Krishna Mantra For Getting Lost Love Back? 126 Most Correct Answers

Sri Krishna Maha Mantra

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Krishna Bhakti Mantra

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Krishnashtakam-1

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Krishnashtakam-2

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Krishnashtakam -3

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Krishnashtakam -4

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How to chant Lord Krishna Mantras

Benefits of Krishna mantra chanting

Lord Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Mahavishnu. No incarnation that has descended to this earth is as popular as Krishnavatar. Lord Krishna’s surprising message to mankind is delivered in the form of the Bhagavad Gita, the immortal composition containing timeless messages to mankind. Krishna is considered the savior of mankind and the remover of all suffering. Here is a collection of Lord Krishna mantras with their meanings that can bring immense benefits to the singers. “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” Lord Ram. Praise be to Lord Vasudeva, the ultimate liberator of mankind. “Jai Shri Krsna Chaitanya Prabhu Nityan and Shri Advaita Gadadhar Srivasadi Gaur Bhakta Vrinda mardhanamDevaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagat Gurum “On the son of Vasudeva, you are the most powerful lord who destroyed the demons Kamsa and Chanura. You have brought ultimate joy to Mother Devaki and we praise you, Krishna, as the lord of the universe. We salute you, Lord Vasudeva. “Athasee pushpa sangasam Hara noopura Shobitham Rathna kankana keyuram Krishnam Vande Jagat Gurum.” The Lord adorns Himself with the flowers of Athasee. He shines with magnificent garlands and anklets. His right hand wears bracelets made of precious stones. We salute Lord Vasudeva.” Kutilalaka samyuktham Poorna chandra nibhananam Vilasath kundala dharam Krishnam Vande Jagat Gurum “The Lord has dark curly hair and a face resembling the full moon. His eardrops shine splendidly. Salutations be to Him.”Mandhara Gandha Samyuktham Charuhasam ChathurbhujamBarhi Pinjava Choodangam Krishnam Vande Jagat Gurum”The Lord has the fragrant fragrance of the mandara flowers. His smile and four arms are incomparable. His hair is adorned with peacock feathers. Salutations are to Lord Vasudeva. • The ideal time to chant Krishna Mantra is Brahma Muhurat between 4:00 and 6:00 am. • Take a bath early in the morning. Take a bath and sit in front of an image of Lord Krishna. • Chant the chosen mantra in multiples of 108, counting on a Tulsi mala. • Always rotate the rosary with the thumb on your three fingers (connect pinky, ring, and middle finger) while keeping the index finger curled. The movement of the rosary should be clockwise. • Eliminates all confusion and anxiety and increases singers’ confidence and courage • Helps to cure all types of diseases and promotes general well-being, a state of calm and prosperity in the home. • Dispels all forms of negativity and fills the household with positive vibes. • Improves the knowledge and skills of students, professionals and business people, leading to professional growth and success

Respect for one’s teacher is essential, and this is continually emphasized and demonstrated by God Himself. When Krishna studied under Sandeepani, He asked the sage what he wanted as a reward.

The sage who lost his young son wanted the boy to be brought back to life. Krishna granted his wish and brought the boy to life. But while the Lord fulfilled his teacher’s desires, it does not speak highly of the teacher who asked of the Lord something as mundane as his son’s life. Here was Lord Krishna who could give him moksha. And yet the sage did not ask for moksha but for his son’s life, thereby later proving Lord Krishna’s words to Arjuna. Krishna told Arjuna that those who seek only Him and nothing else are few.

When the Lord came as Rama and was in Mithila to marry Sita, Janaka’s Guru Rama narrated the deeds of Rama’s Guru Viswamitra. Listening to the narration, Rama was grieved that Viswamitra had so easily succumbed to the charms of women. Would a good teacher have behaved like this?

Perhaps the Lord was dissatisfied with His gurus in the Rama and Krishna avatars. He must want direction from a teacher worthy of being his teacher. Therefore, He must have asked the Vaishnavite Acharya Manavala Mamunigal to speak about Nampillai’s commentary on Nammazhvar’s Thiruvaimozhi, Kidambi Narayanan said.

Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam asked Mamunigal to give such a speech. Srirangam is famous for its many festivals and celebrations. All of this was stopped by the Lord for a year until Mamunigal finished his speech. Had the Lord ever listened so carefully as His story was being told? He had done this earlier, during the Rama Avatar, when He heard His sons Lava and Kusa singing the story of His life. But there had been a gap, for Rama was alone then, Sita had been sent away. But in Srirangam, Lord Ranganatha heard Mamunigal along with his consort. Therefore, his listening to Mamanuigal’s lecture was better than his listening to Lava and Kusa’s narration.

Get expert help to rediscover the feelings you once had for your partner. Click here to chat with someone online now.

Sometimes you love your partner more and sometimes less. That is normal.

However, if you feel like you’ve lost the loving feelings you had for her, it can be alarming.

How can you feel like before when you were crazy about them? Can lost feelings ever come back? With a little effort, you certainly can!

Here’s what you can do to make lost feelings come back, regardless of the reasons why they’re gone.

1. Don’t be too critical.

You might find that you are overly critical of your partner and overly aware of their flaws. This could lead to frustration over things that really aren’t that big of a deal.

For example, you might get angry at the way your partner talks. They might get frustrated because they’re breathing too loudly. Any little imperfection on them could start to annoy you like it’s unbearable. In reality, of course, it’s not that bad.

You could even start counting their mistakes and set up a fight with them about everything they did wrong. The thing is, your partner probably hasn’t changed, and they’ve always done those things that annoy you now. You just didn’t pay attention to them because you were in love.

Why are you overly critical now?

The reason could be a simple case of projection related to your childhood or previous relationships. You expect your partner to make the same mistakes people have made in your past. And you even provoke them to do them. Problems start to feel familiar and that little voice in your head tells you that you were right to expect the worst from your partner.

The truth is, things are probably not as bad as your sanity makes you think. Try to be objective and see your partner for who they are. Talking to a therapist might help you resolve any issues from your past that are causing you to criticize your partner.

Try to be more compassionate towards your partner and see their shortcomings as part of what makes them who they are.

2. Remember everything you love about them.

Even if you no longer love your partner, there are certainly things that you love about them. Maybe they always support you, you love their smile or they never judge you. Whatever it is, remember all the things you admire about your partner.

If you like it to be adventure, try new activities together. If you like their sense of humor, be playful when talking to them. Highlight her good qualities and fall in love with her all over again.

Use the things you like about them to plan activities that could spotlight those things. Instead of focusing on things you don’t like about your partner, put all your energy into noticing everything that’s great about them.

You might even find some things you haven’t paid attention to before. Don’t fail to see everything that makes your partner a great and lovely person.

3. Relive happy memories.

You used to take care of your partner, so what was different back then? Think about your relationship and remember all the happy memories you shared. Did you treat yourself differently?

Things can be as they were and nobody is stopping you from reliving your happy memories! Whether it’s a fun activity you shared earlier, a romantic date you had, or a delicious new meal you tried, you can now do it again.

By re-enacting these situations, you might remember why you cared about your partner the first time. Maybe you feel that way again! Going on dates and making memories is good for your relationship, even if it doesn’t make you fall in love with your partner again.

You should keep in mind that there is no love potion that could make you care about your partner right away like you used to. It won’t be that quick. Be patient enough to continually strive to bring those lost feelings back.

4. Show them respect and appreciation.

You may not be able to love your partner’s flaws right now, but you can certainly accept them. Just because the feelings are gone doesn’t mean that respect and appreciation are gone too.

Show them respect and appreciate the things they do for you. Compliment them and mention that you’ve noticed things they’ve done for you when they do it. For example, say “Thank you. I noticed you washed the dishes and I appreciate it.” shouldn’t feel awkward.

Don’t be disrespectful to your partner just because you don’t feel that way anymore. Make a conscious decision to show them respect and appreciation, and you will work towards loving them in the process.

Whatever you do, don’t treat your partner badly because you think love is gone. However they may have contributed to your decreasing feelings for them, don’t punish them for it. Treat her well even when you think your relationship is over. After all, it’s not over and they don’t deserve to be mistreated by someone they care about.

Don’t forget that they probably still love you even if you don’t love them. If you’re not careful, they may end the relationship before you when they sense how big the problem is.

5. Treat them with kindness.

Kindness isn’t love, but it’s a great feeling that sometimes leads to love. So treat your partner with kindness when you cannot treat them with love.

People feel more in love when they act more lovingly. When talking to your partner, try to be friendly when expressing yourself and your feelings. This also calms you down in big arguments.

Being loving and generous to your partner pays off. Not only does it make you feel good about yourself, but it also allows your partner to get closer to you. When you are kind, you are also more compassionate towards your significant other. Compassion can also increase feelings of attraction and interest.

When you’re in a relationship, nothing makes as much sense as treating your partner with kindness. It strengthens your bond. After all, a relationship without kindness isn’t worth staying in anyway. Make an effort to be kind to your partner and you might get those lost feelings to come back all by themselves. Don’t forget that kindness can easily turn into love!

6. Support their interests.

Even though you and your partner are in a relationship, you are still separate individuals with different interests. These interests might have caused you to initially fall in love with your partner. So don’t hold them back. Support her interests and encourage her to have a life outside of the relationship.

You should be allowed to have a private life in which you are not involved and you should show an interest in learning more about it. Your partner might even surprise you with some things you didn’t know about them. These things could cause you to fall for them again.

So encourage them to talk about their interests and pursue their passions. Show your support by giving them small gifts related to their interests that could motivate them to keep improving at what they are good at.

You might even find new common interests or pursue existing common interests together. People often connect because they are passionate about the same things. Find out what you and your partner are passionate about. Think of how you could turn this into a fun, regular activity that you could do together.

7. Start dating them again.

Start treating your partner like you did when you first started dating. Take her on real dates and do all the things you used to do when trying to seduce her. Compliment them, give them all your attention, show physical affection, and create a romantic atmosphere.

You can even set a day to be called “Date Night” from now on – every Friday night, for example. You don’t have to go out every time for your date. Be sure to visit all your favorite restaurants and do all the things you used to do when you first started dating. But remember, date night doesn’t have to be a big deal. It could be a night of eating pizza and watching movies in your pajamas.

As long as you enjoy each other’s company together, it counts as a date! However, don’t hesitate to come up with something more romantic. Surprise your partner by planning the best date ever. Make an effort to win her back and your feelings might come back! Sometimes you just have to “fake it ’til you make it,” and it will be hard to resist falling in love when you’re in a beautiful, romantic atmosphere.

8. Try new things.

How do you create sparks when you fall in love with someone for the first time? It’s often about the adventure of trying new things and being willing to do so. So a great way to fall in love again is by exploring new things you could do together.

Do things that make you feel alive and make sure you do them together. You could even make a list of all the things you’ve never tried but would like to do and ask your partner to do the same. Start crossing things off your list and sharing exciting new experiences together!

Also add things to the list that you may not have thought of before. Would you like to try bungee jumping, for example? Prepare a four-course meal? Ride in a limousine? Create your own cocktail? Share these experiences and the sparks should fly!

With all of your daily commitments, it can be difficult to find time for fun. However, take your time because your relationship depends on it.

9. Talk to them about real things.

Many couples have communication problems and it is a very important part of any relationship. The way you communicate could make or break your relationship. So take some time to think about communication in your relationship.

If you haven’t talked about personal things for a long time, this is the first thing you need to bring back that lost love. Make an effort to have long conversations about real, important things, and talk about them at length. Don’t just talk about what you’re going to do or make small talk. Talk about what’s on your mind, how you’re feeling, your hopes, fears, and dreams.

Show interest in what your partner is talking about and ask them questions to get to know each other better. Even if you have been together for a long time, you can still learn more from each other. You might even be surprised when your partner starts sharing their thoughts with you. It might make you fall in love with her all over again!

10. Make compromises.

If you’ve been in a relationship with your partner for a while, chances are you have some prepared responses to the suggestions they make. They often refuse to do things without thinking about it.

So work on it and learn to compromise. If your partner suggests something, don’t say “no” right away or stick with your suggestion. Think about it before you answer. See if you both could somehow get what you want. Your partner will appreciate that you at least thought about their proposal before turning it down.

Compromising could greatly improve your relationship. It could also open the doors to fun new experiences. So remember what you read before and be willing to try new things with your partner. If you become more open to their suggestions, your relationship will likely improve.

11. Don’t play mind games.

Don’t make snide comments, beat around the bush, and play mind games with your partner. This could ruin your relationship and your partner could stop loving you as well.

Don’t do anything just to get back at them or cause petty arguments. Be direct and leave the games if you’re just teasing each other.

Try to be honest with your partner instead of messing around with them. Don’t count their mistakes and don’t wait for them to make the wrong move. Don’t always try to prove them wrong or cause an argument about something that honest communication could solve.

Mind games make relationships toxic. And in an unhealthy relationship, there is little room for healthy love. Once your relationship becomes healthier, it will be easier for your love to come back naturally at their own pace.

Communicate honestly and openly with your partner about your wants and needs instead of making them read your mind. It’s only natural that if you expect them to read minds, you’ll be disappointed.

12. Show physical affection.

You and your partner will feel more connected if you don’t neglect intimacy in your relationship. Be loving and show your feelings for your partner by engaging in gentle touches. If you’ve been distant from them and too busy and stressed to express affection, it’s only natural that you lost love.

Maybe when you show physical affection, don’t slow down to enjoy it. It’s more of a routine. And it’s not just about sex. Physical affection can be shown by hugging, holding hands, kissing, and other gentle touches more often. If you stop doing these things, you will ruin your relationship.

Showing affection to your partner will surely help bring your feelings back for them. It will definitely make them feel loved more too. As you’ve already learned, sometimes you have to fake it until you get it. Share intimacy with your partner and you will become closer to him again.

13. Have a life outside of the relationship.

Just as you should support your partner’s interests, you should have your own interests and personal life outside of the relationship. Spending time away from your partner will make it easier to appreciate the time you can spend together.

Participate in activities that make you feel good and work on finding your own happiness. Once you are happier with your life, it will be easier to love again.

Also, your partner could join you in some of the activities you want to try. Having a hobby together brings you closer. Always wanted to try painting? You want to get fit and go to the gym? Is there something you would like to collect? Are there new skills you would like to learn?

Remember the person you were when you first fell in love with your partner. Think about the things you did back then to make yourself happy, but don’t stop there. While you should return to old hobbies that you still enjoy, don’t be afraid to broaden your horizons and learn something new.

14. Be honest with them.

In the past, you were probably honest with your partner. But now you keep many things to yourself and feel uncomfortable sharing them with your partner. This could ruin your relationship, and it’s certainly not a way to bring back lost love.

Think back to the time when you felt like you could tell your partner anything and try to feel that way again. Share things with them, whether it’s the details of your days or your plans for the future. Make an effort to be honest with them and include them in your life.

In a healthy relationship there should be no taboos. So try to tell your partner everything. An honest relationship is one that has the best chance of success. If instead you lie to your partner and keep them in the dark about what is going on with you, your relationship will be doomed.

Try to be honest with them and encourage them to be honest with you too. Don’t be mad at them if they are honest with you. Make them feel like they can tell you anything. Also try to understand where they are coming from every time they tell you something.

15. Trust each other.

The reason you don’t love your partner anymore could be because you don’t trust them. If you let your suspicions consume you, they will. So try to stop yourself from distrusting your partner. Even if they gave you a reason not to trust them, your relationship cannot function without trust.

So if you want to save your relationship, work on your trust issues. What made you stop trusting your partner? Is there anything they could do to make you trust them again? Don’t be afraid to tell them!

Find out how you can fix this yourself. It might be difficult without someone helping you. So consider talking to a therapist about it. Your trust issues may have roots in your past, and a therapist could help you get to the bottom of it. If these issues are preventing you from loving your partner the way you want, do not ignore them because they will not go away on their own.

16. Try couples counseling.

If you’re both willing to work through your issues and bring love back into your relationship, consider couples counseling. Couples counseling can encourage you to make the changes you need and help you find ways to do it. Talking to a counselor can also help you identify the things you need to work on to bring back lost feelings.

It can also help you improve your communication skills. This will make it a lot easier for both of you to take it from there.

For counseling to be successful, you must be honest with each other. If you’re not ready to do this, it’s best to talk to a therapist on your own before involving your partner. You need someone to vent to, and that someone shouldn’t criticize or judge you. That’s why it’s best to talk to a therapist. They will be objective and you don’t have to be afraid to tell them whatever you think.

Whether you want to try couples counseling or just want to discuss your own thoughts and feelings about the relationship with an impartial therapist, we recommend Relationship Hero’s online service. You can connect with someone experienced in helping individuals and couples in situations like yours. And you can do it from anywhere in the world via video, phone, or instant message.

Click here to find out more.

17. Determine if the feelings are genuine.

When lost love returns, how will you know it’s real love and not just a sign of loneliness or reassurance? Well, if you truly love each other, you will bring out the best in your partner, and they will bring out the best in you. You won’t imagine hurting them, and they wouldn’t want to hurt you either.

They will be ready and willing to grow together as a couple and as individuals. True love inspires you to grow and improve – it’s the opposite of reassurance. When you truly love each other, you have a basis of trust in your relationship. You will not be afraid to be yourself around your partner and he will feel free to be himself around you.

You will make each other feel special and you will have no doubts about staying in the relationship. Most importantly, no matter what and no matter how hard it gets, you want to make things work between the two of you.

You already want things to work out with your partner as you try to learn how to bring back the lost feelings. So things aren’t over yet, and you might actually still love your partner. You just have to bring that love to life and realize how much of it is available to you, waiting for you to share with your partner.

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Can the flame be rekindled? pixel

Christy was married to her husband for ten years. A minor disagreement ensued that made Mike, her husband, so angry that he stopped sleeping in the house. Christy became unhappy and asked for a breakup. She broke off contact with Mike when they broke up. After some time she realized that she still loved Mike despite the way he had treated her and she wanted to get back together with him so they could continue the marriage. But given what had happened in the past, she didn’t know how to do it.

Many people don’t know what to do to get back together with their ex after a breakup or divorce.

So how do you get back together with your ex? Here are some tips from a Christian perspective.

Pray to God to soften their hearts Pexels

Pray to God to soften your heart

In order to get back together with your ex, you need to pray. If the separation came about because one party hurt the other, or because of anger and bitterness involved in the separation or divorce, there is bound to be hatred in the heart of one spouse or another to deal with.

It’s hard to let go of hurt sometimes, especially when it’s about someone you’ve been so close to. If you don’t take serious steps to deal with the bitterness, you may never forgive that person and it will be difficult to get back together, even if you find out later that you still love them. Each time you remember what the person did to cause the breakup, it can hurt you so much that you decide never to get back together with them.

The best way to deal with the hurt and pain of the past is to ask someone who has forgiven you for the many mistakes you have done to him, God, to help you learn to forgive your ex and to let go

Without God’s intervention it may be impossible to forgive, but with God’s help you can forgive and take action to get back together with them.

The Bible says in Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is a jet of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it where he will.”

This means that God Almighty, for whom nothing is impossible, can turn the heart of every living person in the direction he wants.

Your chances of reconciliation will be much higher after you pray to God to change your heart so that you can forgive your ex-spouse and to soften your ex-spouse’s heart so that he will forgive you. God will answer your prayer because he hates divorce and wants couples to be together.

If you want to get back together with your ex, you need to seek God’s help.

Stay Positive Pexels

Have a positive attitude

If you want to get back together with your ex and know deep down in your heart that you still love them, you need to have a positive attitude.

For most spouses who want to get back together, the problem is always laziness, or the thoughts and feelings holding them back at the thought of possible rejection.

You also need to get rid of doubts and negative feelings about yourself and the potential of your relationship.

Questions like “Can I get her to accept me again?” and “Can the marriage work again after everything that’s happened between us?” should be ignored if they come to mind.

If you think you can achieve something, rather try and then keep trying until you’ve given your goal a decent try.

Conversely, if you think you can’t do something, you probably won’t try at all. Or you try so halfheartedly that you give up at the first sign of trouble.

So be positive that they will accept your offer of reconciliation.

No matter how many times you fail at something, there’s still a chance you’ll succeed if you persevere. It is primarily a matter of believing that if you try again, the relationship can work.

Remember

Remembering good things about your ex can also help you rekindle the romantic feelings you had for them as you remember how good they have been to you and how they have been a great help to you in the past .

Here are a few steps to follow to remind yourself how good your spouse has been to you:

Sit down or lie down in bed with a pen and pad of paper. Try to recall twenty great things your spouse bought for you in the past over a period of, say, two years. For example, remember gifts they gave you for your birthday or special gifts they gave you for an anniversary. Try to remember how much it cost you to buy these things. For example, if they bought you a dress and it cost five hundred dollars, write the article and the five hundred dollars next to it. Repeat for all twenty elements. Then determine the total cost. Then just think about the financial sacrifice, the sacrifice of time, and the risk they had to take to get you those items. Close your eyes and focus all your mental energy on the fact that they spent so much on you and sacrificed their comfort just because they loved you. It will help remind you that they really cared about you at a certain point in time. Then write down fifty good things they did for you while you were together. This will show you that your spouse isn’t as bad as you might think and help you refocus your thinking to see them in a good light, which is likely to affect how you feel about them. Try to think of a good quality they showed while you were in the relationship. For example, if they have been generous, focus on their generosity and reflect on it whenever negative thoughts about them come to mind; If they used to encourage you, think about it.

Reconnecting Pexels: Antonio DiCaterina

Reconnect

In order to get back together with your ex-spouse, you need to get your ex to remember you and think about you often, especially if you haven’t contacted him. The reconnection may make them think about renewing the relationship.

So text them or call them to say you still love them when you know they haven’t moved on to another relationship.

This shows your ex that you feel humbled enough to want to try again, and many people respond positively when the other person shows humility. It can make your ex think about your love for him and also the love he had for you. This could cause her to develop goodwill for you again and make her want a reconciliation.

admit your mistakes

When you meet to discuss reconciliation, refrain from pointing out your spouse’s contribution to the breakup and instead point out your contribution to the breakup.

For example, if your husband broke up with you because of issues with how demanding you were, don’t say, “Everything that happened is your fault. You know it’s your responsibility to take care of me. You were too stingy and I hope you will turn over a new leaf.”

Instead, you can say, “I’ve realized that maybe I was being unreasonable in my demands. I should have been more understanding and I will do my best to be tactful now as to how and when to make certain requests. I will learn to be content with what we have and I will be content with what you give me.”

When you say “I will,” you show that you want to take responsibility for solving part of the problem, and you want to offer a solution that benefits both of you, which you show by saying “we.”

If you use this strategy, your spouse will realize that you are not pushing and blaming him, and it will make him more willing to make concessions for you. It will also show your ex that you are serious about doing something else to make the relationship work and they will be more likely to want to get back together with you.

Conclusion

If you can get back together with your ex, do your best to give him no reason to break up with you again, make efforts to improve the relationship, and work to make the marriage an enviable one.

How to get back together with your ex husband or wife

This article is accurate and truthful to the best of the author’s knowledge. The content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for personal or professional advice on any business, financial, legal or technical matter.

© 2017 Isaac Yaw Asiedu Nunoofio

The myth of the seven-year itch is strong. Is there a point where no matter how lucky you’ve been in a relationship, things just get a little boring or the spark fades completely? Many of us are intrigued by this idea. Maybe you’ve experienced in previous relationships that love wanes after a certain point, or maybe you’re very much in love right now and want it to stay that way forever. Regardless of your situation, it can be perfectly normal to wonder why love fades over time — and how to stop it. The truth is that there is no foolproof way to keep love alive, but understanding how our brain plays a role can help you protect yourself and your relationship from the erosion of time.

dr Dan Lieberman and Michael Long are co-authors of The Molecule of More: How A Single Molecule in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity – and Will Certain the Fate of the Human Race, to be published August 2018 Experts point out a unique, powerful chemical that affects us all: dopamine. You have some real insight into why love changes over time. But first, in contemplating this shift, it’s important to understand the difference between companionship and passionate love.

“Bonding—known scientifically as ‘companionate love’—is chemically very different from romance,” says Dr. Lieberman versus Bustle. “Attachment comes from the satisfaction we feel in being with another person every day. Also called neurotransmitters, these brain chemicals are associated with the here and now. Commitment is less about ‘What’s next?’ and more about ‘Your company is enough for me right now.’” Think of older couples holding hands, happy nights on the sofa. It’s great , but it can be very different from the first spasms of passion.

“This is important because early or ‘passionate’ love, the gateway to commitment, is so different,” Long tells Bustle. “Instead of being fueled by ‘here and now’ (H&N) brain chemicals, which are active when your attention is on the present, passionate love is fueled by a single chemical, dopamine — and dopamine rewards us for pursuing things , which we don’t have, but that might be useful. Love and sex spread the species. These are infinitely useful, so dopamine gives us a rush when the opportunity arises. This high encourages aspiration—in this case, meeting new people, flirting, and dating. And the neurochemical buzz of pursuit, as we all know, is intense.” And while it’s a great buzz, it can be difficult to sustain in a relationship.

The Bonding Challenge

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One of the reasons love can fade over time is that it’s difficult to keep up that dopamine rush. “Dopamine sparks our interest in one another, but it only responds to things that are new or more possible than real,” says Dr. Lieberman. “Once you’re in a relationship, that dopamine arousal wears off and eventually stops. If you’re going to stick with yourself, you need to find a reason beyond the dopamine thrill of the new. It’s usually a decision to appreciate your partner in the here and now.”

The decision to remain committed to your partner even when the dopamine rush wears off is also fueled by chemicals, just a different combination. “People might be surprised to know that the chemicals responsible for attachment in humans do the same things in some animal species that mate for life, like prairie voles,” Long says. “The chemicals are oxytocin and vasopressin.”

But while chemicals encourage both passionate and companionable love, it’s clear that choosing to stay with the same person is a choice. “Early love is a ride on a carousel that sits at the foot of a bridge,” says Dr. Lieberman. “This carousel can take you on a fun journey as many times as you like, but it always leaves you right where you started. Every time the music stops and your feet are back on the ground, you have a choice to make: make another fuss or cross that bridge in another, more permanent way. In that realm, bonding, your love will not driven only by a dopamine rush, but by choosing to appreciate someone in the here and now, day in, day out.”

Passionate love passes, but companion love endures

When we say “love fading,” we’re actually specifically talking about passionate love. “It’s important to remember that only passionate love fades,” says Dr. Lieberman. “Companionship, the kind of love established couples feel, generally grows over time. But some people think that once the dopaminergic thrills of passionate love are over, the relationship is over. It doesn’t have to be.”

The relationship can go on – and even thrive – but it’s important to understand that being with the same person every day means that passionate love fades away. “This is why passionate love fades: the thrilling mystery of the unknown becomes the boring familiarity of the mundane,” says Long. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t rewards in that intimacy. “If you can accept that, if you’re willing to trade arousal for intimacy and expectation for gratification, then you’ll be able to fire up the oxytocin circuits in your brain and lay the groundwork for years of happiness.” And, of course, something Excitement.

How to reinsert the dopamine buzz into your relationship

Ashley Batz/Hustle

While settling into companionable love when passion wanes has its perks, that doesn’t mean dopamine is completely off the table. “Eventually, what most people do—and what most people want—is to cross that bridge into companionable love that requires us to make a choice: to appreciate someone in the here and now,” says Long. “But that doesn’t mean couples need to part with the dopamine thrills of romance, not at all. To keep that spark, create dopamine-fueled experiences that you can enjoy together.”

And since dopamine is triggered by something new, it’s important to keep the novelty alive in your relationship. The good news? It doesn’t always have to be daring stunts (although those certainly do the trick), it can be anything new. “Visit a new restaurant, especially one that serves a cuisine you’re unfamiliar with or that involves some experience or activity that’s new to you,” says Dr. Lieberman. “Skydiving, horseback riding, go-kart racing, a museum tour – anything you’ve never done before or done together. Whether it’s a vacation, a date night, or a bedroom, put yourself in a situation where you’re experiencing the dopamine rush not only from the surprises at the activity, but also from your partner’s surprising reactions.”

Understanding how our brain chemicals work can help us improve our relationship and even protect it over time. Eventually, your passionate love will fade, but it’s important to realize that companionable love has its own perks. And if you want to keep that passion and spark as alive as possible, keep chasing new experiences. Your brain – and your relationship – will thank you.

Gita offers various avenues for spiritual advancement and is filled with wisdom and positivity. It acts as a beacon to the world, writes Radhanath Swami

Love is one of the most spoken and least understood words in our everyday vocabulary. Love is commonly equated with sensual pleasure, but does such superficial tickle offer substantial satisfaction to the heart?

Krishna begins his message of love with the enlightenment of Arjuna: “We are all souls, spiritual beings (Gita 2.13), entitled to rejoice in everlasting love with the most lovable and loving Lord Krishna.” When our loving nature is defiled by egoism, we begin to love things more than people, especially the Supreme Person. This misguided love forges our misidentification with our temporary physical shells and drives us to exploit others for our egocentric desires.

In the Gita, Krishna provides a brief overview of the various paths of spiritual advancement – Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Dhyana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. At the same time, he drops hints throughout the Gita that there is a secret message; a mystery that only a heart filled with love can fathom (Gita 4.3). Therefore, at the end of almost every chapter, He emphasizes bhakti-yoga.

Towards the end of the Gita (18.64-66), however, Krishna reveals the love of his heart in a disarmingly sweet revelation: “Because you are my very dear friend, I speak to you my highest directive, the most intimate knowledge of all. Hear this from Me for it is for your benefit. Always remember Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer Me your obeisance. Thus you will come unfailingly to Me. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend. Give up all kinds of religion and just surrender to Me. I will free you from all sinful reactions. Do not be afraid.”

Love: Hidden yet Revealed

Before the clear finale, the message of love is both hidden and revealed. It is hidden because Krishna lovingly accommodates those who are not yet ready to love Him, showing them other avenues for their gradual spiritual growth. But for those who are open-minded and willing to give up envy and embrace the path of devotion made easy through association with His devotees, Krishna also reveals the superiority of the path of love. Ultimately, Krishna longs for our love because he knows that only in this way can we find complete and eternal happiness.

Krishna does not advocate sectarian religious belief but universal spiritual love. He not only teaches this love, but also demonstrates it. He happily accepts the menial role of charioteer to assist his devotee Arjuna in battle. The unique nature of the spiritual master-servant relationship is that just as the devotee serves Krishna, Krishna also serves the devotee.

His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in his commentary on the Gita, points out that this relationship is totally different from its exploitative worldly counterpart and is “the most intimate form of intimacy”. The culmination of this divine love is revealed in the Vrindavan plays where Krishna happily takes on a subordinate or intimate role to reciprocate love with his servants.

The doors of love are open

This world of love is not just limited to the pure devotees. Krishna assures the sincere seekers of pure love that through this world of misguided, short-lived love, He will lead them back home to the world of recovered, endless love: “To those who constantly strive to serve Me with love, give I the understanding through which they can come to Me. To show them special mercy, I, who dwell in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.” (10.10-11) Thus, the Gita is essentially a revelation of divinity’s love for humanity as well as a love call for humanity’s mutual love for divinity. Therefore, let us walk the path of love revealed by Krishna. let’s love and be loved.

Three Ways of Yoga

Three paths are explained in the Gita as yoga. The Sanskrit word “yoga” means connection with the Absolute, and it is in this context that the word yoga is used in the BG. The three paths given by Sri Krishna are Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. The first six chapters mainly discuss Karma Yoga, liberation through the performance of prescribed activities. A person engaged in Karma Yoga performs his or her prescribed duties. These duties are prescribed by the Varnashrama system created by Krishna through the Vedas. Depending on ability and inclination, a person can acquire a specific varna. He can become Brahman (teacher, guide), Kshatriya (steward, warrior), Vaishya (merchant, farmer) or Shudra (worker). According to his situation he lives in one of the four ashrams: Brahamacari (student), Grahastha (married), Vanaprastha (retired) and Sannyasa (detached).

The path of devotion is described as the most intimate path back to God. It is described as an “elevator” approach to Krishna, unlike all other “staircase” ways. Bhakti Yoga does not mean inactivity. In fact, a bhakta is most active because he now sees all his activities in relation to the Supreme. In the Jnana section, Krishna explains the five factors of existence: Isavara (God), Jivatma (Soul), Kala (Time), Karma (Actions), and Prakriti (Nature).

As Ralph Waldo Emerson says: “I have a great day to thank for the Bhagavad Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire were speaking to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an ancient intelligence that had thought in a different age and climate, and so settled the same questions that concern us.”

All of Lord Krishna’s speech in the Bhagavad Gita is encouraging, motivating and hopeful. It is evident when Arjuna is willing to give up his negative conception of struggle and shows his willingness to do the will of Krishna (Gita, 18.73). Thus, filled with love, positivity, inspiration and wisdom, Gita continues to act as a beacon for the world to this day.

The author is a spiritual ISKCOn guru

Make your marriage work, enliven the magic, be inspired by these quotes about marriage written in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic Mahabharata (chapters 23–40 of Bhishma Parva). Considered one of the most important scriptures of the Hindu religion, the Gita is a narrative of a dialogue between the Pandava prince Arjuna and Lord Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu who was also his guide and charioteer.

According to mythological scriptures, when the Dharma Yuddha (righteous war) took place between Pandavas and Kauravas, Arjuna was filled with a moral dilemma about violence and death. Soliciting Lord Krishna’s advice, the Bhagavad Gita is the detailed dialogue between the two, with all the answers and philosophies covering a wide range of spiritual issues, ethical dilemmas, and philosophical questions that are far more than the war that Arjuna is waging was faced. Taking just a small nuance from the dialogue are some quotes spoken by Lord Krishna in the Gita about the institution of marriage. So here are the 15 best quotes that are truly inspirational and if you open your heart to them, are truly inspirational and have the power to change the dynamic of your marriage.

Top Quotes from the Bhagavad Gita on Marriage

“When a man loves a woman and when a woman loves a man, but families are against their love and marriage, then it is called dharma.”

This quote shows the situation where a man and a woman love each other and want to get married, but their respective families are against it. This is when the couple is stuck in a do-or-die dilemma called dharma.

“When you fall in love, happiness should fill your heart, it doesn’t come unless you give yourself completely”

Here the quote means that in order to love freely with your whole being, you must let go of all constraints and vulnerabilities. You must expect the least, but do your best. You won’t experience true love until you let go of everything.

“Your partner doesn’t know how much you love them, they only know how much you care”

Love cannot be measured in quantities or written down. Love is a feeling that can only be felt by another through your actions. It has no boundaries and needs to be expressed with all the care you need and want to give your partner.

“Be the strength of your love, never leave her alone”

If you love someone, have a partner, don’t give up. If you feel like giving up, stand back for a moment and think. Work on the problem, be the support your partner needs and never leave their side.

Don’t Miss: Do You Know the Bhagavad Gita Well? Let’s test your knowledge in 10 questions

“Trust your love and the one you love”

When you’ve given yourself to love, don’t doubt its power. It is a purity that comes from within or inspires you. If you love someone, then trust the one you love.

“Never hide anything from your partner. Never hurt your partner just because of your own feelings.”

Even if you’re in a bad mood, don’t hurt or mistreat your partner’s feelings. Respect is paramount and you must not be selfish.

“When you are in love, love should be forever”

Here the quote means that your love cannot and must not be just for show. Love is about giving and should not be restricted or only related to the physical aspect. They are emotions and must be felt mentally. You have to feel it and make it last by being compassionate and caring from the heart.

“Marriage was the greatest achievement towards Sanyasa”

Marriage is a sacred bond between two people and a gift for lovers. They succeed together and become each other’s confidants. It’s a great achievement and a blessing that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

“You can use marriage as far as your consciousness to beget a child and make it grow like a devotee.”

Marriage is not only a bond between two lovers, but also a blessing to start a family and bring a life into this world. Do well to develop your child into a devotee, a nice person.

“Among the weapons I am the thunderbolt; among the cows I am the Surabhi. Among the causes of procreation I am Kandarpa, the god of love, and among the serpents I am Vasuki.”

In marriage, you vow to stand by your partner’s side until death do you part. You must keep the vow and make sure that your partner lives happily.

“Some sacrifice the auditory process and the senses in the fire of mental control, and others sacrifice the objects of the senses in the fire of the senses.”

Sometimes you tend to lose your temper and at that moment you can even lose control of your mind and senses. But in a relationship, one partner has to sacrifice that anger for the other person.

“Be it a stone, a woman, a man or an animal – one is mentally and spiritually married to that being or thing, no ritual agreement is required.”

Don’t miss: Hanuman Chalisa: Meaning for Translation and Meaning

Marriage is an institution made of mental agreement and acceptance that you are now forever connected to your partner in every way. It’s on a high spiritual level. Marriage is like an unconditional duty that you choose to fulfill.

Stay tuned to HerZindagi for more such inspirational and profound quotes from holy Shrimad Bhaga vad Gita

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What is Rajaswala (menstrual period) in women in Hinduism?

Namaste friends, how are you today? Bhagavan Sri Vishnu bless you and your family!

Let us know about Rajaswala menstrual period in women according to Hinduism step by step:

Story about Rishi Panchami vrata

During the Dvapara Yuga, the great Chakravarti Yudhisthira Bhagavan asked Sri Krishna to tell him about a Vrata who can do shuddhikarana (purification) of all paapas/sins.

So Bhagavan Sri Krishna Yudhisthira narrated about the Vrata performed by women and can rid them of all their paapas/sins, which is called “Rishi Panchami”.

Bhagavan Sri Krishna says this:

Women should not do household/family work during their Rajaswala/menstrual period.

These women are invariably required to rest every four days (rajaswala/menstrual period).

If a woman does all these works, that woman is sure to go to Naraka/Hell.

For this reason a woman should be kept away from everything during her Rajaswala / menstrual period, whether she is a Brahmin or a Kshatriya or a Vaishya or a Shudra.

All the people of the four Varnas must follow this rule.

So this is why when one does rishi panchami pooja/worship their sins are purified during rajaswala dosha.

What is this Rajaswala / menstrual period?

Once upon a time Sri Indra Deva had a terrible fight with an Asura named Vrutrasura and finally Sri Indra Deva killed that Asura.

Sri Indra Deva received the ‘Brahmahatya dosha’ since Vrutrasura, although an Asura, was a son of a Brahmin.

So if we kill a Brahmin, we get Brahmahatya dosha.

After killing this Vrutrasura, Sri Indra Deva received the dosha.

Then Sri Indra Deva went to Sri Chatur Mukha Brahma Deva and sought a remedy to remove this ‘Brahmahatya dosha’.

Then Sri Chatur Mukha Brahma Deva removed Sri Indra Deva’s “Brahmahatya dosha”

How Sri Chatur Mukha Brahma Deva removed this “Brahmahatya dosha” from Sri Indra Deva is as follows:

Sri Chatur Mukha Brahma Deva divided the Brahmahatya dosha into four parts.

That is,

1. First Part in Flame of Fire,

2. Second part in river water,

3rd in Mountain & Trees, and

4. In the “rajas” of women.

For this reason Rajaswala / menstrual period women should be far away from all Chatur Varna people.

On the first day of their rajaswala/menstrual period, women will be impure like a chandala stree/lady.

On the second day of their Rajaswala/menstruation, women will be impure like a Brahma Ghatini

On the third day of their rajaswala / menstrual period, women will be impure like a dobhi.

On the fourth day of Rajaswala / menstrual period, women become pure. But I still can’t do all the puja, pitru karya, cooking etc.

However, this woman can attend to her daily duties apart from Bhagavan’s seva (service), cooking.

It will not be completely clean until the fifth day.

Bhagavan Sri Krishna narrates another story which is as follows:

In Vidarba desha/land lived a Raja/king named Shenajita.

In this Desha/land there was a Brahmin named Sumitra and the wife of this Sumitra was named Jayasri.

This Mrs. Jayasri who also did the farm work.

Once upon a time this woman had Jayasri Rajaswala / menstruation.

But without caring Jayasri did all her normal work and also Jayasri touched everything and everyone without informing others that she was in rajaswala/menstrual period.

After a few days passed, Jayasri died.

Jayasri’s husband Sumitra also died after some time.

After a few days, both Sumitra and Jayasri were reborn in the same house as ox (Sumitra) and dog (Jayasri) respectively and they had the power of Jatismara (that is, who can remember their previous Janma/life).

Another story

Sumitra’s son was Sumati and his wife was named Chandravati. This Chandravati was a Sahadharmacharini (one who follows her husband very well according to the Dharma).

One day the Shraaddha day (annual Shraaddha) of Sumati’s father came and he (Sumati) told his wife Chandravati to cook for Bhojana/food for the Brahmana ladies (all Suhagans/Suvasini) and what she did.

Chandravati kept the payasam (kheer) vessel on the hearth itself.

A sarpam/snake venom was kept in this payasam (kheer).

While a dog (Jayasri) saw that the Payasam (Kheer) was poisoned, this dog thought that if the Brahmins eat this Payasam (Kheer), they might die and their (Jaysri’s) son would get “Brahmahatya Dosha”.

So that dog (Jaysri) came and touched the payasam (kheer) vessel.

When Chandravati saw that the dog (jayasri) had touched the vessel, he got angry and started hitting that dog (jayasri) and finally threw that payasam (kheer) and prepared separate food for the shraaddha karya (shraaddha rituals) to.

Sumati did the shraaddha with enthusiasm and all the Brahmins had good bhojana/food.

Chandramati dug a pit and kept all the leftovers in a pit after bhojana without giving anything to the dog (jayasri) or the ox (sumitra) on that particular day.

So this ox (Sumitra) narrated dog (Jayasri) that their son had done the Shraaddha but they were not given anything to eat.

Their conversation was heard by Sumati, her son (hound and ox), who went to some rishis/sages nearby and asked them to tell what is behind the conversation between the dog (jayasri) and the ox (sumitra). .

For this, all Rishi/sages told Sumati that his mother (Dog/Jayasri) once ignored her Rajaswala/menstrual period and did all household chores. Thus she (dog – Jayasri) was reborn as a dog.

His (Sumatis) father (Ox – Sumitra) had the Samparka dosha even after he knew his wife was in the Rajaswala/menstrual period, so he was born an Ox.

So Sumati finally asked the rishi/sages what the remedy was to rid his parents of this dosha/sin.

All the rishi/sages suggested that a vrata called “rishi panchami” puja/worship must be performed. In this pooja/worship all doshas/sins are purified when all sapta rishis pooja are performed in the right way.

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If you want to become a Hare Krishna, start reading the Bhagavad Gita and the Vedas to learn important history and teachings. Also, focus on making the four principles, which include mercy and kindness, a part of your life. Learn to recite the Maha Mantra that gives you peace and connects you with Lord Krishna and meditate. You can also practice Bhakti Yoga by chanting, studying the sacred texts or spending time with other devotees. Finally, create an altar at home or visit a nearby temple to pray with others. To learn how vegetarianism fits into your Hare Krishna life, read on!

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Friends, in this article we will discuss Om Cleem Krishnay Namah’s secret and when to chant it. Let’s talk about Om first. Om is such a monosyllabic mantra that precedes most mantras. It has been proven that by applying Om before each mantra, its power increases 100 times. Om acts like an amplifier that can increase the effects of any mantra up to 100 times. We wrote an article about Om is a language of the universe. You can read whose link is in the description if you want.

Cleem Beej Mantra

Cleem Beej Mantra is related to the Goddess Kali and is very powerful. Chanting this mantra develops a divine aura and attraction that helps attract divine energies as well as material pleasures. It is a mantra that offers tremendous attraction and hypnotic power.

Krishnaya Namah means to bow down to Lord Shri Krishna.

By chanting Krishnaya Namah, the powers of Lord Shri Krishna begin to invade you. Om Klim Krishnay Namah means Lord Krishna accepts my obeisances and grants me freedom from life’s obstacles.

What is Yantra Mantra Tantra?

Om kleem krishnaya namah benefits

“Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah” is a wonderful mantra capable of giving the chanter everything and has therefore been used by devotees for centuries. This mantra contains the power of the goddess Durga as well as Krishna and is therefore a divine mantra for everyone who wants to achieve success in life soon. Its first effect is on your mind. “Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah” is a powerful mantra that evokes inner spiritual energy that is continuously chanted and therefore beneficial for those seeking spiritual growth.

Share with us the benefits of Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah mantra.

Chanting this mantra imparts a mesmerizing aura. That is, this mantra helps to increase the attraction of the person.

It helps to open up the sources of income and make life prosperous.

This mantra will be of great help even if one desires spiritual growth.

This mantra helps to attract the blessings of Lord Krishna as well as Goddess Kali.

The mantra “Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah” also protects a person from negative energies, also protects from black magic.

His singing brings happiness in life.

The person is successful in relationships.

Chanting this mantra will help in successful career, successful social life, successful love life etc.

What are the side effects of Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah mantra?

There is no side effect of this mantra because divine powers do no one wrong. To make life successful, you can chant this mantra without fear.

How to recite Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah mantra?

This mantra contains cosmic energy, the power of Goddess Kali and the power of Lord Krishna and hence it is good to keep some points in mind when starting the practice of this mantra.

How to sing Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah

Start chanting auspicious Muhurta according to the Hindu calendar, especially Ashtami Tithi, Krishna Janmashtami is the best day to start practicing this mantra. There are other muhurtas that can be found in the panchang every month or you can even ask an astrologer.

Use woolen rugs or blankets to practice sitting.

For best results, chant this mantra at a set time.

Install an image of Lord Krishna and Goddess Kali,

Light a lamp, light a gugel and then start chanting this mantra “Om Kleem Krishnay Namah”.

Don’t sing like a parrot, surrender yourself completely to the divine powers and then sing, you will soon feel its wonderful effects.

For best results use after 10pm.

Krishna’s birthday is tomorrow and preparations have already started across India to celebrate his birthday. He is the 8th avatar of Vishnu who is believed to have lived a very simple and humane life. Where in some parts his birthday is celebrated with the function of Dahi-Handi while in others as a dramatic display of his “Ras-Leela”. Whatever the form, it is his own creation’s love for him. The temples in Mathura and Vrindavan hold great celebrations for this day and witness full bhaktas. No reasons are required but we summarize the reasons he is loved by EVERYONE.

1. Krishna as protector of women

We grew up with the story of how he rescued Draupadi from the traumatizing situation of Cheer Haran and didn’t let evil triumph over good. Well, he was always a gentleman. When a demon kidnapped 16,100 women and held them captive in his kingdom, Krishna fought the demon and saved these women. The women were petrified to return to their village as no one would have accepted them, so they asked Krishna to marry them all. And following his chivalrous art, Krishna did not refuse and married them all.

2. Krishna as a friend

With all due respect to all of our 33 million deities, Krishna is probably the only one we can consider our friend. You’ll see a lot of people pouring their hearts out to him like we do with our friends. In fact, our Vedic literature also says that Lord Krishna is our original friend from whom we don’t need to hide or mold the truth and also the only one who can guide us on the right path. Since this world is his creation and we are all his creatures, our friendship with him is soulful and blissful. “All of them – if they surrender to Me – I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My way in every way, O son of Prtha [Arjuna].”

3. Krishna as a gourmet

Undeniably, his stories show he was a foodie like us! In fact, there is not much difference between our mothers who hide cookies and chocolates and Yashoda Maiya who hides Makhan. Aren’t we all referring to his mischievous act of stealing to satiate his craving for Makhan?

4. Krishna as a teacher

Everyone knows his teachings in the holy book GITA. He led a very simple life with meaningful life lessons. On the battlefield, Krishna did not fight physically and gave practical and tactful ways to Arjuna. His teachings are not limited to just India or Hinduism, but to many around the world. One of his famous teachings is karma – do your “karma” not to get results or success, but to do good. This will ultimately benefit you.

5. Krishna as true lover

He loved only one woman all his life – RADHA. He married Rukmani and seven other main queens and also saved 16,100 wives. But his relationship with Radha is known for its soulful and divine existence. There are various stories as to why he didn’t marry Radha, but none are clear. However, many unmarried/married couples worship Radha-Krishna to receive her blessings for everlasting love. By the way, it is also said that they were children’s favorites. *Oh*

A friend, a philosopher, a guide, he is the reason for our existence and we are a part of him. Let us celebrate his birthday with the greatest joy and love.

Everything comes and goes in life:

Lord Krishna said:

“Arjuna, everything comes and goes in life. Happiness and unhappiness are temporary experiences that arise from sensory perception. Heat and cold, joy and pain will come and go. They never last forever. So do not cling to them.” (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2:14)

Everything will come and go in our lives and therefore we cannot commit to them. Good and bad things will come and go in our lives. We have no control over them. Things may not go as we expect.

Life isn’t exactly a bed of roses. It’s full of ups and downs. It’s a mix of roses and thorns. With the right approach, we can all deal with any adversity in life.

Always think with a calm mind:

Lord Krishna says to a worried Arjuna:

“Arjuna, undoubtedly the mind is very difficult to control. However, it can be controlled with constant practice and detachment.”

(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6:35)

Lord Krishna has given utmost importance to the mind and thoughts throughout the Bhagavad Gita. According to Lord Krishna, the first step is to gain clarity about any situation by developing a clear, calm, and collected mind.

One way is through introspection, another way is to distance yourself from the situation – not physically, but mentally – by looking at it as an outsider and having a bird’s eye view.

We can always look at anything that has happened to us at work or at home and imagine what would have happened if we had done certain things very differently than what happened.

That way, instead of whining about something that happened, we will be in control of what happened and will be in control of future events.

give up fruits of deeds:

Lord Krishna said:

“Arjuna, you only have the right to act (karma); At the same time, you have no right to the fruits of actions. One should not act, motivated by the fruits of action, nor be idle.” (2.47)

(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2:47)

From the beginning, Lord Krishna’s most repeated advice is “Nishkama Karma” to expect action without reward:

Most of our decisions are based on “I” and “Mine,” and we are affected by them because we care about their outcomes and consequences. “Ego” or “Aham Bhava” is the biggest stumbling block in our lives.

Whenever we engage in selfless thoughts and actions that contribute to the well-being of others, we will enter higher states of mind and we will be surprised to see even complete strangers helping us in our projects.

Life becomes sad, depressing, etc. because we cling to the outcome. If we free ourselves from the result and instead focus on the selfless actions, we will be very happy.

That’s why Jesus Christ also said, “Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing….”

Don’t worry about sin:

Lord Krishna said:

“Even if you are the worst sinner in the world; You can still cross the ocean of sin; By a bark of (jnana) wisdom. As the blazing fire burns wood to ashes, Arjuna, so does the fire of true knowledge (jnana), which will burn to ashes all “karmic debts.”

(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4:36, 37)

People cause bad karma because they don’t know the truth, just like a child putting his hand in the fire. Fire burns the child’s hand and then the child learns a lesson that fire burns… The child has not sinned. Ignorance of the nature of fire caused the child to make a mistake. The child learned from his mistake.

Likewise, we all learn from experience, through trial and error.

Sin, then, is not knowing the truth that we are in fact the Atman, the immortal soul in the body, and living with the false belief that we are the perishable material body.

This is why Hindu salvation is known as self-realization, which means realizing that one is in fact the immortal soul in the body – Atman, and rejecting the false belief that one is a perishable material body.

Treat friend and foe equally:

Lord Krishna said:

“Arjuna, a person is considered superior who is impartial to friends, foes, friends, relatives, and strangers, treating all with equal respect.”

(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6:09)

We meet both positive and negative people all the time in our lives. So it’s difficult not to be influenced by them.

This is why Lord Krishna asks us to treat everyone with respect and love.

Both Lord Buddha and Jesus Christ said that we have no right to hate, but to love.

Surrender everything to God:

Lord Krishna said:

“Abandon all dharma (duties) and simply surrender to me (the will of God). I will free you from all bondage of karma. Do not be afraid.”

(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18:66)

Surrendering to God does not mean running away from life. It just meant doing all your thoughts and actions in devotion to God, making God the “doer” and you and me mere servants of God.

As we surrender ourselves to God, God becomes the “doer” and we simply become God’s instruments.

Don’t let any situation stress you out:

Lord Krishna said:

“Arjuna, the one who is not disturbed by anyone, who is balanced in happiness and sorrow, fear and worry, is very dear to Me.” (12.15)

(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12:15)

We are in a rat race of endless, self-destructive, and pointless pursuit. Therefore, these words of Lord Krishna have great meaning today

We must rid our self of excessive worry. We shouldn’t take on more than we can handle and add enough “me time” to our daily lives to calm us down.

Please don’t live the life of your son and daughter. The only thing you can do is point them in the right direction and only give them advice when they ask for it.

They have no way of living their lives. Just like U & I, they have a lot of karmic debt and they have to deal with it in their own way.

Just like you and I, they will learn from the trial and error process.

Accept changes as they happen in our lives.

Lord Krishna said:

“Arjuna, when inertia and inaction prevail, ignorance, stress and delusion arise.

(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14:13)

Inactivity is the cause of most stress and depression. For this reason, Lord Krishna repeatedly tells us, “We have no right to stop work.”

So every time we feel ourselves slipping into lethargy or a state of inertia, we need to move ourselves, change direction, challenge ourselves anew.

I’m retired so I have nothing to do. That may sound good, but this will be the biggest fall of your life. This life of inertia will make you ill both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, many retirees do not know this fact.

You should always have something constructive to do. Sitting around doing nothing is no excuse at all.

Always act with conviction:

Lord Krishna said:

“Arjuna, anything done without faith, such as sacrifice, almsgiving, or penance, is useless. It has no value in this life or in the hereafter.” (17.28)

(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17:28)

Faith is the cornerstone of life. Without firm conviction, no one can succeed in life. People emerge victorious from extreme situations because they believe in what they are doing. Life is not possible without conviction.

“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Main deity in Hinduism

This article is about the Hindu deity. For other uses, see Krishna (disambiguation)

“Krsna” redirects here. For other uses, see Krishna (disambiguation)

Krishna ( ,[12] pronounced [ˈkr̩ʂɳɐ] (; Sanskrit: कृष्ण, IAST: Kṛṣṇa) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshiped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the supreme god in his own right.[13] He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness and love;[14] and is one of the most popular and revered among Indian deities.[15] Krishna’s birthday is celebrated each year by Hindus on Krishna Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar.

The anecdotes and narrations of Krishna’s life are commonly referred to as Krishna Leela. He is a central figure in the Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, and Bhagavad Gita, and is mentioned in many Hindu philosophical, theological, and mythological texts.[18] They portray him from different perspectives: as godchild, prankster, exemplary lover, divine hero and universal supreme being.[19] His iconography reflects these legends and shows him at different stages of his life, such as as an infant eating butter, as a young boy playing the flute, as a young boy with radha, or surrounded by female devotees; or a kind charioteer giving advice to Arjuna.[20]

The name and synonyms of Krishna have been preserved as far back as the 1st millennium BC literature and cults. traced back to BC.[21] In some sub-traditions, Krishna is worshiped as Svayam Bhagavan (the Supreme God) and is sometimes known as Krishnaism. These sub-traditions arose in the context of the medieval bhakti movement.[23] Krishna-related literature has inspired numerous performing arts such as Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, and Manipuri dance.[25] He is a pan-Hindu god but is particularly worshiped in some places such as Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, Dwarka and Junagadh in Gujarat; the Jagannatha aspect in Odisha, Mayapur in West Bengal;[28] in the form of Vithoba in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, Shrinathji in Nathdwara in Rajasthan,[29] Udupi Krishna in Karnataka, Parthasarathy in Tamil Nadu, Parthasarathy in Aranmula, Kerala and Guruvayoorappan in Guruvayoor in Kerala.[31] Since the 1960s, the worship of Krishna has also spread to the western world and Africa, largely due to the work of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).[32]

names and nicknames

The name “Krishna” comes from the Sanskrit word Kṛṣṇa, which is primarily an adjective meaning “black”, “dark”, “dark blue” or “the all-attractive”.[33] The waning moon is called Krishna Paksha, in reference to the adjective meaning “darkening.”[33] The name is also sometimes interpreted as “all-attractive”.[34]

As the name of Vishnu, Krishna is listed as the 57th name in the Vishnu Sahasranama. Because of his name, Krishna is often depicted in idols as black or blue skinned. Krishna is also known by various other names, epithets and titles reflecting his many associations and attributes. The most common names include Mohan “magician”; Govinda “Chief Shepherd”,[35] Keev “Joke” and Gopala “Protector of the ‘Go'” meaning “soul” or “the cows”.[36][37] Some names for Krishna have regional significance; Jagannatha, found in the Puri Hindu temple, is a popular incarnation in the state of Odisha and nearby regions of East India.[38][40]

Krishna can also be referred to as Vāsudeva-Krishna, Murlidhar or Chakradhar. The honorific “Sri” (also spelled “Shri”) is often used before the name of Krishna.

Names in different states of India

Krishna is commonly worshiped as:

Kanhaiyya/Bankey Bihari/Thakurji: Uttar Pradesh Jagannath: Odisha Vithoba: Maharashtra Shrinathji: Rajasthan Guruvayoorappan/Kannan: Kerala Dwarakadheesh/Ranchhod: Gujarat Parthasarathy/Kannan: Tamil Nadu

Historical and literary sources

The tradition of Krishna appears to be an amalgamation of several independent deities of ancient India, with Vāsudeva being the earliest attested. Vāsudeva was a hero-god of the Vrishni tribe, who belonged to the Vrishni heroes, whose worship began around the 5th-6th centuries AD. century B.C. in the writings of Pāṇini and from the 2nd century B.C. 41] It is believed that at some point the tribe of Vrishnis merged with the tribe of Yadavas, whose own hero-god was named Krishna.[41] Vāsudeva and Krishna merged into a single deity appearing in the Mahabharata and they began to be identified with Vishnu in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita.[41] Another tradition, the cult of Gopala-Krishna, the protector of cattle, was also incorporated into the Krishna tradition around the 4th century AD.[41]

Early Epigraphic Sources

Representation in coinage (2nd century BC)

Around 180 BC In 300 BC, the Indo-Greek king Agathocles issued some coins bearing images of deities which are now interpreted as related to Vaisnava images in India. The deities depicted on the coins appear to be Saṃkarṣaṇa-Balarama with attributes consisting of the Gada mace and plow, and Vāsudeva-Krishna with attributes of the Shankha (shell) and Sudarshana chakra wheel. According to the Bopearachchi, the headdress on the deity is actually a misrepresentation of a shaft with a crescent-shaped parasol on it (chattra).[45]

inscriptions

v. The inscription states that Heliodorus is a Bhagvatena, and a couplet in the inscription precisely paraphrases a Sanskrit verse from the Mahabharata. Heliodorus Pillar in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, erected around 120 BC. The inscription states that Heliodorus is a, and a couplet in the inscription paraphrases exactly one Sanskrit verse from the

The Heliodorus Pillar, a stone pillar with an inscription in Brahmi script, was discovered by colonial-era archaeologists in Besnagar (Vidisha, central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh). Based on the inscription’s internal evidence, it was inscribed between 125 and 100 BC. It is known today after Heliodorus – an Indo-Greek who served as the Greek king Antialcidas’ ambassador to a regional Indian king, Kasiputra Bhagabhadra. 45][48] The inscription on the Heliodorus Pillar is a private religious dedication by Heliodorus to “Vāsudeva”, an early deity and another name for Krishna in Indian tradition. It states that the pillar was constructed by “the Bhagavata Heliodorus” and that it is a “Garuda Pillar” (both are Vishnu Krishna related terms). In addition, the inscription contains a Krishna-related verse from Chapter 11.7 of the Mahabharata stating that the path to immortality and heaven is to lead a life correctly with three virtues: Self-Control (Damah), Generosity (Cagah or Tyaga) and vigilance (apraradah).[48][50][51] The Heliodorus Pillar was fully excavated by archaeologists in the 1960s. The effort revealed the brick foundations of a much larger ancient elliptical temple complex with a sanctum, mandapas and seven additional pillars. The Heliodorus Pillar and Temple inscriptions are among the earliest known evidence of Krishna Vasudeva devotion and Vaishnavism in ancient India.

Rama[kri]ṣa. 1st century AD [44] Balarama and Krishna with their attributes in Chilas. The Kharoshthi inscription nearby reads. 1st century AD

The Heliodorus inscription is not isolated evidence. The inscriptions of Hathibada Ghosundi, all located in the state of Rajasthan and dated to the 1st century BC according to modern methodology. 400 BC mention Saṃkarṣaṇa and Vāsudeva and also mention that the structure was built for their worship in conjunction with the supreme deity Narayana. These four inscriptions are among the oldest known Sanskrit inscriptions.[56]

A Mora stone slab found at the Mathura-Vrindavan archaeological site in Uttar Pradesh and now housed in the Mathura Museum bears a Brahmi inscription. It dates from the 1st century AD and mentions the five Vrishni heroes, also known as Saṃkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Samba.[57][58][59]

The inscription record for Vāsudeva begins in the 2nd century BC. B.C. with the coinage of Agathocles and the Heliodorus Pillar, but the name Krishna appears in epigraphy rather later. Two men are engraved at the Chilas II archaeological site, dating to the first half of the 1st century AD in north-western Pakistan, near the Afghan border, along with many Buddhist statues nearby. The taller of the two men held a plow and a club in both hands. The artwork also has an inscription in Kharosthi script, deciphered by scholars as Rama-Krsna and interpreted as an ancient depiction of the two brothers, Balarama and Krishna.

The first known depiction of the life of Krishna himself comes relatively late, with a relief found at Mathura dating to the 1st-2nd c. century AD.[62] This fragment appears to show Vasudeva, Krishna’s father, carrying baby Krishna in a basket across the Yamuna.[62] The relief shows at one end a seven-hooded naga crossing a river in which a Makara crocodile is thrashing about, and at the other end a person who appears to be holding a basket over his head.[62]

Literary Sources

Mahabharata

The earliest text containing detailed descriptions of Krishna as a personality is the epic Mahabharata, which presents Krishna as an incarnation of Vishnu.[63] Krishna plays a central role in many of the main stories of the epic. The eighteen chapters of the sixth book (Bhishma Parva) of the epic constituting the Bhagavad Gita contain Krishna’s advice to Arjuna on the battlefield. The Harivamsa, a later appendix to the Mahabharata, contains a detailed version of Krishna’s childhood and youth.[64]

other sources

Krishna is celebrated in the Vaishnava tradition at different stages of his life.

The Chandogya Upanishad, estimated to have been written sometime between the 8th and 6th centuries B.C. 1000 BC was another source of speculation about Krishna in ancient India. Verse (III.xvii.6) mentions Krishna in Krishnaya Devakiputraya as a disciple of sage Ghor’ of the Angirasa family. Ghora is identified by some scholars with Neminatha, the twenty-second Tirthankara in Jainism. This phrase meaning “Krishna son of Devaki” has been mentioned by scholars like Max Müller[66] as a potential source for fables and Vedic narrations about Krishna in the Mahabharata and other ancient literature – only possible because of this verse could be in the text inserted,[66] or the Krishna Devakiputra could be different from the deity Krishna.[67] These doubts are supported by the fact that the much more recent Sandilya Bhakti Sutras, a treatise on Krishna,[68] later-age compilations such as the Narayana Upanishad, but never quote this verse of the Chandogya Upanishad. Other scholars disagree that the Krishna mentioned along with Devaki in the ancient Upanishad has nothing to do with the later Hindu god of the Bhagavad Gita. For example, Archer says that the correspondence of the two names appearing together in the same Upanishad verse cannot be easily dismissed.[69]

Yāskas Nirukta, an etymological dictionary written around the 6th century B.C. 70 BC contains a reference to the Shyamantaka jewel held by Akrura, a motif from the well-known Puranic story about Krishna.[70] Shatapatha Brahmana and Aitareya-Aranyaka associate Krishna with his Vrishni origins.[71]

In Ashṭādhyāyī, written by the ancient grammarian Pāṇini (probably belonging to the 5th or 6th century BC), Vāsudeva and Arjuna are mentioned as recipients of worship together in the same sutra.[72][73][74]

Megasthenes, a Greek ethnographer and late 4th century B.C. Ambassador of Seleucus I to the court of Chandragupta Maurya, made reference to Heracles in his famous work Indica. This text is now lost to history, but was cited in secondary literature by later Greeks such as Arrian, Diodorus and Strabo. According to these texts, Megasthenes mentioned that the Sourasenoi tribe in India, who worshiped Heracles, had two large cities called Methora and Kleisobora and a navigable river called Jobares. According to Edwin Bryant, a professor of Indian religions known for his publications on Krishna, “there is little doubt that the Sourasenoi refer to the Shurasenas, a branch of the Yadu dynasty to which Krishna belonged”. The word Herakles, says Bryant, is probably a Greek phonetic equivalent of Hari-Krishna, as is Methora from Mathura, Kleisobora from Krishnapura, and the Jobares from Jamuna. Later, when Alexander the Great launched his campaign in the north-west Indian subcontinent, his associates recalled that Porus’ soldiers carried an image of Heracles.

The Buddhist Pali Canon and Ghata-Jâtaka (No. 454) polemically mention the followers of Vâsudeva and Baladeva. These texts have many peculiarities and can be a garbled and confused version of the Krishna legends. Also the texts of Jainism mention these stories, also with many peculiarities and different versions, in their legends about tirthankaras. This incorporation of Krishna-related legends into ancient Buddhist and Jaina literature suggests that Krishna theology existed and was important in the religious landscape observed by non-Hindu traditions of ancient India.[78]

The ancient Sanskrit grammarian Patanjali makes several references to Krishna and his associates in his Mahabhashya that are found in later Indian texts. In his commentary on Pāṇinis verse 3.1.26 he also uses the word Kamsavadha or the “killing of Kamsa”, an important part of the legends surrounding Krishna.[79]

Puranas

Many Puranas compiled mainly during the Gupta period (4th-5th centuries AD) [80] tell the story of Krishna’s life or some highlights of it. Two Puranas, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana, contain the most detailed narrative of Krishna’s story,[81] but the life stories of Krishna in these and other texts vary and contain significant contradictions.[83] The Bhagavata Purana consists of twelve books divided into 332 chapters, totaling between 16,000 and 18,000 verses, depending on the version. The tenth book of the text, which contains about 4,000 verses (~25%) and is dedicated to legends about Krishna, was the most popular and most studied part of this text.

iconography

Krishna is represented in a variety of ways in the Indian traditions, but with some commonalities. His iconography typically shows him with black, dark, or blue skin, like Vishnu.[89] However, ancient and medieval reliefs and stone-based art depict it in the natural color of the material from which it is formed, both in India and Southeast Asia. In some texts, his skin is poetically described as the color of Jambul (Jamun, a purple-colored fruit).[92]

Krishna is often depicted wearing a garland or crown of peacock feathers and playing the bansuri (Indian flute).[93][94] In this form he is usually shown standing in the tribhanga posture with one leg bent in front of the other. Sometimes he is accompanied by cows or a calf, symbolizing the divine shepherd Govinda. Alternatively, he is shown as a romantic little boy with the gopis (milkmaids), often making music or playing pranks.[95]

In other icons he is part of battlefield scenes of the epic Mahabharata. He is shown as a charioteer, particularly when addressing the Pandava prince Arjuna, symbolically reflecting the events that led up to the Bhagavad Gita – a scripture of Hinduism. In these popular depictions, Krishna appears in front as the charioteer, either as an adviser listening to Arjuna or as the driver of the chariot while Arjuna aims his arrows at the Kurukshetra battlefield.

Alternative icons of Krishna depict him as a baby (Bala Krishna, the child Krishna), as a toddler crawling on his hands and knees, as a dancing child, or as an innocent-looking child playfully stealing or consuming butter (Makkan Chor),[99 ] He holds Laddu in his hand (Laddu Gopal)[100][101] or as a cosmic child sucking his toe while floating on a banyan leaf during pralaya (the cosmic dissolution) observed by the sage Markandeya.[ 102] Regional differences in the iconography of Krishna can be seen in his various forms such as Jaganatha in Odisha, Vithoba in Maharashtra, Shrinathji in Rajasthan[104] and Guruvayoorappan in Kerala.[105]

Guidelines for making Krishna icons in design and architecture are given in medieval Sanskrit texts on Hindu temple arts such as Vaikhanasa-Agama, Vishnu-Dharmottara, Brihat-Samhita, and Agni Purana.[106] Similarly, Tamil texts from the early Middle Ages also provide guidelines for the sculpting of Krishna and Rukmini. Several statues made according to these guidelines are in the collections of the Government Museum, Chennai.[107]

Krishna iconography forms an important element in the figural sculpture of the 17th-19th century terracotta temples of Bengal. In many temples, the stories of Krishna are depicted on a long line of narrow panels along the base of the facade. In other temples, the important episodes of Krishnalila are depicted on large brick plaques above the entrance arches or on the walls surrounding the entrance.[108]

life and legends

This summary is a mythological account based on literary details from the Mahābhārata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana. Scenes from the tale are set in ancient India, primarily in what are now the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat. The legends about Krishna’s life are called Krishna charitas (IAST: Kṛṣṇacaritas).

birth

Baby Krishna on a swing, shown with his foster parents Nanda and Yashoda

In the Krishna Charitas, Krishna is born to Devaki and her husband Vasudeva of the Yadava clan in Mathura.[110] Devaki’s brother is a tyrant named Kamsa. At Devaki’s wedding, according to Puranic legends, Kamsa is told by diviners that a child of Devaki would kill him. Sometimes it is depicted as an Akashwani heralding Kamsa’s death. Kamsa arranges to kill all of Devaki’s children. When Krishna is born, Vasudeva secretly carries the Krishna child across the Yamuna and exchanges it. When Kamsa tries to kill the newborn, the replaced baby appears as the Hindu goddess Yogmaya warning him that his death has arrived in his kingdom and then disappears according to the legends in the Puranas. Krishna grew up with Nanda and his wife Yashoda near today’s Mathura.[111][112][113] According to these legends, two of Krishna’s siblings also survive, viz. Balarama and Subhadra.[114] The day of Krishna’s birth is celebrated as Krishna Janmashtami.

childhood and adolescence

The legends of Krishna’s childhood and youth describe him as a cowherd, a mischievous boy whose pranks earned him the nickname Makhan Chor (butter thief), and a protector who steals the hearts of the people of Gokul and Vrindavana. For example, the texts state that Krishna raises the Govardhana hill to protect the residents of Vrndavana from devastating rains and floods.[115]

Other legends describe him as a magician and playful lover of the gopis (milkmaids) of Vrindavana, especially Radha. These metaphor-filled love stories are known as rasa lila and were romanticized in the poems of Jayadeva, the author of the Gita Govinda. They are also central to the development of the Krishna bhakti traditions that worship Radha Krishna.[116]

Rasalila by M. V. Dhurandhar, early 20th century

Krishna’s childhood exemplifies the Hindu concept of lila, playing for fun and pleasure rather than sport or gain. His interaction with the gopis in the rasa dance or rasa lila is an example. Krishna plays his flute and the gopis, no matter what they have just done, immediately come to the banks of the Yamuna River and sing and dance with him. Even those who could not physically attend joined him through meditation. He is the spiritual essence and eternal love in existence, the gopis metaphorically representing Prakṛti matter and the impermanent body.[117]: 256

This purple is a constant theme in the legends of Krishna’s infancy and youth. Even when fighting with a snake to protect others, in Hindu texts he is described as playing a game.[117]:255 This quality of playfulness in Krishna is celebrated during festivals such as Rasa-Lila and Janmashtami, where Hindus in some regions like Maharashtra playfully emulate his legends, for example by building human gymnastic pyramids to break up handis (clay pots) hanging high in the air to “steal” butter or buttermilk and use them over the whole group to spill. 253-261

adulthood

Krishna legends then describe his return to Mathura. He overthrows and kills the tyrant king, his uncle Kamsa/Kansa after suppressing several of Kamsa’s assassination attempts. He reinstates Kamsa’s father Ugrasena as king of the Yadavas and becomes a leading prince at court. In one version of the Krishna story as narrated by Shanta Rao, after Kamsa’s death, Krishna leads the Yadavas to the newly built city of Dwaraka. After that, Pandavas arise. Krishna befriends Arjuna and the other Pandava princes of the Kuru kingdom. Krishna plays a key role in the Mahabharata.[120]

The Bhagavata Purana describes eight wives of Krishna who appear successively as (Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti (also called Satya), Bhadra and Lakshmana (also called Madra).[121] According to Dennis Hudson, this is a metaphor , in which each of the eight wives denotes a different aspect of him.[122] According to George Williams, Vaishnava texts mention all gopis as wives of Krishna, but this is spiritual symbolism of a devotional relationship and Krishna’s total loving devotion to each and every one of them dedicated.[123]

In Krishna-related Hindu traditions, he is most commonly seen with Radha. All his wives and his mistress Radha are considered in the Hindu tradition to be avatars of the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu.[124] Gopis are considered manifestations of Lakshmi or Radha.[125]

Kurukshetra War and Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad Gita. The background shows Krishna’s Bhagavad Gita. In the foreground an iconographic symbol of Krishna with Arjuna during the Kurukshetra War – the context for the. The background shows Krishna’s Vishvarupa (cosmic form) described in

According to the epic poem Mahabharata, Krishna becomes Arjuna’s charioteer for the Kurukshetra war, but on condition that he personally does not raise a weapon. When Arjuna arrives on the battlefield and sees that the enemies are his family, grandfather and cousins ​​and loved ones, he is moved and says his heart will not allow him to fight and kill others. He would rather renounce the kingdom and lay down his Gandiva (Arjuna’s bow). Krishna then advises him on the nature of life, ethics and morals when faced with a war between good and evil, the impermanence of matter, the permanence of soul and good, duties and responsibilities, the nature of true peace and bliss and the different types of yoga to achieve this state of bliss and inner liberation. This conversation between Krishna and Arjuna is presented as a discourse called the Bhagavad Gita.[126][127][128]

death and ascension

The Indian texts say that the legendary Kurukshetra war resulted in the death of all hundred of Gandhari’s sons. After Duryodhana’s death, Krishna visits Gandhari to express his condolences to him when Gandhari and Dhritarashtra visited Kurukshetra as stated in Stree Parva. Gandhari felt that Krishna intentionally did not end the war and in a fit of anger and sadness said, ‘You were indifferent to the Kurus and the Pandavas while they were killing each other. Therefore, O Govinda, you shall be the murderer of your own kin!” According to the Mahabharata, at a festival, a fight breaks out between the Yadavas, who kill each other. A hunter named Jara, mistaking the sleeping Krishna for a deer, shoots an arrow at Krishnas Foot which fatally injures him Krishna forgives Jara and dies.[129][7][130] The pilgrimage site (tirtha) of Bhalka in Gujarat marks the place where Krishna is believed to have died It is also known as Dehotsarga says Diana L. Eck, a term literally meaning the place where Krishna “gave up his body.”[7] The Bhagavata Purana in Book 11, Chapter 31 states that after his death, Krishna, due to his yogic concentration, went straight to his transcendent Waiting gods like Brahma and Indra were unable to follow the path that Krishna took to leave his human incarnation and return to his abode.

versions and interpretations

Krishna iconography appears in many versions throughout India. For example (from left to right): Srinath, Jagannath, Vithoba.

There are numerous versions of Krishna’s life story, three of which are the most studied: the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana. They share the basic plot but differ significantly in their specifics, details, and styles.[134] The most original composition, Harivamsa, is told in a realistic style that describes Krishna’s life as a poor shepherd but weaves it into poetic and allusive fantasy. It ends triumphantly, not with Krishna’s death. The fifth book of the Vishnu Purana deviates from Harivamsa realism in some details and embeds Krishna in mystical terms and eulogies. The manuscripts of Vishnu Purana exist in many versions.

The tenth and eleventh books of the Bhagavata Purana are widely regarded as a poetic masterpiece, full of fantasy and metaphor, unrelated to the realism of pastoral life found in the Harivamsa. Krishna’s life is presented as a cosmic play (Purple) in which his youth is portrayed as a princely life with his foster father Nanda as king. Krishna’s life is closer to that of a human in Harivamsa, but it is a symbolic universe in the Bhagavata Purana where Krishna is always within the universe and beyond as well as the universe itself. The Bhagavata Purana manuscripts also exist in many versions in numerous Indian languages.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is considered the incarnation of Krishna in Gaudiya Vaishnavism and by the ISKCON community.[141][142][143]

Suggested Dating

The date of Krishna’s birth is celebrated as Janmashtami every year. [page required]

According to Guy Beck, “Most scholars of Hinduism and Indian history accept the historicity of Krishna – that he was a real male person, whether human or divine, who lived at least 1000 BC. Dwelling on Indian soil and interacting with many other historical figures throughout the cycles of epic and puranic history.” Beck also notes, however, that there are “an enormous number of contradictions and discrepancies regarding the chronology of Krishna’s life, such as they represented in the Sanskrit canon”.[145]

According to mythologies in the Jain tradition, Krishna was a cousin of Neminatha. In the Jain tradition, Neminatha is believed to have existed 84,000 years before the 9th century BC. Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankara, was born.

philosophy and theology

12th-century art showing Krishna playing the flute with assembled beings at the Hoysaleswara Temple in Karnataka

A wide range of theological and philosophical ideas are presented through Krishna in Hindu texts. According to Friedhelm Hardy, the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita can be regarded as the first Krishnaïtic theological system.

Ramanuja, a Hindu theologian and philosopher whose works were influential on the bhakti movement,[148] presented it in terms of qualified monism or nondualism (namely the Visishtadvaita school). Madhvacharya, a philosopher whose works led to the founding of the Haridasa tradition of Vaishnavism,[150] presented Krishna within the framework of dualism (dvaita). Bhedabheda – a group of schools that teaches that the individual self is both distinct and not distinct from ultimate reality – predates the positions of monism and dualism. Unter den mittelalterlichen Bhedabheda-Denkern sind Nimbarkacharya, der die Kumara Sampradaya (philosophische Dvaitadvaita-Schule) gründete, sowie Jiva Goswami, ein Heiliger der Gaudiya Vaishnava-Schule,[153] der die Krishna-Theologie in Begriffen von Bhakti Yoga und Achintya Bheda Abheda beschrieb. Die Krishna-Theologie wird von Vallabha Acharya, dem Gründer der Pushti-Sekte des Vaishnavismus, in einem reinen Monismus-Rahmen (Advaita, genannt Shuddhadvaita) dargestellt.[155] Madhusudana Sarasvati, ein indischer Philosoph,[157] präsentierte die Krishna-Theologie im Rahmen des Nondualismus-Monismus (Advaita Vedanta), während Adi Shankara, dem die Vereinheitlichung und Etablierung der Hauptgedankenströmungen im Hinduismus zugeschrieben wird,[158][159][160]. ] erwähnte Krishna in seinen Diskussionen über Panchayatana Puja im frühen 8. Jahrhundert.

Das Bhagavata Purana, ein beliebter Text über Krishna, der als eine Art Schrift in Assam angesehen wird, synthetisiert einen Advaita-, Samkhya- und Yoga-Rahmen für Krishna, der jedoch durch liebevolle Hingabe an Krishna voranschreitet. Bryant beschreibt die Synthese von Ideen in Bhagavata Purana als:

Die Philosophie des Bhagavata ist eine Mischung aus Vedanta-Terminologie, Samkhyan-Metaphysik und hingebungsvoller Yoga-Praxis. (…) Das zehnte Buch fördert Krishna als den höchsten absolut persönlichen Aspekt der Gottheit – die Persönlichkeit hinter dem Begriff Ishvara und den ultimativen Aspekt von Brahman. — Edwin Bryant, Krishna: Ein Quellenbuch

Während Sheridan und Pintchman beide Bryants Ansicht bestätigen, fügt letzterer hinzu, dass die im Bhagavata betonte vedantische Ansicht mit einem Unterschied nicht-dualistisch ist. Im konventionellen nichtdualen Vedanta ist alle Realität miteinander verbunden und eins, das Bhagavata postuliert, dass die Realität miteinander verbunden und plural ist.[165]

Über die verschiedenen Theologien und Philosophien hinweg präsentiert das gemeinsame Thema Krishna als die Essenz und das Symbol der göttlichen Liebe, mit dem menschlichen Leben und der Liebe als Spiegelbild des Göttlichen. Die sehnsüchtigen und liebevollen Legenden von Krishna und den Gopis, seine spielerischen Streiche als Baby[167] sowie seine späteren Dialoge mit anderen Charakteren werden philosophisch als Metaphern für die menschliche Sehnsucht nach dem Göttlichen und nach Sinn behandelt das Spiel zwischen den Universalien und der menschlichen Seele.[168][169][170] Krishnas Lila ist eine Theologie des Liebesspiels. Laut John Koller wird “Liebe nicht einfach als Mittel zur Erlösung dargestellt, sie ist das höchste Leben”. Menschliche Liebe ist Gottes Liebe.[171]

Andere Texte, die Krishna enthalten, wie die Bhagavad Gita, haben zahlreiche bhasya (Kommentare) in den hinduistischen Traditionen angezogen.[172] Obwohl es nur ein Teil des hinduistischen Epos Mahabharata ist, hat es als unabhängiger spiritueller Führer fungiert. Es wirft allegorisch durch Krishna und Arjuna die ethischen und moralischen Dilemmata des menschlichen Lebens auf und präsentiert dann ein Spektrum von Antworten, die die ideologischen Fragen zu menschlichen Freiheiten, Entscheidungen und Verantwortlichkeiten gegenüber sich selbst und gegenüber anderen abwägen. This Krishna dialogue has attracted numerous interpretations, from being a metaphor of inner human struggle teaching non-violence, to being a metaphor of outer human struggle teaching a rejection of quietism to persecution.[172][173][174]

Influence

Vaishnavism

The worship of Krishna is part of Vaishnavism, a major tradition within Hinduism. Krishna is considered a full avatar of Vishnu, or one with Vishnu himself.[175] However, the exact relationship between Krishna and Vishnu is complex and diverse,[176] with Krishna of Krishnaite sampradayas considered an independent deity and supreme.[177] Vaishnavas accept many incarnations of Vishnu, but Krishna is particularly important. Their theologies are generally centered either on Vishnu or an avatar such as Krishna as supreme. The terms Krishnaism and Vishnuism have sometimes been used to distinguish the two, the former implying that Krishna is the transcendent Supreme Being. Some scholars, as Friedhelm Hardy, do not define Krishnaism as a sub-order or offshoot of Vaishnavism, considering it a parallel and no less ancient current of Hinduism.

All Vaishnava traditions recognise Krishna as the eighth avatar of Vishnu; others identify Krishna with Vishnu, while Krishnaite traditions such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism,[179][180] Ekasarana Dharma, Mahanam Sampraday, Nimbarka Sampradaya and the Vallabha Sampradaya regard Krishna as the Svayam Bhagavan, the original form of Lord or the same as the concept of Brahman in Hinduism.[5][181][182][183][184] Gitagovinda of Jayadeva considers Krishna to be the supreme lord while the ten incarnations are his forms. Swaminarayan, the founder of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, also worshipped Krishna as God himself. “Greater Krishnaism” corresponds to the second and dominant phase of Vaishnavism, revolving around the cults of the Vasudeva, Krishna, and Gopala of the late Vedic period.[185] Today the faith has a significant following outside of India as well.[186]

Early traditions

The deity Krishna-Vasudeva (kṛṣṇa vāsudeva “Krishna, the son of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi”) is historically one of the earliest forms of worship in Krishnaism and Vaishnavism.[21][70] It is believed to be a significant tradition of the early history of Krishna religion in antiquity.[187] Thereafter, there was an amalgamation of various similar traditions. These include ancient Bhagavatism, the cult of Gopala, of “Krishna Govinda” (cow-finding Krishna), of Balakrishna (baby Krishna) and of “Krishna Gopivallabha[188]” (Krishna the lover).[189][190] According to Andre Couture, the Harivamsa contributed to the synthesis of various characters as aspects of Krishna.[191]

Already in the early Middle Ages, the Jagannathism ( a.k.a. Odia Vaishnavism) was origined as the cult of the god Jagannath ( lit. ”Lord of the Universe”) – an abstract form of Krishna. Jagannathism was a regional temple-centered version of Krishnaism, where Lord Jagannath is understood as a principal god, Purushottama and Para Brahman, but can also be regarded as a non-sectarian syncretic Vaishnavite and all-Hindu cult. According to the Vishnudharma Purana ( c. 4th century), Krishna is woshipped in the form of Purushottama in Odia (Odisha). The notable Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha became particularly significant within the tradition since about 800 CE.

Bhakti tradition

Krishna has been a major part of the Bhakti movement . One of the key devotees was Meera (pictured).

The use of the term bhakti, meaning devotion, is not confined to any one deity. However, Krishna is an important and popular focus of the devotionalism tradition within Hinduism, particularly among the Vaishnava Krishnaite sects.[179][196] Devotees of Krishna subscribe to the concept of lila, meaning ‘divine play’, as the central principle of the universe. It is a form of bhakti yoga, one of three types of yoga discussed by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.[180][197][198]

Indian subcontinent

The bhakti movements devoted to Krishna became prominent in southern India in the 7th to 9th centuries CE. The earliest works included those of the Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu.[199] A major collection of their works is the Divya Prabandham. Alvar Andal’s popular collection of songs Tiruppavai, in which she conceives of herself as a gopi, is the most famous of the oldest works in this genre.[200][201][202]

The movement originated in South India during the 7th century CE, spreading northwards from Tamil Nadu through Karnataka and Maharashtra; by the 15th century, it was established in Bengal and northern India. Early Krishnaite Bhakti pioneers included Nimbarkacharya (12th or 13th century CE),[204][note 3] but most emerged later, including Vallabhacharya (15th century CE) and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. They started their own schools, namely Nimbarka Sampradaya, Vallabha Sampradaya, and Gaudiya Vaishnavism, with Krishna and Radha as the supreme gods. In addition, since the 15th century, flourished Tantric variety of Krishnaism, Vaishnava-Sahajiya, is linked to the Bengali poet Chandidas.

In the Deccan, particularly in Maharashtra, saint poets of the Warkari sect such as Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Janabai, Eknath, and Tukaram promoted the worship of Vithoba,[103] a local form of Krishna, from between the 13th to 18th century.[19] Before the Warkari tradition, Krishna devotion became well established in Maharashtra due to the rise of the Mahanubhava Sampradaya founded by Sarvajna Chakradhara.[206] The Pranami Sampradaya emerged in the 17th century in Gujarat, based on the Krishna-focussed syncretist Hindu-Islamic teachings of Devchandra Maharaj and his famous successor, Mahamati Prannath. In southern India, Purandara Dasa and Kanakadasa of Karnataka composed songs devoted to the Krishna image of Udupi. Rupa Goswami of Gaudiya Vaishnavism has compiled a comprehensive summary of bhakti called Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu.[196]

In South India, the acharyas of the Sri Sampradaya have written reverently about Krishna in most of their works, including the Thiruppavai by Andal[208] and Gopala Vimshati by Vedanta Desika.[209]

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala states have many major Krishna temples, and Janmashtami is one of the widely celebrated festivals in South India.[210]

Outside Asia

By 1965, the Krishna-bhakti movement had spread outside India after Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (as instructed by his guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura) travelled from his homeland in West Bengal to New York City. A year later, in 1966, after gaining many followers, he was able to form the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), popularly known as the Hare Krishna movement. The purpose of this movement was to write about Krishna in English and to share the Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy with people in the Western world by spreading the teachings of the saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In the biographies of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the mantra he received when he was given diksha or initiation in Gaya was the six-word verse of the Kali-Santarana Upanishad, namely “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare; Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare”. In the Gaudiya tradition, it is the maha-mantra, or great mantra, about Krishna bhakti.[212] Its chanting was known as hari-nama sankirtana.[213]

The maha-mantra gained the attention of George Harrison and John Lennon of The Beatles fame,[214] and Harrison produced a 1969 recording of the mantra by devotees from the London Radha Krishna Temple.[215] Titled “Hare Krishna Mantra”, the song reached the top twenty on the UK music charts and was also successful in West Germany and Czechoslovakia.[214][216] The mantra of the Upanishad thus helped bring Bhaktivedanta and ISKCON ideas about Krishna into the West.[214] ISCKON has built many Krishna temples in the West, as well as other locations such as South Africa.[217]

South East Asia

Krishna lifts “Govardhan” mountain, a 7th-century artwork from a [218][219] , a 7th-century artwork from a Da Nang , Vietnam, archaeological site

Krishna is found in Southeast Asian history and art, but to a far lesser extent than Shiva, Durga, Nandi, Agastya, and Buddha. In temples (candi) of the archaeological sites in hilly volcanic Java, Indonesia, temple reliefs do not portray his pastoral life or his role as the erotic lover, nor do the historic Javanese Hindu texts. Rather, either his childhood or the life as a king and Arjuna’s companion have been more favored. The most elaborate temple arts of Krishna is found in a series of Krsnayana reliefs in the Prambanan Hindu temple complex near Yogyakarta. These are dated to the 9th century CE.[221][222] Krishna remained a part of the Javanese cultural and theological fabric through the 14th century, as evidenced by the 14th-century Penataran reliefs along with those of the Hindu god Rama in east Java, before Islam replaced Buddhism and Hinduism on the island.

The medieval era arts of Vietnam and Cambodia feature Krishna. The earliest surviving sculptures and reliefs are from the 6th and 7th centuries, and these include Vaishnavism iconography.[218] According to John Guy, the curator and director of Southeast Asian arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Krishna Govardhana art from 6th/7th-century Vietnam at Danang, and 7th-century Cambodia at Phnom Da cave in Angkor Borei, are some of the most sophisticated of this era.[218]

Krishna’s iconography has also been found in Thailand, along with those of Surya and Vishnu. For example, a large number of sculptures and icons have been found in the Si Thep and Klangnai sites in the Phetchabun region of northern Thailand. These are dated to about the 7th and 8th centuries, from both the Funan and Zhenla period archaeological sites.[224]

Performance arts

Bhagavata Purana have inspired many performance arts repertoire, such as [23][25] The Rasa Lila where Krishna plays with the gopis in The Krishna legends in thehave inspired many performance arts repertoire, such as Kathak Kuchipudi (left) and Odissi Thewhere Krishna plays with the gopis in Manipuri dance style (right)

Indian dance and music theatre traces its origins and techniques to the ancient Sama Veda and Natyasastra texts.[226] The stories enacted and the numerous choreographic themes are inspired by the mythologies and legends in Hindu texts, including Krishna-related literature such as Harivamsa and Bhagavata Purana.

The Krishna stories have played a key role in the history of Indian theatre, music, and dance, particularly through the tradition of Rasaleela. These are dramatic enactments of Krishna’s childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. One common scene involves Krishna playing flute in rasa Leela, only to be heard by certain gopis (cowherd maidens), which is theologically supposed to represent divine call only heard by certain enlightened beings.[228] Some of the text’s legends have inspired secondary theatre literature such as the eroticism in Gita Govinda.[229]

Krishna-related literature such as the Bhagavata Purana accords a metaphysical significance to the performances and treats them as a religious ritual, infusing daily life with spiritual meaning, thus representing a good, honest, happy life. Similarly, Krishna-inspired performances aim to cleanse the hearts of faithful actors and listeners. Singing, dancing, and performing any part of Krishna Lila is an act of remembering the dharma in the text, as a form of para bhakti (supreme devotion). To remember Krishna at any time and in any art, asserts the text, is to worship the good and the divine.

Classical dance styles such as Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam in particular are known for their Krishna-related performances. Krisnattam (Krishnattam) traces its origins to Krishna legends, and is linked to another major classical Indian dance form called Kathakali.[232] Bryant summarizes the influence of Krishna stories in the Bhagavata Purana as, “[it] has inspired more derivative literature, poetry, drama, dance, theatre and art than any other text in the history of Sanskrit literature, with the possible exception of the Ramayana.

The Palliyodam, a type of large built and used by Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple in Kerala for the annual water processions of Uthrattathi Jalamela and Valla Sadhya has the legend that it was designed by Lord Krishna and were made to look like Sheshanaga, the serpent on which Lord Vishnu rests.[234]

Tempel

Krishna outside of Hinduism

Jainism

The Jainism tradition lists 63 Śalākāpuruṣa or notable figures which, amongst others, includes the twenty-four Tirthankaras (spiritual teachers) and nine sets of triads. One of these triads is Krishna as the Vasudeva, Balarama as the Baladeva, and Jarasandha as the Prati-Vasudeva. In each age of the Jain cyclic time is born a Vasudeva with an elder brother termed the Baladeva. Between the triads, Baladeva upholds the principle of non-violence, a central idea of Jainism. The villain is the Prati-vasudeva, who attempts to destroy the world. To save the world, Vasudeva-Krishna has to forsake the non-violence principle and kill the Prati-Vasudeva.[235] The stories of these triads can be found in the Harivamsa Purana (8th century CE) of Jinasena (not be confused with its namesake, the addendum to Mahābhārata) and the Trishashti-shalakapurusha-charita of Hemachandra.[237]

The story of Krishna’s life in the Puranas of Jainism follows the same general outline as those in the Hindu texts, but in details, they are very different: they include Jain Tirthankaras as characters in the story, and generally are polemically critical of Krishna, unlike the versions found in the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.[238] For example, Krishna loses battles in the Jain versions, and his gopis and his clan of Yadavas die in a fire created by an ascetic named Dvaipayana. Similarly, after dying from the hunter Jara’s arrow, the Jaina texts state Krishna goes to the third hell in Jain cosmology, while his brother is said to go to the sixth heaven.[239]

Vimalasuri is attributed to be the author of the Jain version of the Harivamsa Purana, but no manuscripts have been found that confirm this. It is likely that later Jain scholars, probably Jinasena of the 8th century, wrote a complete version of Krishna legends in the Jain tradition and credited it to the ancient Vimalasuri.[240] Partial and older versions of the Krishna story are available in Jain literature, such as in the Antagata Dasao of the Svetambara Agama tradition.[240]

In other Jain texts, Krishna is stated to be a cousin of the twenty-second Tirthankara, Neminatha. The Jain texts state that Neminatha taught Krishna all the wisdom that he later gave to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. According to Jeffery D. Long, a professor of religion known for his publications on Jainism, this connection between Krishna and Neminatha has been a historic reason for Jains to accept, read, and cite the Bhagavad Gita as a spiritually important text, celebrate Krishna-related festivals, and intermingle with Hindus as spiritual cousins.[241]

Buddhism

CE on the order of Emperor Shomu, Depiction of Krishna playing the flute in a temple constructed in 752CE on the order of Emperor Shomu, Todai-ji Temple , Great Buddha Hall in Nara , Japan

The story of Krishna occurs in the Jataka tales in Buddhism.[242] The Vidhurapandita Jataka mentions Madhura (Sanskrit: Mathura), the Ghata Jataka mentions Kamsa, Devagabbha (Sk: Devaki), Upasagara or Vasudeva, Govaddhana (Sk: Govardhana), Baladeva (Balarama), and Kanha or Kesava (Sk: Krishna, Keshava).[243][244]

Like the Jaina versions of the Krishna legends, the Buddhist versions such as one in Ghata Jataka follow the general outline of the story,[245] but are different from the Hindu versions as well.[243] For example, the Buddhist legend describes Devagabbha (Devaki) to have been isolated in a palace built upon a pole after she is born, so no future husband could reach her. Krishna’s father similarly is described as a powerful king, but who meets up with Devagabbha anyway, and to whom Kamsa gives away his sister Devagabbha in marriage. The siblings of Krishna are not killed by Kamsa, though he tries. In the Buddhist version of the legend, all of Krishna’s siblings grow to maturity.[246]

Krishna and his siblings’ capital becomes Dvaravati. The Arjuna and Krishna interaction is missing in the Jataka version. A new legend is included, wherein Krishna laments in uncontrollable sorrow when his son dies, and a Ghatapandita feigns madness to teach Krishna a lesson.[247] The Jataka tale also includes internecine destruction among his siblings after they all get drunk. Krishna also dies in the Buddhist legend by the hand of a hunter named Jara, but while he is traveling to a frontier city. Mistaking Krishna for a pig, Jara throws a spear that fatally pierces his feet, causing Krishna great pain and then his death.[246]

At the end of this Ghata-Jataka discourse, the Buddhist text declares that Sariputta, one of the revered disciples of the Buddha in the Buddhist tradition, was incarnated as Krishna in his previous life to learn lessons on grief from the Buddha in his prior rebirth:

Then he [Master] declared the Truths and identified the Birth: ‘At that time, Ananda was Rohineyya, Sariputta was Vasudeva [Krishna], the followers of the Buddha were the other persons, and I myself was Ghatapandita.” Jataka Tale No. 454, Translator: W. H. D. Rouse[248]

While the Buddhist Jataka texts co-opt Krishna-Vasudeva and make him a student of the Buddha in his previous life,[248] the Hindu texts co-opt the Buddha and make him an avatar of Vishnu.[249][250] In Chinese Buddhism, Taoism and Chinese folk religion, the figure of Krishna has been amalgamated and merged with that of Nalakuvara to influence the formation of the god Nezha, who has taken on iconographic characteristics of Krishna such as being presented as a divine god-child and slaying a nāga in his youth.[251][252]

Miscellaneous

Infant Krishna with Mother Yashoda

Krishna is mentioned as “Krishna Avtar” in the Chaubis Avtar, a composition in Dasam Granth traditionally and historically attributed to Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.[253]

Within the Sikh-derived 19th-century Radha Soami movement, the followers of its founder Shiv Dayal Singh used to consider him the Living Master and incarnation of God (Lord Krishna/Vishnu).[note 4]

Baháʼís believe that Krishna was a “Manifestation of God”, or one in a line of prophets who have revealed the Word of God progressively for a gradually maturing humanity. In this way, Krishna shares an exalted station with Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Muhammad, Jesus, the Báb, and the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, Bahá’u’lláh.[255][256]

Ahmadiyya, a 20th-century Islamic movement, consider Krishna as one of their ancient prophets.[257][258][259] Ghulam Ahmad stated that he was himself a prophet in the likeness of prophets such as Krishna, Jesus, and Muhammad,[260] who had come to earth as a latter-day reviver of religion and morality.

Krishna worship or reverence has been adopted by several new religious movements since the 19th century, and he is sometimes a member of an eclectic pantheon in occult texts, along with Greek, Buddhist, biblical, and even historical figures.[261] For instance, Édouard Schuré, an influential figure in perennial philosophy and occult movements, considered Krishna a Great Initiate, while Theosophists regard Krishna as an incarnation of Maitreya (one of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom), the most important spiritual teacher for humanity along with Buddha.[262][263]

Krishna was canonised by Aleister Crowley and is recognised as a saint of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica in the Gnostic Mass of Ordo Templi Orientis.[264][265]

Remarks

^ [9] Number of Krishna’s children varies from one interpretation to another. According to some scriptures like the Bhagavata Purana , Krishna had 10 children from each of his wives (16,008 wives and 160,080 children) ^ gopis, and some identifying all to be different aspects or manifestation of [10] Radha is seen as Krishna’s lover-consort. On the other hand, Rukmini and others are married to him. Krishna had eight chief wives, who were referred to as the Ashtabharya . The regional texts vary in the identity of Krishna’s wife (consort), some presenting it as Rukmini, some as Radha, all, and some identifying all to be different aspects or manifestation of Devi Lakshmi. ^ “The first Kṛṣṇaite sampradāya was developed by Nimbārka.” ^ [254] “Various branches of Radhasoami have argued about the incarnationalism of Satguru ( Lane , 1981). Guru Maharaj Ji has accepted it and identifies with Krishna and other incarnations of Vishnu.”

references

Citations

Sources