3Literarysources
4Life
4.1Birth
4.2Childhoodandyouth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna

2/9

1/29/2016

KrishnaWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

4.3Theprince
4.4KurukshetraWarandBhagavadGita
4.5Family
4.6Laterlife
5Worship
5.1Vaishnavism
5.2Earlytraditions
5.3Bhaktitradition
5.4SpreadoftheKrishnabhaktimovement
5.5IntheWest
5.6InSouthIndia
6Intheperformingarts
7Inotherreligions
7.1Jainism
7.2Buddhism
7.3Bah'Faith
7.4AhmadiyyaIslam
7.5Other
8TVserialdepictions
9Seealso
10Notes
11References
12Sources
13Furtherreading
14Externallinks

Namesandepithets

[ edit ]

Mainarticle:ListoftitlesandnamesofKrishna
ThenameoriginatesfromtheSanskritwordKa,whichisprimarily
anadjectivemeaning"black","dark"or"darkblue".[9]Thewaning
mooniscalledKrishnaPaksha,relatingtotheadjectivemeaning
"darkening".[9]Sometimesitisalsotranslatedas"allattractive",
accordingtomembersoftheHareKrishnamovement.[10]
AsanameofVishnu,Krishnaislistedasthe57thnameintheVishnu
Sahasranama.Basedonhisname,Krishnaisoftendepicted
inmurtisasblackorblueskinned.Krishnaisalsoknownby
variousothernames,epithetsandtitles,whichreflecthismany
associationsandattributes.Amongthemostcommonnames
areMohnish"AttractiveGod",Mohan"enchanter",Govinda,"Finderof
'Go'Veda"notthecowsorGopala,"Protectorofthe'Go'Veda"not
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna

14thcenturyfrescoofKrishna
3/9

1/29/2016

KrishnaWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

thecowsas'Go'meansVedanotcow,whichrefertoKrishna's
childhoodinBraj(inpresentdayUttarPradesh).[11][12]Someofthe

ontheinteriorwallofCity
Palace,Udaipur

distinctnamesmayberegionallyimportantforinstance,Jagannatha,
apopularincarnationofPuri,OdishaineasternIndia.[13]

Iconography

[ edit ]

Krishnaiseasilyrecognizedbyhisrepresentations.Thoughhisskin
colormaybedepictedasblackordarkinsomerepresentations,
particularlyinmurtis,inotherimagessuchasmodernpictorial
representations,Krishnaisusuallyshownwithablueskin.Heisoften
shownwearingasilkgoldenyellowdhotiandapeacockfeather
crown.Commondepictionsshowhimasalittleboy,orasayoung
maninacharacteristicallyrelaxedpose,playingtheflute.[14][15]Inthis
form,heusuallystandswithonelegbentinfrontoftheotherwitha
fluteraisedtohislips,intheTribhangaposture,accompanied
Krishnawithcows,herdsmen
andGopis,Paharipainting
[Himalayan]fromSmithsonian
Institution

bycows,emphasizinghispositionasthedivineherdsman,Govinda,
orwiththegopis(milkmaids)i.e.Gopikrishna,stealingbutterfrom
neighbouringhousesi.e.NavneetChoraorGokulakrishna,defeating
theviciousserpenti.e.KaliyaDamanaKrishna,liftingthehilli.e.
GiridharaKrishna..soonandsoforthfromhischildhood/youth

events.
Asteatite(soapstone)tabletunearthedfromMohenjodaro,Larkanadistrict,Sindhdepictingayoungboy
uprootingtwotreesfromwhichareemergingtwohumanfiguresisaninterestingarchaeologicalfindfor
fixingdatesassociatedwithKrishna.ThisimagerecallstheYamalarjunaepisode
ofBhagavataandHarivamsaPurana.Inthisimage,theyoungboyisKrishna,andthetwohumanbeings
emergingfromthetreesarethetwocursedgandharvas,identifiedasNalakubaraandManigriva.Dr.E.J.H.
Mackay,whodidtheexcavationatMohanjodaro,comparesthisimagewiththeYamalarjunaepisode.Prof.
V.S.Agrawalhasalsoacceptedthisidentification.Thus,itseemsthattheIndusvalleypeopleknewstories
relatedtoKrishna.ThislonefindmaynotestablishKrishnaascontemporarywithPreIndusorIndustimes,
but,likewise,itcannotbeignored.[16]
ThesceneonthebattlefieldoftheepicMahabharata,notablywhereheaddressesPandavaprinceArjunain
theBhagavadGita,isanothercommonsubjectforrepresentation.Inthesepopulardepictions,heisshown
asthecharioteerinthebattlefieldofKurukshetra.InVivaroopaDarshanatoArjuna,LordKrishnaresumes
theroleoftheoftenwithsupremeGod'scharacteristicsofHindureligiousart,suchasmultiplearmsor
heads,denotingpower,andwithattributesofVishnu,suchasthechakraorinhistwoarmedformasa
charioteer.Cavepaintingsdatedto800BCEinMirzapur,Mirzapurdistrict,UttarPradesh,showraiding
horsecharioteers,oneofwhomisabouttohurlawheel,andwhocouldpotentiallybeidentifiedas
Krishna.[17]
RepresentationsintemplesoftenshowKrishnaasamanstandinginanupright,formalpose.Hemaybe
alone,orwithassociatedfigures:[18]hisbrotherBalaramaandsisterSubhadra,orhismain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna

4/9

1/29/2016

KrishnaWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

queensRukminiandSatyabhama.
Often,KrishnaispicturedwithhisgopiconsortRadha.Manipuri
VaishnavasdonotworshipKrishnaalone,butasRadhaKrishna,[19]a
combinedimageofKrishnaandRadha.Thisisalsoacharacteristicof
theschoolsRudra[20]andNimbarkasampradaya,[21]aswellasthat
ofSwaminarayansect.ThetraditionscelebrateRadhaRamanamurti,
whoisviewedbyGaudiyasasaformofRadhaKrishna.[22]
Krishnaisalsodepictedandworshippedasasmallchild(Bala
Krishna,BlaKathechildKrishna),crawlingonhishandsand
kneesordancing,oftenwithbutterorLadduinhishandbeingLaddu
Gopal.[23][24]RegionalvariationsintheiconographyofKrishnaare
seeninhisdifferentforms,such

BalaKrishnadancing,14th
centuryCECholasculpture,Tamil
Nadu.fromHonoluluAcademyof
Arts.

asJaganathaofOdisha,VithobaofMaharashtra,[25]Venkateswara(alsoSrinivasaorBalaji)inAndhra
Pradesh,andShrinathjiinRajasthan.
KrishnaisalsodepictedasanewbornfloatingonaleafofabanyantreeduringthePralaya(thegreat
flood)attheendoftheDvaparaYuga.

Literarysources

[ edit ]

Seealso:KrishnaintheMahabharata
TheearliesttexttoexplicitlyprovidedetaileddescriptionsofKrishnaas
apersonalityistheepicMahabharatawhichdepictsKrishnaasan
incarnationofVishnu.[26]Krishnaiscentraltomanyofthemainstories
oftheepic.Theeighteenchaptersofthesixthbook(BhishmaParva)
oftheepicthatconstitutetheBhagavadGitacontaintheadviceof
Yashodabathingthechild
Krishna

KrishnatothewarriorheroArjuna,onthebattlefield.Krishnais
alreadyanadultintheepic,althoughthereareallusionstohisearlier
exploits.TheHarivamsa,alaterappendixtothisepic,containsthe

earliestdetailedversionofKrishna'schildhoodandyouth.
TheRigVeda1.22.164sukta31mentionsaherdsman"whoneverstumbles".[27]SomeVaishnavite
scholars,suchasBhaktivinodaThakura,claimthatthisherdsmanreferstoKrishna.[28]RamakrishnaGopal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna

5/9

1/29/2016

KrishnaWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Bhandarkaralsoattemptedtoshowthat"theverysameKrishna"madeanappearance,e.g.asthedrapsa
...krishna"blackdrop"ofRV8.96.13.[29]Someauthorshavealsolikenedprehistoricdepictionsofdeitiesto
Krishna.
ChandogyaUpanishad(3.17.6),datedbetween8thand6thcenturyBCE,mentionsVasudevaKrishnaas
thesonofDevakiandthediscipleofGhoraAngirasa,theseerwhopreachedhisdisciplethephilosophyof
Chhandogya.HavingbeeninfluencedbythephilosophyofChhandogyaKrishnaintheBhagavadgita
whiledeliveringthediscoursetoArjunaonthebattlefieldofKurukshetradiscussedaboutsacrifice,which
canbecomparedtopurushaortheindividual.[30][31][32][33]
Yska'sNirukta,anetymologicaldictionaryaround6thcenturyBC,containsareferencetothe
ShyamantakajewelinthepossessionofAkrura,amotiffromwellknownPuranicstoryabout
Krishna.[34]ShatapathaBrahmanaandAitareyaAranyaka,associateKrishnawithhisVrishniorigins.[35]
Pini,theancientgrammarianandauthorofAsthadhyayi(probablybelongedto5thcenturyor6th
centuryBC)mentionsacharactercalledVsudeva,sonofVasudeva,andalsomentionsKauravaand
ArjunawhichtestifiestoVasudevaKrishna,ArjunaandKauravasbeingcontemporaries.[30][36][37]
Megasthenes(350290BC)aGreekethnographerandanambassadorofSeleucusItothecourt
ofChandraguptaMauryamadereferencetoHeraklesinhisfamousworkIndica.Manyscholarshave
suggestedthatthedeityidentifiedasHerakleswasKrishna.AccordingtoArrian,Diodorus,andStrabo,
MegasthenesdescribedanIndiantribecalledSourasenoi,whoespeciallyworshippedHeraklesintheir
land,andthislandhadtwocities,MethoraandKleisobora,andanavigableriver,theJobares.Aswas
commonintheancientperiod,theGreekssometimesdescribedforeigngodsintermsoftheirown
divinities,andthereisalittledoubtthattheSourasenoireferstotheShurasenas,abranchof
theYadudynastytowhichKrishnabelongedHeraklestoKrishna,orHariKrishna:MethoratoMathura,
whereKrishnawasbornKleisoboratoKrishnapura,meaning"thecityofKrishna"andtheJobaresto
theYamuna,thefamousriverintheKrishnastory.QuintusCurtiusalsomentionsthatwhenAlexanderthe
GreatconfrontedPorus,Porus'ssoldierswerecarryinganimageofHeraklesintheirvanguard.[38]
ThenameKrishnaoccursinBuddhistwritingsintheformKnha,phoneticallyequivalenttoKrishna.[39]
TheGhataJtaka(No.454)givesanaccountofKrishna'schildhoodandsubsequentexploitswhichin
manypointscorrespondswiththeBrahmaniclegendsofhislifeandcontainsseveralfamiliarincidentsand
names,suchasVsudeva,Baladeva,Kasa.Yetitpresentsmanypeculiaritiesandiseitheran
independentversionoramisrepresentationofapopularstorythathadwanderedfarfromitshome.Jain
traditionalsoshowsthatthesetaleswerepopularandwereworkedupintodifferentforms,fortheJains
haveanelaboratesystemofancientpatriarchswhichincludesVsudevasandBaladevas.Krishnaisthe
ninthoftheBlackVsudevasandisconnectedwithDvravatorDvrak.Hewillbecomethetwelfth
trthankaraofthenextworldperiodandasimilarpositionwillbeattainedbyDevak,Rohin,Baladevaand
Javakumra,allmembersofhisfamily.ThisisastrikingproofofthepopularityoftheKrishnalegend
outsidetheBrahmanicreligion.[40]
AccordingtoArthasastraofKautilya(4thcenturyBCE)VsudevawasworshipedassupremeDeityina
stronglymonotheisticformat.[36]
Around150BC,PatanjaliinhisMahabhashyaquotesaverse:"MaythemightofKrishnaaccompaniedby
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna

6/9

1/29/2016

KrishnaWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Samkarshanaincrease!"Otherversesarementioned.Oneversespeaksof"Janardhanawithhimselfas
fourth"(Krishnawiththreecompanions,thethreepossiblybeingSamkarshana,Pradyumna,and
Aniruddha).AnotherversementionsmusicalinstrumentsbeingplayedatmeetingsinthetemplesofRama
(Balarama)andKesava(Krishna).Patanjalialsodescribesdramaticandmimeticperformances(Krishna
Kamsopacharam)representingthekillingofKamsabyVasudeva.[41][42]
Inthe1stcenturyBC,thereseemstobeevidenceforaworshipoffiveVrishniheroes(Balarama,
Krishna,Pradyumna,AniruddhaandSamba)foraninscriptionhasbeenfoundatMoranearMathura,
whichapparentlymentionsasonofthegreatsatrapRajuvula,probablythesatrapSodasa,andanimage
ofVrishni,"probablyVasudeva,andofthe"FiveWarriors".[43]BrahmiinscriptionontheMorastoneslab,
nowintheMathuraMuseum.[44][45]
ManyPuranastellKrishna'slifestoryorsomehighlightsfromit.TwoPuranas,theBhagavataPuranaand
theVishnuPurana,thatcontainthemostelaboratetellingofKrishnasstoryandteachingsarethemost
theologicallyveneratedbytheVaishnavaschools.[46]RoughlyonequarteroftheBhagavataPuranais
spentextollinghislifeandphilosophy.

Life

[ edit ]

ThissummaryisbasedondetailsfromtheMahbhrata,theHarivamsa,theBhagavataPuranaand
theVishnuPurana.ThescenesfromthenarrativearesetinnorthIndiamostlyinthepresentstates
ofUttarPradesh,Bihar,Haryana,DelhiandGujarat.

Birth

[ edit ]

Basedonscripturaldetailsandastrologicalcalculations,thedateof
Krishna'sbirth,knownasJanmashtami,[47]is18July3228
BCE.[48][note1]HewasborntoDevakiandher
husband,Vasudeva.[53][54][55]WhenMotherEarthbecameupsetby
thesinbeingcommittedonEarth,shethoughtofseekinghelpfrom
LordVishnu.ShewentintheformofacowtovisitLordVishnuand
askforhelp.LordVishnuagreedtohelpherandpromisedherthat
hewouldbebornonEarth.OnEarthintheYadavaclan,hewas
yadavaccordingtohisbirth,aprincenamedKamsasenthisfather
Ugrasena(KingofMathura)toprisonandbecametheKing

Krishna'sfostermotherYashoda
withtheinfantKrishna.Cholaperiod,
Early12thcentury,TamilNadu,India.

himself.Onedayaloudvoicefromthesky(AkashVaniinHindi)
prophesiedthatthe8thsonofKamsa'ssister(Devaki)wouldkill
Kamsa.OutofaffectionforDevaki,Kamsadidnotkillheroutright.Hedid,however,sendhissisterandher
husband(Vasudeva)toprison.LordVishnuhimselflaterappearedtoDevakiandVasudevaandtoldthem
thathehimselfwouldbetheireighthsonandkillKamsaanddestroysinintheworld.InthestoryofKrishna
thedeityistheagentofconceptionandalsotheoffspring.Becauseofhissympathyfortheearth,the
divineVishnuhimselfdescendedintothewombofDevakiandwasbornasherson,Vaasudeva(i.e.,
Krishna).Thisisoccasionallycitedasevidencethat"virginbirth"talesarefairlycommoninnonChristian
religionsaroundtheworld.[56][57][58]However,thereisnothinginHinduscripturestosuggestthatitwasa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna

7/9

1/29/2016

KrishnaWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

"virgin"birth.BythetimeofconceptionandbirthofKrishna,DevakiwasmarriedtoVasudevaandhad
alreadyborne7children.[59]Virginbirthinthiscaseshouldbemoreaccuratelyunderstoodasdivine
conception.Kunti,themotherofthePandavasreferencedcontemporaneouslywiththestoryofKrishnain
theMahabharataalsohasdivineconceptionandvirginbirthofPrinceKarna.[60]
TheHinduVishnuPuranarelates:"Devakiboreinherwombthelotuseyeddeity...beforethebirthof
Krishna,noonecouldbeartogazeuponDevaki,fromthelightthatinvestedher,andthosewho
contemplatedherradiancefelttheirmindsdisturbed."ThisreferencetolightisreminiscentoftheVedic
hymn"ToanUnknownDivine,"whichreferstoaGoldenChild.AccordingtoF.M.Mller,thistermmeans
"thegoldengemofchild"andisanattemptatnamingthesun.AccordingtotheVishnuPurana,Krishnais
thetotalincarnationofLordVishnu.ItclearlydescribesintheVishnuPuranathatKrishnawasbornon
earthtodestroysin,especiallyKamsa.
KrishnabelongedtotheVrishniclanofYadavasfromMathura,[61]andwastheeighthsonborntothe
princessDevaki,andherhusbandVasudeva.
Mathura(inpresentdayMathuradistrict,UttarPradesh)wasthecapitaloftheYadavas,towhichKrishna's
parentsVasudevaandDevakibelonged.KingKamsa,Devaki'sbrother,[62]hadascendedthethroneby
imprisoninghisfather,KingUgrasena.Afraidofaprophecyfromadivinevoicefromtheheavensthat
predictedhisdeathatthehandsofDevaki'seighth"garbha",Kamsahadthecouplelockedinaprisoncell.
AfterKamsakilledthefirstsixchildren,Devakiapparentlyhadamiscarriageoftheseventh.However,in
reality,thewombwasactuallytransferredtoRohinisecretly.ThiswashowBalarama,Krishna'selder
brother,wasborn.OnceagainDevakibecamepregnant.Nowduetothemiscarriage,Kamsawasina
puzzleregarding'TheEighthOne',buthisministersadvisedthatthedivinevoicefromtheheavens
emphasised"theeightgarbha"andsothisistheone.ThatnightKrishnawasbornin
theAbhijitnakshatraandsimultaneouslyEkanamshawasbornasYogamayainGokulamtoNandaand
Yashoda.
SinceVasudevaknewKrishna'slifewasindanger,Krishnawassecretlytakenoutoftheprisoncelltobe
raisedbyhisfosterparents,Yasoda[63]andNanda,inGokula(inpresentdayMathuradistrict).Twoofhis
othersiblingsalsosurvived,Balarama(Devaki'sseventhchild,transferredtothewombofRohini,
Vasudeva'sfirstwife)andSubhadra(daughterofVasudevaandRohini,bornmuchlater
thanBalaramaandKrishna).[64]

Childhoodandyouth

[ edit ]

Nandawastheheadofacommunityofcowherders,andhesettledinVrindavana.ThestoriesofKrishna's
childhoodandyouthtellhowhebecameacowherder,[65]hismischievouspranksasMakhanChor(butter
thief),hisfoilingofattemptstotakehislife,andhisroleasaprotectorofthepeopleofVrindavana.
KrishnakilledthedemonessPutana,disguisedasawetnurse,andthetornadodemonTrinavartaboth
sentbyKamsaforKrishna'slife.HetamedtheserpentKliy,whopreviouslypoisonedthewaters
ofYamunariver,thusleadingtothedeathofthecowherds.InHinduart,Krishnaisoftendepicteddancing
onthemultihoodedKliy.
KrishnaliftedtheGovardhanahillandtaughtIndra,thekingofthedevas,alessontoprotectthenative
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna

8/9

1/29/2016

KrishnaWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

peopleofVrindavanafrompersecutionbyIndraandpreventthe
devastationofthepasturelandofGovardhan.Indrahadtoomuch
prideandwasangrywhenKrishnaadvisedthepeopleofVrindavana
totakecareoftheiranimalsandtheirenvironmentthatprovidethem
withalltheirnecessities,insteadofworshippingIndraannuallyby
spendingtheirresources.[66][67]Intheviewofsome,thespiritual
movementstartedbyKrishnahadsomethinginitwhichwentagainst
theorthodoxformsofworshipoftheVedicgodssuchasIndra.[68]In
BhagavatPurana,Krishnasaysthattheraincamefromthenearbyhill
Govardhana,andadvisedthatthepeopleworshipedthehillinsteadof
Indra.ThismadeIndrafurious,sohepunishedthembysendingouta
greatstorm.KrishnathenliftedGovardhanandhelditoverthepeople
likeanumbrella.
Thestoriesofhisplaywiththegopis(milkmaids)ofVrindavana,
especiallyRadha(daughterofVrishbhanu,oneoftheoriginal
residentsofVrindavan)becameknownastheRasalilaandwere
romanticisedinthepoetryofJayadeva,authoroftheGitaGovinda.

KrishnaholdingGovardhan
hillasdepictedinPaharipainting

Thesebecameimportantaspartofthedevelopmentofthe
KrishnabhaktitraditionsworshipingRadhaKrishna.[69]
KrishnaschildhoodreinforcestheHinduconceptoflila,playingforfunandenjoymentandnotforsportor
gain.HisinteractionwiththegopisattherasadanceorRasalilaisagreatexampleofthis.Krishnaplayed
hisfluteandthegopiscameimmediatelyfromwhatevertheyweredoing,tothebanksoftheYamuna
River,andjoinedhiminsinginganddancing.Eventhosewhocouldnotphysicallybetherejoinedhim
throughmeditation.[70]ThestoryofKrishnasbattlewithKliyalsosupportsthisideainthesenseofhim
dancingonKliysmanyhoods.Eventhoughheisdoingbattlewiththeserpent,heisinnorealdanger
andtreatsitlikeagame.Heisaprotector,butheonlyappearstobeayoungboyhavingfun.[71]Thisidea
ofhavingaplayfulgodisveryimportantinHinduism.TheplayfulnessofKrishnahasinspiredmany
celebrationsliketheRasalilaandtheJanmashtami:wheretheymakehumanpyramidstobreakopen
handis(claypots)hunghighintheairthatspillbuttermilkalloverthegroupafterbeingbrokenbythe
personatthetop.Thisismeanttobeafuncelebrationanditgivestheparticipantsasenseofunity.Many
believethatlilabeingconnectedwithKrishnagivesHindusadeeperconnectiontohimandthusadeeper
connectiontoVishnualsoseeingasKrishnaisanincarnationofVishnu.Theologists,likeKristinJohnston
Largen,believethatKrishnaschildhoodcaneveninspireotherreligionstolookforlilaindeitiessothat
theyhaveachancetoexperienceapartoftheirfaiththattheymaynothavepreviouslyseen.[72]

Theprince

[ edit ]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna

9/9

Potrebbero piacerti anche