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| | + | '''Krishna''' is the name of [[God]] in Vaishnava [[Hinduism]], the largest sect of Hinduism. |
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| − | Krishna is known as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the Vedas. He is known as the Supreme God. Lord Krishna descends to Earth every 8.64 Billion Years (A day of Bramha). Besides these incarnations Krishna has many other expansions, and incarnations. Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead. In the Koran he is known as Allah, in the Bible he is known as Yahweh. He is the original Father and all incarnations of God and all representatives of God come from him. Krishna incarnates in different forms all over the world to spread God Consciousness. He also sends down representatives such as Buddha, Moses, and Muhammed to teach God Consciousness. Krishna even sent down his one and only son Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. Krishna last descended on Earth 5,2236 years ago at the end of the last Dvapara-Yuga. His expansion is Balarama, who expands the original catur vyuha or quadruple expansions.
| + | One of the incarnations of Lord [[Vishnu]] and is one of the most revered [[Hinduism|Hindu]] deities. Lord Krishna born is the embodiment of [[love]] and [[divine joy]] is the destroyer of all [[pain]], [[sin]] and [[suffering]]; in Vaishnava Hinduism He is God Himself. |
| − | 1) Vasudeva 2) Sankarsana 3) Pradyumna 4) Aniruddha
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| − | These original catur vyuha expansions reside in Mathura and Dvaraka. From them twenty four forms of Visnu expand. They are named differently according to the arrangement of the conch, disc, lotus and club in Their hands. All of these twenty four forms reside in each Vaikuntha planet with the predominating Deity of that planet. From the original catur vyuha the second catur vyuha expands. In this second catur vyuha the form of Sankarsana is also called Maha Sankarsana. It is from Maha Sankarsana that Maha Visnu becomes manifested.
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| − | KRSNA
| + | == Mythical Life Story == |
| − | Original Personality of Godhead
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| − | BALARAMA
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| − | First expansion
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| − | ORIGINAL CATUR VYUHA
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| − | Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha
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| − | SECOND CATUR VYUHA
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| − | Vasudeva, Sankarsana,¿ Pradyumna, Aniruddha
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| − | (each expand into three and³then another two expansions)
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| − | (Maha Sankarsana)
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| − | MAHA VISNU
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| − | 1) MAHA VISNU lies on the Causal Ocean which appears in one corner of the spiritual world. He manifests the mahat tattva (or the sum total of material energy). It is into this mahat tattva that He exhales all of the seedlike universes through the pores of His skin. These seedlike universes then expand as the different material elements form coverings around them. Each of the coverings is ten times thicker than the previous covering and form a shell-like covering. When Maha Visnu impregnates the living entities by His glance into the material nature it begins to manifest its various energies.
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| − | 2) When the universes have thus developed in the womb of material nature, Maha Visnu expands as GARBHODAKASAYI VISNU, Who enters into each universe with the living entities of that particular universe and thus activates each universe by His presence. He lies down on Ananta Sesa who lies on the Garbha ocean, which is the perspiration from the Lord's body and half fills the universe. From His navel comes a lotus bud which is the total form of the living entities' fruitive activity. The lotus grows dissipating the darkness of the universe. On top of the lotus Brahma, the first living being appears. Situated on the lotus, Brahma could not understand anything. He began entering the stem and climbed down to find its origin. Not finding anything, Brahma again returned to the top of the lotus where he heard the word ta-pa (austerity). Hearing the sound Brahma underwent penance for one thousand celestial years; (6x30x12x1000 earthly years). Being very pleased with Brahma's tapasya, the Lord manifested the Vaikuntha planets to him. Seeing Vaikuntha, Brahma became very happy and bowed to the Lord. Being very pleased with Brahma the Lord shakes his hand and reveals how to create the universe.
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| − | 3) To maintain the universe Garbhodakasayi Visnu expands as KSIRODAKASAYI VISNU, Who is the all-pervading Supersoul (Paramatma). By His entering into every atom He maintains the whole universe. His abode is Svetadvipa, an island in the ocean of milk.
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| − | Krsna's energies can also be divided into three: His energy of thinking feeling and acting. When He exhibits His thinking energy, He is the Supreme Lord; when He exhibits His feeling energy, He is Lord Vasudeva; when He exhibits His acting energy, He is Sankarsana Balarama. Without His thinking, feeling and acting, there would be no possibility of creation. Although there is no creation in the spiritual world - for there the planets are beginningless - there is creation in the material world. In either case, however, both the spiritual and material worlds are manifestations of the energy of acting, in which Krsna acts in the form of Sankarsana and Balarama.
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| − | References: SB 1.3.1-5, 2.9.4-9, 3.8.11-21, 10.46.31
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| − | Expansions and avataras chart (.jpg picture)
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| − | Lila-avataras (pastime avataras)
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| − | During Brahma's one day (8.64 Billion Years) there are twenty-five Lila-avataras also known as Kalpa avataras because they appear in every Kalpa. Out of these, the incarnation of Hamsa and Mohini are not permanent, but Kapila, Dattatreya, Rsabha, Dhanvantari and Vyasa are five eternal forms, and they are more celebrated. The incarnations of the tortoise Kurma, the fish Matsya, Nara-narayana, Varaha, Hayasirsa, Prsnigarbha, and Balarama are considered to be vaibhava-avataras. All of the incarnations of Krishna have been coming down to Earth and elsewhere in the Universe for many hundreds of trillions of years as Bramha’s life is 311 trillion, 40 Billion Years and there an innumerable cycle of Bramhas.
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| − | 1) Catursana - The four Kumaras, sons of Lord Brahma
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| − | They appeared in the beginning of creation and are specifically empowered to distribute transcendental knowledge. They are empowered with the Lord's jnana-sakti and therefore they are also known as saktyavesa-avataras.
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| − | 2) Narada Muni - The son of Lord Brahma
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| − | He is empowered with the Lord's bhakti-sakti and therefore he is also saktyavesa-avatara.
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| − | 3) Varahadeva - Sukara or the Boar incarnation
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| − | The Boar incarnation appeared in two different millenniums. During the period of Svayambhuva Manu, the earthly planet remained submerged in the water of devastation, so the Lord appeared as a white boar and lifted the earth and set it properly. During the period of Caksusa Manu Lord Boar was red and He killed the demon Hiranyaksa.
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| − | 4) Matsya - The Fish incarnation. His most recent incarnation was about 122 million years ago at the beginning of the current manvantara.
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| − | He appeared to show special mercy to Satyavrata Muni. After the period of Caksusa Manu when there was a partial inundation, he also protected Satyavrata Muni (who later became Vaivasvata Manu) by keeping him safe on a boat.
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| − | 5) Yajna - The son of Prajapati Ruci and Akuti
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| − | During the period of Svayambhuva Manu there was no qualified Indra. So the Lord appeared as Yajna and took that position.
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| − | 6) Nara Narayana - The twin sons of King Dharma and Murti
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| − | They are partial expansions of Krsna and Arjuna. Nara and Narayana Rsis exhibited the Lord's renunciation.
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| − | 7) Kapiladeva - The son of Kardama Muni and Devahuti
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| − | He explained the original (personal) Sankhya philosophy. Kapiladeva exhibited the Lord's transcendental knowledge.
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| − | 8) Dattatreya - The son of Atri Muni and Anasuya
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| − | He is a combined incarnation of Lord Visnu, Brahma and Siva. He spoke on the subject of transcendence to Alarka, Prahlada, Yadu, etc.
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| − | 9) Hayasirsa - Lord Hayagriva
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| − | At the end of the millennium ignorance personified took the form of a demon, stole the Vedas and took them to the planet Rasatala. At that time the Lord, at the request of Brahma, retrieved them after assuming the form of a horse.
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| − | 10) Hamsa - The Swan incarnation
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| − | Due to bewilderment, Brahma, could not answer some questions put forward by his sons. At that time the Lord appeared as a swan and answered the questions.
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| − | 11) Prsnigarbha - The incarnation who appeared before Dhruva
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| − | He created the planet known as Dhruvaloka for the habitation of Dhruva Maharaja.
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| − | 12) Rsabha - The son of King Nabhi and Merudevi. He was the founder of the Jain religion.
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| − | His oldest son was Bharata Maharaja of which the earth was named after as Bharat-varsa. He instructed his sons to follow the path of perfection by tapasya (asceticism).
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| − | 13) Prthu - The incarnation of the Lord's ruling force
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| − | Due to the demonic nature of King Vena, the sages killed him by a curse. They prayed for the Lord to appear and churned the two arms of the dead body according to a specific method and the Lord appeared as Prthu.
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| − | 14) Nrsimhadeva - The half-man half-lion incarnation
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| − | He appeared to protect Prahlada by killing his demoniac father Hiranyakasipu.
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| − | 15) Kurma - The Tortoise incarnation
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| − | He appeared to become the resting place of the Mandara Hill, used as a churning rod by the demons and demigods to produce nectar.
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| − | 16) Dhanvantari - The father of Ayurveda
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| − | He appeared from the ocean of milk with the pot of nectar.
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| − | 17) Mohini - The Lord's form of a beautiful woman
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| − | The Lord tricked the demons by appearing in the form of a beautiful woman and asked the demons for the nectar and distributed it to the demigods.
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| − | 18) Vamanadeva - The dwarf incarnation, son of Kasyapa Muni and Aditi
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| − | Assuming the form of a dwarf brahmacari the Lord visited the fire sacrifice of Bali Maharaja. He begged three steps of land and with those steps He took the whole universe. He is the son of Kasyapa and Aditi. His most recent incarnation was about 93 million years ago in the seventh Treta-Yuga of the current Manvantara.
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| − | 19) Parasurama - Bhrgupati, the son of Jamadagni Muni and Renuka. His most recent incarnation was about 41.5 million years ago in the 19th Treta Yuga of the current Manvantara.
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| − | He annihilated the ksatriyas twenty-one times because of their rebellion against the brahmanas.
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| − | 20) Raghavendra - Lord Ramacandra, son of King Dasaratha and Kausalya
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| − | He came to perform pleasing work for the demigods, protect His devotees and kill Ravana and his followers. The Lord assumed the form of a human being and exhibited superhuman powers by controlling the Indian Ocean. His most recent incarnation was about 20 million years ago in the 24th Treta Yuga of the Current Manvantara.
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| − | 21) Vyasadeva - The son of Parasara Muni and Satyavati
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| − | He divided the one Veda into several branches and sub-branches, seeing that the people in general were becoming less intelligent.
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| − | 22) Lord Balarama - The first plenary expansion of the Lord
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| − | He acts as Lord Krsna's older brother in Their pastimes in Vrndavana.
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| − | 23) Lord Krsna - The original form of the Lord
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| − | Both Balarama and Krsna appeared in the family of Vrsni (Yadu dynasty) and in doing so removed the burden of the world.
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| − | 24) Buddha - The son of Anjana (Birth of Buddhism)
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| − | He appeared in the province of Gaya in the beginning of Kali-yuga to delude those who are inimical to the faithful. He also appeared to stop animal slaughter in the name of Vedic sacrifices by preaching non-violence and by not accepting Vedic authorities. There is also another Buddha incarnation mentioned in another Kali-yuga when Lord appeared to bewilder the demons who were destroying the inhabitants of other planets by flying unseen in space ships made by the demon Maya. This lead to birth of Buddhism.
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| − | 25) Kalki - The son of brahmana Visnu-yasa
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| − | He will appear in the village Sambhala at the end of Kali-yuga. He will mount a horse, Devadatta, and taking His sword, will kill millions upon millions of degraded barbarian humans. He will also commence Satya-yuga. This incarnation will come February 18, 428,898 A.D.
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| − | Guna-avataras
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| − | (incarnations of the qualitative modes of nature)
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| − | They are Brahma (rajo-guna), Visnu (sattva-guna) and Siva (tamo-guna). Brahma is one of the living entities, but due to his devotional service he is very powerful. This primal living entity, master of the mode of material passion, is directly empowered by the Garbhodakasayi Visnu to create innumerable living entities. In Brahma-samhita (5.49) Brahma is likened to valuable jewels influenced by the rays of the sun, and the sun is likened to the Supreme Lord Garbhodakasayi Visnu. If in some kalpa there is no suitable living entity capable of acting in Brahma's capacity, Garbhodakasayi Visnu Himself manifests as Brahma and acts accordingly.
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| − | Similarly, by expanding Himself as Lord Siva, the Supreme Lord is engaged when there is a need to annihilate the universe. Lord Siva, in association with maya, has many forms, which are generally numbered at eleven. (They are not, technically speaking, avataras since this term is used only for Sri Visnu's manifestations. Hanuman could be called an expansion of Siva, Siva-amsa or so. He is not a jiva.) Lord Siva is not one of the living entities; he is a transformation of Krsna Himself. The example of milk and yogurt is often given in this regard - yogurt is a preparation of milk, but still yogurt cannot be used as milk. Similarly, Lord Siva is an expansion of Krsna, but he cannot act as Krsna, nor can we derive the spiritual restoration from Lord Siva that we derive from Krsna. The essential difference is that Lord Siva has a connection with material nature, but Visnu or Lord Krsna has nothing to do with material nature. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.88.3) it is stated that Lord Siva is a combination of three kinds of transformed consciousness known as vaikarika, taijasa and tamasa.
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| − | The Visnu incarnation, although master of the modes of goodness within each universe, is in no way in touch with the influence of material nature. Although Visnu is equal to Krsna, Krsna is the original source. Visnu is a part, but Krsna is the whole. This is the version given by Vedic literatures. In Brahma-samhita the example is given of an original candle which lights a second candle. Although both candles are of equal power, one is accepted as the original, and the other is said to be kindled from the original. The Visnu expansion is like the second candle. He is as powerful as Krsna, but the original Visnu is Krsna. Brahma and Lord Siva are obedient servants of the Supreme Lord, and the Supreme Lord as Visnu is an expansion of Krsna.
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| − | Manvantara-avataras
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| − | There are fourteen manvantara-avataras who appear during the fourteen ruling periods of Manus (manvantaras) in one day of Brahma (kalpa). They are unlimited in number. Each manvantara is presided over by different Indra.
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| − | Manu
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| − | 1. Svayambhuva
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| − | 2. Svarocisa
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| − | 3. Uttama
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| − | 4. Tamasa
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| − | 5. Raivata
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| − | 6. Caksusa
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| − | 7. Vaivasvata
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| − | (Sraddhadeva)
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| − | 8. Savarni
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| − | 9. Daksa Savarni
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| − | 10. Brahma Savarni
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| − | 11. Dharma Savarni
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| − | 12. Rudra Savarni
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| − | 13. Deva Savarni
| + | Krishna came to earth in the [[human]] form as one of the children of [[Devaki]], sister of the cruel and harsh [[demon]] king [[Kamsa]]. The sage [[Narada]] had predicted that [[Kamsa]] would be killed by his nephew, so the king killed [[Devaki]]´s first six children. The seventh, [[Balarama]] escaped, and the eighth, Krishna, was secretly exchanged for the daughter of a cowherd couple, Nanda and [[Yashoda]]. |
| − | 14. Indra Savarni Father
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| − | Brahma
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| − | Agni
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| − | Priyavrata
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| − | Priyavrata
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| − | Priyavrata
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| − | Caksu
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| − | Vivasvan
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| − | Vivasvan
| + | Krishna was brought up in that cowherd's family in the cities of Gokula and Vrindavana, with this cowherd couple taking the role of parents. As a child, Krishna had great love for these foster parents, especially Yashoda. |
| − | Varuna
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| − | Upasloka
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| − | Upasloka
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| − | Upasloka
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| − | Upasloka
| + | Krishna loved to play the [[flute]] and danced with the cowherd girls of the village known as gopis, the primary gopi being [[Radha]]. |
| − | Upasloka Avatara
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| − | Yajna
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| − | Vibhu
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| − | Satyasena
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| − | Hari
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| − | Vaikuntha
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| − | Ajita
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| − | Vamana
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| − | Sarvabhauma
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| − | Rsabha
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| − | Visvaksena
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| − | Dharmasetu
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| − | Svadhama
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| − | (Sudhama)
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| − | Yogesvara
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| − | Brhadbhanu Indra
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| − | Yajna
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| − | Rocana
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| − | Satyajit
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| − | Trisikha
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| − | Vibhu
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| − | Mantradruma
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| − | Purandara
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| − | Bali
| + | Kamsa made a series of murders and murder attempts with the intent of murdering Krishna and harassing the village in which He lived. For the protection of this village, during a final battle against Kamsa and his henchmen Krishna killed Kamsa. |
| − | Adbhuta
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| − | Sambhu
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| − | Vaidhrta
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| − | Rtadhama
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| − | Divaspati
| + | After this final battle, Krishna became king of [[Dwaraka]]. In the great [[Mahabaratha]] epic, during the critical final battle of cousin rival brothers the Pandavas and the Kauravas, Krishna spoke memorable words on the essence of religion, later known as [[Bhagavad Gita]]. |
| − | Suci
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| − | Out of these fourteen manvantara-avataras, Yajna and Vamana are also lila-avataras. These fourteen manvantara-avataras are also known as vaibhava-avataras.
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| − | In SB 3.11.27 and 4.24.42 p. manvantara-avataras are confused with Manus as seen also from SB 1.3.5 p. Yajna is the manvantara-avatara in Svayambhuva Manu's reign, Vibhu is the manvantara-avatara in Svarocisa Manu's reign, and so on as per SB 8.13, CC 2.20.246 p., 2.20.319. | + | |
| − | During each manvantara, in the Dvapara-yuga of each divya-yuga (maha-yuga), different sages accept the position of Vyasa or the compiler of the Vedas, Puranas, etc. In the Vaivasvata manvantara there were until now 28 Vyasas (Visnu Purana 3.3 - 3.4.5):
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| − | 1) Brahma
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| − | 2) Prajapati or Manu
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| − | 3) Usana, Sukracarya
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| − | 4) Brhaspati
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| − | 5) Savitri
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| − | 6) Yamaraja
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| − | 7) Indra
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| − | 8) Vasistha
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| − | 9) Sarasvata
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| − | 10) Tridhama
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| − | 11) Trivisana
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| − | 12) Bharadhvaja
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| − | 13) Antariksa
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| − | 14) Vapra
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| − | 15) Trayyaruna
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| − | 16) Dhananjaya
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| − | 17) Krtanjaya
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| − | 18) Rina
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| − | 19) Bharadvaja
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| − | 20) Gautama
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| − | 21) Uttama
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| − | 22) Vena
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| − | 23) Somasusmapana
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| − | 24) Riksa or Valmiki
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| − | 25) Sakti, father of Parasara Muni
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| − | 26) Parasara Muni
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| − | 27) Jaratkaru
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| − | 28) Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa (part of Sri Narayana, nArAyaNasyAMZajam MBh 12.350.4-5)
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| − | In the next Dvapara-yuga the Vyasa will be Asvatthama, the son of Drona.
| + | == Teachings == |
| − | Yuga-avataras
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| − | The four yuga-avataras are also described in Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the Satya-yuga, the incarnation of God is white; in the Treta-yuga He is red; in the Dvapara-yuga, He is blackish; and in the Kali-yuga He is also blackish, but sometimes, in a special Kali-yuga, His color is yellowish as in the case of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
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| − | This particular incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is foretold in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.32):
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| − | krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
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| − | sangopangastra-parsadam
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| − | yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
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| − | yajanti hi sumedhasah
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| − | "In the age of Kali the Lord incarnates as a devotee, yellowish in color, and is always chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Although He is Krsna, His complexion is not blackish like Krsna's in Dvapara-yuga but is golden. It is in Kali-yuga that the Lord engages in preaching love of Godhead through the sankirtana movement, and those living entities who are intelligent adopt this process of self-realization."
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| − | Saktyavesa-avataras
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| − | There is no limit to the saktyavesa-avataras. The saktyavesa incarnations are of two kinds - direct and indirect. When the Lord Himself comes, He is called saksat, or a direct saktyavesa-avatara, and when He empowers some living entity to represent Him that living entity is called an indirect or avesa incarnation.
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| − | Examples of direct or saksad-avataras are the Sesa incarnation and the Ananta incarnation. In Ananta the power for sustaining all planets is invested, and in the Sesa incarnation the power for serving the Supreme Lord is invested.
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| − | Examples of indirect avataras are Jesus Christ, the four Kumaras, Narada, Prthu and Parasurama. These are actually living entities, but there is specific power given to them by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When a specific opulence of the Supreme Lord is invested in specific entities, they are called avesa-avataras. Jesus Christ is Krishna’s one and only son and represents the Mercy of the Supreme Lord because he died for the sins of humanity. The four Kumaras specifically represent the Supreme Lord's opulence of knowledge. Narada represents the devotional service of the Supreme Lord. Devotional service is also represented by Lord Caitanya, who is considered to be the full representation of devotional service. In Brahma the opulence of creative power is invested, and in King Prthu the power for maintaining the living entities is invested. Similarly, in Parasurama the power for killing evil elements is invested.
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| − | As far as vibhuti, or the special favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is concerned, it is described in the Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita that a living entity who appears to be especially powerful or beautiful should be known to be especially favored by the Supreme Lord.
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| − | Recognizing the real avatara
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| − | When Lord Caitanya described the incarnation for this age of Kali, Sanatana Gosvami, who had been a government minister and was perfectly capable of drawing conclusions, directly asked of the Lord, "How can one understand the advent of an incarnation?" By the description of the incarnation for the Kali millennium, Sanatana Gosvami could understand that Lord Caitanya was indeed that incarnation of Krsna, and he could also understand that in the future there would be many people who would try to imitate Lord Caitanya.
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| − | "As one can understand the different incarnations for different millenniums by referring to Vedic literature," the Lord replied, "one can similarly understand who is actually the incarnation of Godhead in this age of Kali." In this way the Lord especially stressed reference to authoritative scriptures. In other words, one should not whimsically accept a person as an incarnation but should try to understand the characteristics of an incarnation by referring to scriptures. An incarnation of the Supreme Lord never declares Himself to be an incarnation, but His followers must ascertain who is an incarnation and who is a pretender by referring to authoritative scriptures. Real avatara does not want to be glorified (SB 4.15.23):
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| − | parokse 'smad-upasrutany alam
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| − | stotram apicya-vacah
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| − | uttamasloka-gunanuvade
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| − | na stavayanti sabhyah
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| − | O gentle reciters, offer such prayers in due course of time, when the qualities of which you have spoken actually manifest themselves in me. The gentle who offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead do not attribute such qualities to a human being, who does not actually have them.
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| − | Purport:
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| − | "Gentle devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead know perfectly well who is God and who is not. Nondevotee impersonalists, however, who have no idea what God is and who never offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are always interested in accepting a human being as God and offering such prayers to him. This is the difference between a devotee and a demon. Demons manufacture their own gods, or a demon himself claims to be God, following in the footsteps of Ravana and Hiranyakasipu. Although Prthu Maharaja was factually an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he rejected those praises because the qualities of the Supreme Person were not yet manifest in him. He wanted to stress that one who does not actually possess these qualities should not try to engage his followers and devotees in offering him glory for them, even though these qualities might be manifest in the future. If a man who does not factually possess the attributes of a great personality engages his followers in praising him with the expectation that such attributes will develop in the future, that sort of praise is actually an insult."
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| − | Any intelligent person can understand the characteristics of an avatara by understanding two features - the principal feature, called personality, and the marginal features. In the scriptures there are descriptions of the characteristics of the body and the activities of an incarnation, and the description of the body is the principal feature by which an incarnation can be identified. The activities of the incarnation are the marginal features. This is confirmed in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.1) where the features of an avatara are nicely described. In that verse, the two terms param and satyam are used, and Lord Caitanya indicates that these words reveal Krsna's principal feature. The other marginal features indicate that He taught Vedic knowledge to Brahma and incarnated as the purusa-avatara to create the cosmic manifestation. These are occasional features manifest for some special purposes. One should be able to understand and distinguish the principal and marginal features of an avatara. No one can declare himself an incarnation without referring to these two features. An intelligent man will not accept anyone as an avatara without studying the principal and marginal features. When Sanatana Gosvami tried to confirm Lord Caitanya's personal characteristics as being those of the incarnation of this age, Lord Caitanya Himself indirectly made the confirmation by simply saying, "Let us leave aside all these discussions and continue with a description of the saktyavesa-avataras."
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| − | Krishna was brought up in a cowherder's family. As a child, Krishna had great love for his foster-mother [[Yashoda]].
| + | In Gokula and especially in Vrindavana, Krishna - although actually the all-powerful God, who needs no one to serve Him - permitted His associates to take on such roles as His parents and friends, in demonstration of what is actually pure selfless love and service to the Lord. |
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| − | Krishna loved to play the [[flute]] and seduce the cow girls, the favorite being [[Radha]] who was 12 years older than him.
| + | The Bhagavad Gita teaches the essence of religion, especially clearly explaining the proper manner of undertaking one's routine and spiritual duties, and also of the path of total surrender and loving devotional service to the Lord, which is the ultimate ideal in faith. The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most widely known and read, most prominent and famous Hindu text available; while it is Hindu by origin, however, many of its teachings are broadly considered to be of universal interest and applicability. |
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| − | After Krishna killed [[Kamsa]], he became king of [[Dwaraka]]. In the great [[Mahabaratha]] epic, Krishna spoke memorable words on the essence one's duties and devotion. This teaching is known as [[Bhagavad Gita]]
| + | == Hare Krishna == |
| | + | '''Hare Krishna''' (Hare, pronounced "Há-ray") is a mantra, known as the maha-mantra or "great mantra" in the Sanskrit language, which is sung, chanted, recited, or even just remembered by followers. This mantra reflects literally the names of Krishna, taken as a prayer to Krishna, as a (and is interpreted as a) cry out to Krishna for the devotee to be engaged in His loving service. |
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| | + | :''Hare Krishna Hare Krishna'' |
| | + | :''Krishna Krishna Hare Hare'' |
| | + | :''Hare Rama Hare Rama'' |
| | + | :''Rama Rama Hare Hare'' |
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| | [[Category:Hinduism]] | | [[Category:Hinduism]] |
| | [[Category:Musicians]] | | [[Category:Musicians]] |
| | + | [[Category:Divine Beings]] |
Krishna was brought up in that cowherd's family in the cities of Gokula and Vrindavana, with this cowherd couple taking the role of parents. As a child, Krishna had great love for these foster parents, especially Yashoda.
In Gokula and especially in Vrindavana, Krishna - although actually the all-powerful God, who needs no one to serve Him - permitted His associates to take on such roles as His parents and friends, in demonstration of what is actually pure selfless love and service to the Lord.
The Bhagavad Gita teaches the essence of religion, especially clearly explaining the proper manner of undertaking one's routine and spiritual duties, and also of the path of total surrender and loving devotional service to the Lord, which is the ultimate ideal in faith. The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most widely known and read, most prominent and famous Hindu text available; while it is Hindu by origin, however, many of its teachings are broadly considered to be of universal interest and applicability.
