Krishna

Krishna has perhaps been made synonymous with the phrase 'karma kar phal ki ikcha maat kar' (which translates as just do what you want to do without worrying about the consequences). Krishna is believed to be the eighth avatar of Vishnu, who descended from heaven to earth much after the birth of King Rama, the earlier avatar of Vishnu.Krishna, myths say, is the king of Yadava’s, born the eight son of Devaki and Vasudeva. Devaki was the sister of the King Kansa, the King of Vrishni who had usurped the throne by imprisoning his father Ugrasena. At the time of Devaki’s marriage to Vasudeva, a prophecy was made that Devaki’s son would kill Kansa. Kansa, in a fit of anger imprisoned his sister and her husband and killed six of the first seven children, the seventh was a daughte, believed to be incarnation of Devi or Shakti who warned Kansa that he would meet his doom soon.At the time of Krishna’s birth, Vasudeva, is believed to have been aided by the Gods who helped him escape his prison briefly so that Krishna could be taken to safety. Vasudeva left the child with Yashoda and Nanda in Gokula.[caption id="attachment_66377" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Krishna with the flute and Radha. Image from Wikipedia commons."][/caption]Krishna was thus raised in a family of cowherds. Tales abound of Krishna’s feats as child; Kansa made several attempts to have him killed in his childhood, sent many giants but all failed. Stories of how he tamed the snake Kaliya, raised the Govaradhan mountain on his finger and thus teaching, Indra the king of the Devas a lesson, are popular tales told to all children in India.Krishna soon defeated his uncle Kansa and established his own kingdom, the mythical land of Dwarka. Dwarka supposedly perished under the sea with the death of Krishna. Dwaraka is supposed to be somewhere near the Rann of Kutch and archaeological evidence does seem to suggest that there is some sort of city near the Gulf of Khambhat.Krishna's childhood lover Radha is the most famous of his muses and Radha-Krishna idols are often found in most temples dedicated to Krishna even though he never married Radha. Sumitra was the first of his many wives. Krishna's reputation as a romancer is well known.Krishna played a pivotal role in Mahabharat. Even though his army was on the side the Kaurav’s, Krishna himself drove the chariot for Arjuna. Krishna’s famous treatise on Dharma and the importance of Karma was given during the Mahabharat, when he told Arjuna to fight the battle against the Kauravas even though they were his relatives because that was his Karma or deed. Krishna’s advice to Arjuna defined the Bhagvad Gita which is regarded by many Hindus the defining book of Hinduism.While the existence of Krishna may or may not be a myth, the philosophy espoused by Krishna is still influencing many. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness or the ISKCON is a group that is active in many countries, including India, USA, major European countries among others. The society founded in 1966 is part of the Hare Krishna movement and has been spreading the philosophy and ideas of Krishna for decades.Krishna and his philosophies continue to drive many people in India and World. In Mumbai his birth day celebrations are marked with the Dahi Handi festivals where teams of young men form human pyramids to reach a high-hanging pot of butter and break it.Krishna thus remains one of the few Gods who are still deeply etched in the popular Hindu imagination.