Krishna is one of the most popular gods in Hinduism, and he is even seen as the Supreme God by many Hindus today. He has definitely performed some impressive feats, such as killing demons, marrying 16,100 girls along with his 8 queens to save them from becoming outcasts, and even lifting a huge mountain with his finger. He’s also done some questionable things, like allowing the Mahabharata war to happen in the first place, as well as decapitate his cousin at a royal sacrifice because said cousin insulted him. He also tricked the warrior-sage Drona by lying about his son Aswatthama’s death (there was an elephant with the same name) to effectly phase him out of the Mahabharata war. Still, he is regarded as a good king, a good friend, and one of the most powerful avatars of Vishnu, the god of preservation of the universe. He ruled from the fortress of Dwaraka, on the Gujarat coast. Yet, is anything about him real?
Krishna, or Vaasudeva Krishna, as he was known, was a real king of the Vrishnis of Mathura. The name Krishna was used by the related Yadava tribe for their legendary hero. Vasudeva may have ruled both Vrishni and Anarta kingdoms in Western India. His brother was Samkarshana, who is identified with the god Balarama. Their father was Vasudeva Anakadundubhi, and they probably had some relation to the Kuru kingdom. After the decline of Vedic religion and the rise of regional beliefs, Vasudeva and his family were deified and connected with the Yadava characters to form the cult of Krishna. This legend is personified by a story about Krishna’s childhood. When Krishna was a child, he was raised in the town of Vrindavan to escape from his tyrannical uncle Kamsa, who wanted to kill him. The villagers started to dote on him as their community child, and started to forget to do daily prayers to the devas, particulary Indra, the king of heaven. Indra got angry and started a big thunderstorm while all the people were grazing their cows in the fields. Krishna, seeing this, lifted a hill with his pinky and all the villagers took shelter underneath it. After that, Indra was shamed and people started worshipping Krishna. Krishna then went to Mathura, his mother’s city, and deposed Kamsa.
In the Mahabharata, Krishna is portrayed as the cousin of the Pandavas through their mother, Kunti, who is the sister of Krishna’s father, making him crucial to the story. He fosters the Pandavas’ children during their exile, as well provide support to the Pandava army. He also regularly visited the Pandavas during their time in exile. Krishna also saves the Pandavas from becoming the slaves of their enemies, the Kauravas. Krishna is also the brother-in-law of Arjuna, who eloped with his sister Sumitra.
In the later 2nd century BCE, Vasudeva-Krishna was considered by many as Devadeva or the Supreme God. He was worshipped by the Indo-Greeks as well, where he is propitiated on the Heliodorus pillar made in 113 BCE. During the Gupta period, Vasudevism was combined with the cults of Narayana, Sri, and Lakshmi to form the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism. In Vaishnavism, while Krishna is regularly adored as a household deity (usually in his childhood form), he is merely an avatar, or mortal incarnation of the god Vishnu.
Today Krishna is one of the most recognizable gods of Hinduism. Many folktales are told about him, and he is worshipped in many temples such as Tirumala, Guruvayoor, and Dwarkadish. The ISKCON or Hare Krishna movement seeks to embrace Krishna as the supreme God (again…) and demotes the rest of the devas and deities to mere ‘demigods’. Krishna has also been depicted in many television shows and enjoys a special place in the hearts of many Hindus. The Janmashtami festival is held on the occasion of Krishna’s birthday, which is a national holiday.
So, was Krishna a real person? Yes, but he didn’t lift a mountain or marry 16,108 wives. However, stories like that ARE fun to hear, and as a result Krishna is one of the most beloved deities in India.
Anay Ganesh 