Thread by @shrikanth_krish

Today is Krishna Janmashtami (Gokulashtami).

One of the great Indian festivals honoring the birth and memory of a great Indian personality -

Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa

Now it is not uncommon for countries to celebrate personalities by commemorating their birthdays.

We have Christmas for Jesus Christ
Mawlid for Muhammad
President’s day for George Washington
October 2nd for Mahatma Gandhi

But Vasudeva Krishna is not just a historical personality.

He is a lot more than that.

He represents the lifeblood of a civilization. He is not just one of the most popular Hindu deities. But also the prime influencer of so many aspects of Indian life

Krishna the author of Bhagavad Gita

Krishna the Yogeshwara

Krishna, the friend of Kuru princes, a participant in the BhArata War

The Youthful Krishna of Vraja who enraptures Gopis with his YogamAya

Bala krishna of Vraja whose Leelas are the basis of much of Indian religion

So we are not discussing a mere individual here and his biography, but the capacity of that individual to inspire a civilization as complex as India’s in so many different ways over the past 3000 years

Also Krishna is a remarkable deity in the Hindu tradition around whom has developed a Krishna-centered theology that regards him as the supreme being

This tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism has been arguably the single most successful Hindu sampradaya outside of the subcontinent

The 20th century variant of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as represented by ISKCON has managed to overcome the boundaries of ethnicity and geography by gaining converts among “Mlecchas”

Commenting on the Hare Krishna movement in the early 80s, the Indologist AL Basham remarked -

"For the first time since the days of the Roman Empire an Asian religion is being openly practiced by people of Western origin in the streets of Western cities.”

A true statement

And Krishna had this power of gaining converts among Mlecchas even some 2000 years ago

The Heliodorus column, erected by the Greek ambassador to the court of the Shunga king Bhagabadra in Vidisha around 113BCE, and dedicated to Vāsudeva, suggests that he was a Krishna devotee

The inscription reads -

“This Garuda-standard of Vāsudeva, the God of Gods was erected here by the devotee Heliodoros, the son of Dion, a man of Taxila, sent by the Great Yona King Antialkidas, as ambassador to King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra”

Other instances of Mleccha affinity to the Bhagavata religion is evident from the names of certain late Kushan Kings.

The last of the great Kushans was named Vasudeva - named after the father of Krishna

Even the Bactrian king Agathocles who reigned circa 180BCE issued coins with Vāsudeva on them

While this doesn’t mean that he too was a follower of the Bhagavata religion it indicates Krishna’s appeal at the frontier of the Indian cultural zone

source: booksfact.com

So what do we make of this universal appeal of Krishna, both in our times and in the distant past?

I am not sure what was the traditional orthodox Smartha position on Bhagavata religion back in those days, particularly with regard the popular appeal of Krishna that cut across the boundaries of ethnicity and geography

But it definitely marks out Vasudeva Krishna as a remarkable and exceptional figure in the Indian pantheon

So who was Krishna? Was he a historical figure? When do we first encounter him? What are the texts in the Hindu tradition that inform us about him?

How has his personality been transformed over the millennia to remain as relevant to us today as perhaps in the days of Heliodorus?

Before we examine Krishna’s many legacies and his immense contribution to Indian life, let’s understand Krishna from sources of history so to speak - through independent references to him outside of the core religious texts.

Ofcourse we know that Krishna features very prominently in Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, Gita Govinda, Azhwar poetry, Brahma vaivarta Purana among other texts.

But what about independent references to him from outside the Krishna tradition itself?

The earliest independent reference to Krishna is usually dated back to Chandogya Upanishad

तद्धैतद्घोर् आङ्गिरसः कृष्णाय
देवकीपुत्रायोक्त्वोवाचापिपास एव स बभूव
सोऽन्तवेलायामेतत्त्रयं प्रतिपद्येताक्षितमस्यच्युतमसि
प्राणसꣳशितमसीति तत्रैते द्वे ऋचौ भवतः

Here’s the paraphrased translation

“Ghora Âṅgirasa, having communicated this to Krishna, the son of Devăkî ....said 'Let a man, when his end approaches, take refuge in these three: "Thou art the imperishable""Thou art the unchangeable""Thou art the subtle Prâna”(Ganganath Jha)

Now Sankara and other Vedantins in their commentary on Chandogya never remark that this particular mention of Krishna. So we are not sure if it is the same Krishna we are aware of.

But nevertheless given the reference to Devaki as well, it seems likely

Among other late Vedic / pre-classical references we have -

Yaska’s Nirukta (the famous etymological dictionary that refers to Syamantaka jewel associated with Krishna)

Ashtadhyayi of Panini - which refers to Vāsudeva

(Contd..)

Baudhayana’s Dharma Sutras which refer to Vishnu with Krishna’s names - Keshava, Govinda, Damodara

Several references in ArthasAstra of Kautilya

(Contd..)

Mahanarayana Upanishad of Taittareya Aranyaka (Krishna Yajur Veda) also associates Narayana with Vāsudeva

Patanjali, the commentator on Panini, refers to Kamsavadha episode - a famous part of Krishna lore

All these references we have mentioned so far, are clearly pre-classical and date anywhere between 1000BCE and 0CE - though traditionalists would baulk at the attempts to date Upanishadic texts

But regardless of the quibbles one may have over the dates, it is pretty clear that Krishna is a personality with deep roots going all the way back to the Vedic period.

This is a personality that has fascinated the Indian mind for at least 2500 years if not more

The source for these references comes from the introduction to an anthology edited by the fine indologist Edwin Bryant - “Krishna - A Source book”

There are external references too to Krishna from this perod, most notably in the Selucid ambassador Megasthenes’s work Indika, that refers to an Indian community called “Sourasenoi” who worship “Herakles” - usually associated with Hari Krishna

Megasthenes was a contemporary of Chandragupta Maurya (4th cen BCE)

There is also mention by Quintus Curtius that when Alexander confronted Porus in the North West, Porus’s soldiers were carrying an image of Herakles

In terms of archeological references, we have already mentioned the Heliodorus pillar and the coins issued by Agathocles - both dating to 2nd century BCE

The Agathocles coins are remarkable as they feature Krishna with Shankha (the conch) and Sudarshana Chakra

So it is evident that the Vaishnavite imagery of Krishna was very well developed even in popular religion well before the Common Era

So having briefly surveyed the ancient pre-classical references to Krishna outside of the Krishna tradition itself, let’s now look at the source texts of the tradition

The foremost of these texts is no doubt the Mahabharata, an ItihAsa that is at-least in part historical

The Bharata war was a pivotal event in Indian history - a war that marked the end of one age (Dwapara Yuga) and heralded the dawn of a new age (Kali Yuga).

There is little doubt that the war was historical, and clearly Krishna was a key character in the whole saga

The dating of the war is a subject of much contention. Traditionalists give it a very early date of 3100 BCE - which is rejected by modern scholarship that tends to place it around 1000 BCE, in the middle Vedic period

But that still makes it an event of considerable antiquity

The Bhagavad Gita forms an important part of the Mahabharata, and almost without doubt had taken shape by 3rd-4th century BCE if not much earlier.

Now the Gita has a claim to be among the most important of all HIndu texts. As we have discussed elsewhere it is a part of Prasthana Trayi. Krishna’s association with the Gita makes him an incredibly important figure

The Gita can be viewed as a devotional Upanishad, as a polemical interlude in an exciting epic, or as a classic text of Yoga. It is each one of these things, and more.

While we have noted the universal appeal of Krishna, the Gita underscores the fact that Krishna remains, notwithstanding his popularity, the upholder of Dharma.

In fact he declares in the Gita that the system of four Varnas in accordance with the Gunas, was as desired by him

So while his appeal has transcended many conventional boundaries, his message at least in the Gita remains one that is rooted in Indian ideas of Dharma

The Gita is also one of the early texts in the Hindu tradition that can be legitimately be regarded as a Bhakti text


Having said that it is a text that enjoins individuals to engage in their Swadharma and Karma Yoga. So it is not a fatalistic text by any means

And let’s not forget Gita’s importance as a Yoga text

Krishna presents a more worldly interpretation of Yoga
Where Yoga is not just about stilling the mind (Chitta Vritti Nirodah) as stated by Patanjali, but can also be viewed as “Dexterity in action”
(Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam)

Though Krishna is incredibly important in the Mahabharata, and the author of the all-important Gita, there is not much biographical detail about Krishna in the ItihAsa, until we reach the Hari Vamsa - which is viewed as a later addition to the Epic

Hari Vamsa is among the three biographical sources of the early life of Krishna - something that the rest of Mahabharata doesn’t dwell on.

The other two sources are Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana

While some regard Hari Vamsa as being the oldest of the three, it is the Bhagavad Purana which is easily the most famous of the three texts, and is today viewed as the principal account of Krishna’s early life

But Bhagavad Purana is a much larger work of 18000 verses that discusses many of Vishnu’s primary avataras. It is only the tenth book of the Purana (with 4000 verses) that is dedicated to Krishna’s life.

Krishna’s legend, however, does not stop with these three works and the Gita.

He inspired the great Tamil poets of the South to write mellifluous poetry - that is still viewed as an essential part of Sri-Vaishnava canon to this day (the Nalayira Divya Prabandham)

While one tends to view Alwar poetry as broadly Vaishnavite, there is little doubt that many of the Alwars explicitly refer to episodes from Krishna’s life (Andal in particular).

These are poems from the 6th to 8th c AD, and clearly suggest a very deep and wide prevalence of Krishna bhakti in the Tamil country by then

Krishna Bhakti continued to evolve in different directions in the last 1000 years - with Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda and the Brahma Vaivarta Purana - bringing up a different aspect of Krishna

The Deity who leverages Yoga Maya to bless the maidens of Vraja and Radha in particular

So the source texts are not presenting a straitjacketed version of Krishna.

Here’s a personality that has constantly evolved

(Contd..)

The skilled politician in the Bharata epic, the supreme Yogi as well as the protector of Dharma in the Gita, the divine prankster child of Vraja, the ethereal youthful lover of the Gopis

A personality that has constantly reinvented and remained relevant to every single generation of Indians in the past 3000 years

But how does Krishna sit with the orthodox Vedic tradition? Is he unorthodox? Is his universality (particularly as positioned by 20th century Gaudiya Vaishnava traditions) at odds with the traditional Brahmana skepticism towards missionary attitudes.

Is the idea of viewing him as the supreme Creator of all things at odds with the principle of non-origination in the Brahma Sutras?

These tensions am sure have existed at different points in Indian history.

But they have been successfully reconciled.

Orthodox Smartha system has come to terms with Bhagavata religion of the Vaishnavas, and today both are integral to the Vedic / Dharmic ecosystem

As we discussed the Bhagavata tradition of worshipping Vasudeva really picked up in a big way in the centuries preceding the common era. There are many independent historical attestations to that.

This was also the period of the development of Pancharatra literature.

The Pancharatra literature discussed the concept of Vyuhas with Vasudeva-Krishna as the highest god, giving rise to Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha.

The impact of this literature was critical in the development of Vaishnavism

Pancharatra literature also emphasized religious practice in a very unequivocal manner - that influences temple worship to this day (particularly in Vaishnavite temples).

The tradition taught Panchakala - the five observances for each day -

Abhigamna (morning ablutions and prayers to the lord)
Upadana (collecting worship materials)
Ijya (worship with offerings)
Swadhyaya (self study)
Yoga

But there was a reaction against at least certain aspects of Pancharatra literature.

Sankara in his Brahma Sutra Bhashya refutes the Bhagavata doctrine and the theory of Vyuhas by citing that the “Self / individual soul” is uncreated as per the Brahma Sutras

So the Pancharatra doctrine of Vyuhas is incongruous with the doctrine of non creation of the soul as per Sankara. This is a very valid criticism of Pancharatra theism

For those who’d rather read Sankara than my paraphrased comments, here’s the link. (sutra 2.2.42/43)

archive.org/details/Brahma…

But later Vedantins, particularly yAmunacharya, Ramanuja, and Vedanta Desika played a key role in rehabilitating Pancharatra doctrine, making it mainstream, and consistent with the Brahma Sutras

So a reconciliation did happen. The key argument that perhaps enabled the reconciliation was Ramanuja’s theory of the whole universe being a part of the supreme bhagavan’s body.

I suspect this view of Sharira-Atma bhava (among Ramanuja’s principal contributions) enabled the legitimization of the Vyuha theory without necessarily contradicting the principle of the non origination of the soul. But others can chip in here, with their views.

The period from 9th to 13th centuries are in my view critical in the history of Vaishnavism. This period saw the reconciliation of Bhagavata doctrine (as represented by Pancharatra theology) with the Vedic tradition.

I am not saying no such reconciliation had happened in the past. But by 12th century any schism was put to rest

In the 12th century, the great Dvaita philosopher Madhwacharya also explicitly embraced Pancharatra in his commentary on the Mundaka Upanishad -

“dvapariyair janair viṣṇuḥ pancarātrais ca kevalam kalau tu nāma-mātreṇa pujyate bhagavan hariḥ”

Translation : “In Dwapara Yuga, Vishnu is worshipped as per the cannons of the Pancharatra. In Kali Yuga, he is worshipped by the chanting of his name”

Vaishnavism grew unceasingly throughout the period from 12th century till our times. Important Bhakti pioneers include Vallabhacharya, Nimbarka and finally Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (in late 15th / early 16th century) who founded Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya

While Chaitanya did not write a whole lot except for the short work - Sikshashtakam - an eight-verse prayer, his disciples - the Goswamins of Vrindavan - carried forward his message in several theological works - that emphasized Krishna as supreme God, and not merely as an avatAr

The chief theologians of the Gaudiya sampradaya were Rupa and Jiva Goswami.

The modern ISKCON movement is very much rooted in this Sampradaya, and may be regarded as a 20th century renaissance - with Srila Prabhupada spreading the faith in the West

But Krishna’s influence is not merely on popular religion. We have already discussed his enormous impact on Indians ideals and ways of thinking through the Gita.

But he has had an equally important impact on Indian literature

We have already discussed the source texts of the tradition, each of which are masterpieces of Sanskrit literature.

But Krishna’s life continued to inspire poets in the past millennia -

Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda (12th cen)
Vedanta Desika’s Yadavabhyudayam (13th cen)
and finally
the much celebrated Narayaneeyam by Melpathur Bhattathiri of Kerala (17th cen)

(Contd..)

Not to forget the work of Surdas in medieval North India in Braja Bhasha.

Krishna’s impact on Indian life can also be appreciated by reading Al Biruni, the traveler to India during the raids of Mahmud Ghazni.

Al Biruni writing in early 11th century is fascinated by Bharata war and the central importance of Vasudeva Krishna.

He speaks of Thanesar (Sthaneshwara) - a great Indian town where there existed a temple dedicated to Chakraswamin (presumably Vasudeva) which was ransacked and demolished by Mahmud

He also talks to the Brahmins around him who explain the pivotal nature of the Bharata war. At one point it is mentioned how Indians used to eat “cow’s meat” before the days of the Bharata war, but not since

At another point it is mentioned how Indians started burning bodies as opposed to exposing them to elements, under the instigation of Narayana (presumably vAsudeva)

So clearly there existed a historical memory of this great figure who changed so many things in Indian life

Krishna continues to exert a pan-Indian influence in a manner unlike any other Indian deity.

He is Kishan in the North Indian plain
Vithoba in Maharashtra
Shrinathji in Rajasthan
Guruvayurappan in Kerala
Kannan in Tamil Nadu
Jagannath in Odisha

He engulfs the country with his immense personality.

It is very much worth our while to meditate and reflect on Him at least once a year, if not more often