Krishna in Legends and Arts

Sri Krishna is one of the major themes of Indian art and crafts. The legend of Krishna has actually given rise to individual genres of paintings, literature and performing arts. There are whole Schools of Indian dance forms, music, and paintings that are solely dedicated to Sri Krishna. This mythical figure has always enchanted creative minds and made his appearance in timeless pieces of arts and crafts. We present here the legend of Krishna and also some of the Krishna artifacts available at our store.

Sri Krishna is the Indian Deity symbolizing universal love. According to Hindu scriptures, Krishna is the eighth Avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu - the second of the Holy Hindu Trinity. The legends and stories of Krishna are spread across the whole milieu of Indian theology, philosophy and culture. He is known to have a pastoral childhood but he grew up to become one of the world's greatest warriors and teachers.

'Krishna' in Sanskrit literally means black or dark referring to Krishna's black or dark blue complexion. According to the Mahabharat, the great Indian epic, 'Krishna' means 'Absolute Truth'. This Lord of Love is known by another one hundred and eight names, some of them being 'Gopala', 'Govinda', 'Hari', 'Jagannath ' and 'Madhav'.

Mahabharat is the earliest text that tells the story of Krishna, the Lord incarnate. The sixth book of Mahabharat, known as Bhagavad Gita, contains Krishna's advice to Arjun in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. This has formed one of the most illuminating scriptures of the world. The Harivamsa, an appendix to this epic, contains the earliest detailed version of Krishna's childhood and youth. Bhagvad Purana and Vishnu Purana contain the most elaborate details of the life and teachings of Lord Krishna.

According to Hindu scriptures, Krishna was born in Mathura (presently in Uttar Pradesh, India). He was the eighth son born to Devaki and Vasudev, a noble of the court. Kansa, the malicious King of Mathura, was forewarned in a prophecy, of his imminent death at the hands of Devaki's eighth child. Inhibited by the prophecy, Kansa had put Devaki and Vasudev in prison. Krishna took birth within the bars of the prison cell. To protect their child from Kansa, Vasudev smuggled out Krishna and left him to be reared by His foster parents - Yashoda and Nanda, the head of a community of cow herders in Gokul. Krishna grew up among the idyllic beauty of Gokul, Vrindavan and Nandagram. The famous childhood chronicles of Krishna center around his feats against the evil powers, His innocent childhood pranks and His Dance of Love ('RasaLeela') with the Gopis (cowherd maidens). Krishna captivated the young Gopis with the enchanting music of his flute and engaged in the dance of love. The Gopis were a part of His own internal energies, and Radha, His beloved, was the object of His highest devotion.

After attaining maturity, Krishna went back to Mathura, overthrew the evil King Kansa and established the pious Ugrasena as the emperor of the kingdom. Later on, Krishna married Rukmini, daughter of King Bhishmaka of Vidarbha. He also had seven other wives including Satyabhama and Jambavati.

In the climactic battle of Kurukshetra (Mahabharat), Krishna was cousin to both the warring sides, the Pandavas and Kauravas. He asked the sides to choose between His army and Himself. The Kauravas picked the army and He sided with the Pandavas. He agreed to be the charioteer for Arjun in the great battle. The Bhagavad Gita (Song of the God) is the advice given to Arjun by Krishna before the start of the battle. This Song contains the essence of all knowledge having been spoken by the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself.

This war concluded with the destruction of the demonic kings and the reinstatement of the righteous Pandava princes. Having completed his mission, Krishna returned to and spent the rest of His earthly life in Dwarka.

The life and teachings of Sree Krishna (collectively known as Krishna Leela) has initiated Bhakti movements all across the world. Besides having a prominent religious connotation, the cult of Krishna has inspired various performing arts, literature and paintings. Krishna is often depicted as an overgrown, naughty child stealing butter, as a cowherd protecting cows, as a mischievous adolescent who charmed young women and a slayer of demons. He is also the supreme diplomat, and especially the preacher of the sacred verse, Bhagavad-Gita at a time of war. Classical Indian dance forms like Odissi, Manipuri, Kathak and Kathakali drew heavily on the Krishna mythology. The songs of Gita Govinda and those composed by the Bhakti poets had their sole emphasis on Krishna. Medieval Maharashtra gave birth to Hari-Katha that told Vaishnava tales through music, dance and narrative sequences and Krishna's story became a rich source of themes and images. This tradition then spread to Tamil Nadu and other southern states. Narayana Thirtha 's Krishna-Leela-Tharangini provided material for the musical plays of the Bhagavata-Mela by telling the tale of Krishna until his marriage to Rukmini. Thyagaraja wrote a similar piece called Nauka-Charitam. Various schools of painting (miniature, patachitra, et al.) have been inspired by the Krishna legend and innumerable movies have been made based on the archetypal theme of Sri Krishna, his life and teachings. Sri Krishna far exceeds the confines of being a religious icon of love, devotion and wisdom; He is also a muse and a cultural phenomena in the creative world of arts and literature.

Krishna adorning Radha: Miniature Painting

Radha Krishna: Wooden Dolls

Soap Stone Krishna Statue