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Krishna

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"Vāsudeva" redirects here. For the father of Krishna, see Vasudeva. For Vaishnavism, see Krishna Vasudeva.
This article is about the Hindu deity. For other uses, see Krishna (disambiguation).
Krishna
God of Compassion, Tenderness and Love[1][2]
A statue of Krishna
Krishna statue at the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore
AffiliationSvayam Bhagavan, Paramatman, Brahman, Vishnu, Radha Krishna[3][4]
AbodeGoloka Vrindavana, Gokula, Dwarka
WeaponSudarshana Chakra
Kaumodaki
BattlesKurukshetra War
TextsBhagavata Purana, Harivamsa, Vishnu Purana, Mahabharata(Bhagavad Gita), Gita Govinda
FestivalsKrishna Janmashtami, Holi
Personal information
BornMathura, Surasena (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)[5]
ConsortsRadha; Rukmini, Satyabhama and other Ashtabharyas, and 16,000–16,100 other junior queens[6][note 1]
ParentsDevaki (mother) and Vasudeva(father), Yashoda (foster mother) and Nanda Baba (foster father)
SiblingsBalarama, Subhadra
DynastySomavansha (Yaduvanshi)
Krishna (/ˈkrɪʃnə/,[8] [ˈkr̩ʂɳə] (About this sound listen); Sanskrit: कृष्ण, translit. Kṛṣṇa) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshiped as the eighth avatar of the god Vishnu and also as the supreme God in his own right.[9] He is the god of compassion, tenderness, and love in Hinduism,[1][2] and is one of the most popular and widely revered among Indian divinities.[10] Krishna's birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar.[11]
The anecdotes and narratives of Krishna's life are generally titled as Krishna Leela. He is a central character in the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana and the Bhagavad Gita, and is mentioned in many Hindu philosophical, theological, and mythological texts.[12] They portray him in various perspectives: a god-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero, and as the universal supreme being.[13] His iconography reflects these legends, and shows him in different stages of his life, such as an infant eating butter, a young boy playing a flute, a young man with Radha or surrounded by women devotees, or a friendly charioteer giving counsel to Arjuna.[14]
The synonyms of Krishna have been traced to 1st millennium BCE literature.[15] In some sub-traditions, Krishna is worshipped as Svayam Bhagavan, and this is sometimes referred to as Krishnaism. These sub-traditions arose in the context of the medieval era Bhakti movement.[16]Krishna-related literature has inspired numerous performance arts such as Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, and Manipuri dance.[17][18]He is a pan-Hindu god, but is particularly revered in some locations such as Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, in the Jagannatha aspect in Odisha, Mayapur in West Bengal,[19] Dwarka and Junagadh in Gujarat, in the form of Vithoba in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, Udupi in Karnataka, Nathdwara in Rajasthan[20] and Guruvayur in Kerala.[21] Since the 1960s the worship of Krishna has also spread to the Western world and to Africa, largely due to the work of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).[22]

Names and epithets[edit]

Main article: List of titles and names of Krishna
The name "Krishna" originates from the Sanskrit word Kṛṣṇa, which is primarily an adjective meaning "black", "dark", or "dark blue".[23] The waning moon is called Krishna Paksha, relating to the adjective meaning "darkening".[23] The name is also interpreted sometimes as "all-attractive".[24]
As a name of Vishnu, Krishna is listed as the 57th name in the Vishnu Sahasranama. Based on his name, Krishna is often depicted in idols as black- or blue-skinned. Krishna is also known by various other names, epithets, and titles that reflect his many associations and attributes. Among the most common names are Mohan "enchanter"; Govinda "chief herdsman",[25] and Gopala"Protector of the 'Go', which means "Soul" or the cows".[26][27] Some names for Krishna hold regional importance; Jagannatha, found in Puri Hindu temple, is a popular incarnation in Odisha state and nearby regions of eastern India.[28][29][30]

Iconography[edit]

Krishna with cows, herdsmen, and Gopis
Krishna is represented in the Indian traditions in many ways, but with some common features. His iconography typically depicts him with black, dark, or blue skin, like Vishnu.[31] However, ancient and medieval reliefs and stone-based arts depict him in the natural color of the material out of which he is formed, both in India and in southeast Asia.[32][33] In some texts, his skin is poetically described as the color of Jambul (Jamun, a purple-colored fruit).[34]
Krishna is often depicted wearing a peacock-feather wreath or crown, and playing the bansuri (Indian flute).[35][36] In this form, he is usually shown standing with one leg bent in front of the other in the Tribhanga posture. He is sometimes accompanied by cows or a calf, which symbolise the divine herdsman Govinda. Alternatively, he is shown as a romantic and seductive man with the gopis (milkmaids), often making music or playing pranks.[37]
Krishna lifting Govardhana at Bharat Kala Bhavan, recovered from a Muslim graveyard in Varanasi. It is dated to the Gupta Empire era (4th/6th-century CE).[38]
In other icons, he is a part of battlefield scenes of the epic Mahabharata. He is shown as a charioteer, notably when he is addressing the Pandava prince Arjuna character, symbolically reflecting the events that led to the Bhagavad Gita – a scripture of Hinduism. In these popular depictions, Krishna appears in the front as the charioteer, either as a counsel listening to Arjuna, or as the driver of the chariot while Arjuna aims his arrows in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.[39][40]
Alternate icons of Krishna show him as a baby (Bala Krishna, the child Krishna), a toddler crawling on his hands and knees, a dancing child, or an innocent-looking child playfully stealing or consuming butter (Makkan Chor),[41] holding Laddu in his hand (Laddu Gopal)[42][43] or as a cosmic infant sucking his toe while floating on a banyan leaf during the Pralaya (the cosmic dissolution) observed by sage Markandeya.[44] Regional variations in the iconography of Krishna are seen in his different forms, such as Jaganatha in Odisha, Vithoba in Maharashtra,[45] Shrinathji in Rajasthan[46][47][47] and Guruvayoorappan in Kerala [48]
Guidelines for the preparation of Krishna icons in design and architecture are described in medieval-era Sanskrit texts on Hindu temple arts such as Vaikhanasa agama, Vishnu dharmottara, Brihat samhita, and Agni Purana.[49] Similarly, early medieval-era Tamil texts also contain guidelines for sculpting Krishna and Rukmini. Several statues made according to these guidelines are in the collections of the Government Museum, Chennai.[50]

Historical and literary sources[edit]

See also: Krishna in the Mahabharata
Krishna is celebrated in the Vaishnava tradition in various stages of his life, such as Maakhan chor (butter thief).[41]
The earliest text containing detailed descriptions of Krishna as a personality is the epic Mahabharata, which depicts Krishna as an incarnation of Vishnu.[51] Krishna is central to many of the main stories of the epic. The eighteen chapters of the sixth book (Bhishma Parva) of the epic that constitute the Bhagavad Gita contain the advice of Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield. The Harivamsa, a later appendix to the Mahabharata contains a detailed version of Krishna's childhood and youth.[52]
The Chandogya Upanishad, estimated to have been composed sometime between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE, has been another source of speculation regarding Krishna in ancient India. Verse 3.17.6 mentions Krishna Devakiputra (Sanskrit: कृष्णाय देवकीपुत्रा) as a student of the sage Ghora Angirasa. This phrase, which means "Krishna the son of Devaki", has been mentioned by scholars such as Max Müller[53] as a potential source of fables and Vedic lore about Krishna in the Mahabharata and other ancient literature – only potential, because this verse could have been interpolated into the text,[53] or the Krishna Devakiputra, could be different from the deity Krishna.[54] These doubts are supported by the fact that the much later age Sandilya Bhakti Sutras, a treatise on Krishna,[55]cites later age compilations such as the Narayana Upanishad but never cites this verse of the Chandogya Upanishad. Other scholars disagree that the Krishna mentioned along with Devika in the ancient Upanishad is unrelated to the later Hindu god of the Bhagavad Gita fame. For example, Archer states that the coincidence of the two names appearing together in the same Upanishad verse cannot be dismissed easily.[56]
Yāska's Nirukta, an etymological dictionary published around the 6th century BCE, contains a reference to the Shyamantaka jewel in the possession of Akrura, a motif from the well-known Puranic story about Krishna.[57] Shatapatha Brahmana and Aitareya-Aranyaka associate Krishna with his Vrishni origins.[58]
Pāṇini, the ancient grammarian and author of Asthadhyayi (probably belonged to the 5th or 6th century BCE), mentions a character called Vāsudeva, son of Vasudeva.[59][60]
Bala Krishna dancing, 14th century CE Cholasculpture, Tamil Nadu, in the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Megasthenes, a Greek ethnographer and an ambassador of Seleucus I to the court of Chandragupta Maurya towards the end of 4th century BCE, made reference to Herakles in his famous work Indica. This text is now lost to history, but was quoted in secondary literature by later Greeks such as Arrian, Diodorus, and Strabo.[61] According to these texts, Megasthenes mentioned that the Sourasenoi tribe of India, who worshipped Herakles, had two major cities named Methora and Kleisobora, and a navigable river named the Jobares. According to Edwin Bryant, a professor of Indian religions known for his publications on Krishna, "there is little doubt that the Sourasenoi refers to the Shurasenas, a branch of the Yadu dynasty to which Krishna belonged".[61] The word Herakles, states Bryant, is likely a Greek phonetic equivalent of Hari-Krishna, as is Methora of Mathura, Kleisobora of Krishnapura, and the Jobares of Jamuna. Later, when Alexander the Great launched his campaign in the northwest Indian subcontinent, his associates recalled that the soldiers of Porus were carrying an image of Herakles.[61]
The Buddhist Pali canon and the Ghata-Jâtaka (No. 454) polemically mention the devotees of Vâsudeva and Baladeva. These texts have many peculiarities and may be a garbled and confused version of the Krishna legends.[62] The texts of Jainism mention these tales as well, also with many peculiarities and different versions, in their legends about Tirthankaras. This inclusion of Krishna-related legends in ancient Buddhist and Jaina literature suggests that Krishna theology was existent and important in the religious landscape observed by non-Hindu traditions of ancient India.[63][64]

Indo-Greek coinage[edit]

Krishna as Vasudeva on a coin of Agathocles of Bactria, c. 180 BCE[65]
Around 180 BCE the Indo-Greek king Agathocles issued some coinage bearing images of deities that are now interpreted as being related to Vaisnava imagery in India.[66][67] The deities displayed on the coins appear to be Vishnu's avatars Balarama-Sankarshana with attributes consisting of the Gada mace and the plow, and Vasudeva-Krishna with attributes of the Shankha(conch) and the Sudarshana Chakra wheel.[68][66] According to Bopearachchi, the headdress on top of the deity is actually a misrepresentation of a shaft with a half-moon parasol on top (chattra).[66]
Heliodorus Pillar in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, erected about 120 BCE. The inscription states that Heliodorus is a Bhagvatena, and a couplet in the inscription closely paraphrases a Sanskrit verse from the Mahabharata.[69][70]
The ancient Sanskrit grammarian Patanjali in his Mahabhashya makes several references to Krishna and his associates found in later Indian texts. In his commentary on Panini's verse 3.1.26, he also uses the word Kamsavadha or the "killing of Kamsa", an important part of the legends surrounding Krishna.[71][72]

Heliodorus pillar and other inscriptions[edit]

A pillar with a Brahmi script inscription was discovered by colonial era archaeologists in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Using modern techniques, it has been dated to between 125 and 100 BCE, and traced to an Indo-Greek who served as an ambassador of the Greek king Antialcidas to a regional Indian king.[66][69] Named after the Indo-Greek, it is now known as the Heliodorus pillar. Its inscription is a dedication to "Vasudeva", another name for Krishna in the Indian tradition. Scholars consider the "Vasudeva" to be referring to a deity, because the inscription states that it was constructed by "the Bhagavata Heliodorus" and that it is a "Garuda pillar" (both are Vishnu-Krishna-related terms). Additionally, the inscription includes a Krishna-related verse from chapter 11.7 of the Mahabharata stating that the path to immortality and heaven is to correctly live a life of three virtues: self-temperance (damah), generosity (cagah or tyaga), and vigilance (apramadah).[69][73][74]
The Heliodorus inscription is not an isolated evidence. Three Hathibada inscriptions and one Ghosundi inscription, all located in the state of Rajasthan and dated by modern methodology to the 1st century BCE, mention Samkarsana and Vasudeva, also mention that the structure was built for their worship. These four inscriptions are notable for being some of the oldest-known Sanskrit inscriptions.[75]
A Mora stone slab found at the Mathura-Vrindavan archaeological site in Uttar Pradesh, held now in the Mathura Museum, has a Brahmi inscription. It is dated to the 1st century CE and lists five Vrishni heroes: Balarama, Krishna, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, and Samba.[76][77][78] Another terracotta plaque from the same site shows an infant being carried by an adult over his head, similar to the legend about Krishna's birth.[76]
Many Puranas tell Krishna's life story or some highlights from it. Two Puranas, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana, contain the most elaborate telling of Krishna's story,[79] but the life stories of Krishna in these and other texts vary, and contain significant inconsistencies.[80][81] The Bhagavata Puranaconsists of twelve books subdivided into 332 chapters, with a cumulative total of between 16,000 and 18,000 verses depending on the version.[82][83] The tenth book of the text, which contains about 4,000 verses (~25%) and is dedicated to legends about Krishna, has been the most popular and widely studied part of this text.[84][85]

Life and legends[edit]

Vasudeva carrying the newborn Krishna to Nand's house in Gokul via the river Yamuna
This summary is a mythological account, based on literary details from the Mahābhārata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana. The scenes from the narrative are set in ancient India, mostly in the present states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat. The legends about Krishna's life are called Krishna charitas (IAST: Kṛṣṇacaritas).[86]

Birth[edit]

In Krishna charitas, Krishna is born to Devaki and her husband, King Vasudeva of the Yadava clan.[87] Devaki's brother is a tyrant named Kamsa. At Devaki's wedding, according to Puranic legends, Kansa is told by fortune tellers that a child of Devaki would kill him. Kansa arranges to kill all of Devaki's children. When Krishna is born, Vasudeva secretly carries the infant Krishna away across the Yamuna and exchanges him. When Kansa tries to kill the newborn, the exchanged baby appears as the Hindu goddess Durga, warning him that his death has arrived in his kingdom, and then disappears, according to the legends in the Puranas. Krishna grows up with Nanda and his wife Yasoda near modern-day Mathura.[88][89][90] Two of Krishna's siblings also survive, namely Balarama and Subhadra, according to these legends.[91] The day of birth of Krishna is celebrated as Krishna Janmashtami.

Childhood and youth[edit]

Krishna playing flute (15th century artwork).
The legends of Krishna's childhood and youth describe him as a cow herder, a mischievous boy whose pranks earns him the nickname a Makhan Chor (butter thief), and a protector who steals the hearts of the people in both Gokul and Vrindavana. The texts state, for example, that Krishna lifts the Govardhana hill to protect the inhabitants of Vrindavana from devastating rains and floods.[92]
Other legends describe him as an enchanter and playful lover of the gopis (milkmaids) of Vrindavana, especially Radha. These metaphor-filled love stories are known as the Rasa lila and were romanticised in the poetry of Jayadeva, author of the Gita Govinda. They are also central to the development of the Krishna bhakti traditions worshiping Radha Krishna.[93]
Krishna's childhood illustrates the Hindu concept of lila, playing for fun and enjoyment and not for sport or gain. His interaction with the gopis at the rasa dance or Rasa-lila is an example. Krishna plays his flute and the gopis come immediately, from whatever they were doing, to the banks of the Yamuna River, and join him in singing and dancing. Even those who could not physically be there join him through meditation. He is the spiritual essence and the love-eternal in existence, the gopis metaphorically represent the prakṛti matter and the impermanent body.[94]
This lila is a constant theme in the legends of Krishna's childhood and youth. Even when he is battling with a serpent to protect others, he is described in Hindu texts as if he were playing a game.[95] This quality of playfulness in Krishna is celebrated during festivals as Rasa-lila and Janmashtami, where Hindus in some regions such as Maharashtra playfully mimic his legends, such as by making human gymnastic pyramids to break open handis (clay pots) hung high in the air to "steal" butter or buttermilk, spilling it all over the group.[96]

Adulthood[edit]

Krishna with his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama and his mount Garuda, Tamil Nadu, India, late 12th–13th century[97]
Krishna legends then describe his return to Mathura. He overthrows and kills the tyrant king, his uncle Kansa after quelling several assassination attempts by Kansa. He reinstates Kansa's father, Ugrasena, as the king of the Yadavas and becomes a leading prince at the court.[98] In one version of the Krishna story, as narrated by Shanta Rao, Krishna after Kamsa's death leads the Yadavas to the newly built city of Dwaraka. Thereafter Pandavas rise. Krishna befriends Arjunaand the other Pandava princes of the Kuru kingdom. Krishna plays a key role in the Mahabharata.[99]
The Bhagavata Purana describes eight wives of Krishna that appear in sequence as (Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti (also called Satya), Bhadra, and Lakshmana (also called Madra).[100] According to Dennis Hudson, this is a metaphor where each of the eight wives signifies a different aspect of him.[101] According to George Williams, Vaishnava texts mention all Gopis as wives of Krishna, but this is spiritual symbolism of devotional relationship and Krishna's complete loving devotion to each and everyone devoted to him.[102] His wife is sometimes called Rohini, Radha, Rukmini, Svaminiji or others.[103] In Krishna-related Hindu traditions, he is most commonly seen with Radha. All of his wives and his lover Radha are considered in the Hindu tradition to be the avatars of the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu.[104][7] Gopis are considered as Radha's many forms and manifestations.[7]

Kurukshetra War and Bhagavad Gita[edit]

Main articles: Kurukshetra War and Bhagavad Gita
Krishna tells the Gita to Arjuna.
According to the epic poem Mahabharata, Krishna becomes Arjuna's charioteer for the Kurukshetra War, but on the condition that he personally will not raise any weapon. Upon arrival at the battlefield, and seeing that the enemies are his family, his grandfather, and his cousins and loved ones, Arjuna is moved and says his heart will not allow him to fight and kill others. He would rather renounce the kingdom and put down his Gandiv (Arjuna's bow). Krishna then advises him about the nature of life, ethics, and morality when one is faced with a war between good and evil, the impermanence of matter, the permanence of the soul and the good, duties and responsibilities, the nature of true peace and bliss and the different types of yoga to reach this state of bliss and inner liberation. This conversation between Krishna and Arjuna is presented as a discourse called the Bhagavad Gita.[105][106][107]

Death and Ascension[edit]

Main article: Mausala Parva
It is stated in the Indian texts that the legendary Kurukshetra War leads to the death of all the hundred sons of Gandhari. On the night before Duryodhana's death, Krishna visits Gandhari to offer his condolences. Feeling that Krishna deliberately did not put an end to the war, in a fit of rage and sorrow Gandhari places a curse on Krishna that he, along with everyone else from his Yadu dynasty, will perish. According to the Mahabharata, a fight breaks out at a festival among the Yadavas, who end up killing each other. Mistaking the sleeping Krishna for a deer, a hunter named Jara shoots an arrow that fatally injures him. Krishna forgives Jara and dies.[108][109][110] The pilgrimage (tirtha) site of Bhalka in Gujaratmarks the location where Krishna is believed to have died. It is also known as Dehotsarga, states Diana L. Eck, a term that literally means the place where Krishna "gave up his body".[109] The Bhagavata Purana in Book 11, chapter 31 states that after his death, Krishna returned to his transcendent abode directly because of his yogic concentration. Waiting gods such as Brahma and Indra were unable to trace the path Krishna took to leave his human incarnation and return to his abode.[111][112]

Versions and interpretations[edit]

There are numerous versions of Krishna's life story, of which three are most studied: the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.[113] They share the basic storyline but vary significantly in their specifics, details, and styles.[114] The most original composition, the Harivamsa is told in a realistic style that describes Krishna's life as a poor herder but weaves in poetic and allusive fantasy. It ends on a triumphal note, not with the death of Krishna.[115] Differing in some details, the fifth book of the Vishnu Purana moves away from Harivamsa realism and embeds Krishna in mystical terms and eulogies.[116] The Vishnu Purana manuscripts exist in many versions.[117]
The tenth and eleventh books of the Bhagavata Purana are widely considered to be a poetic masterpiece, full of imagination and metaphors, with no relation to the realism of pastoral life found in the Harivamsa. Krishna's life is presented as a cosmic play (lila), where his youth is set as a princely life with his foster father Nanda portrayed as a king.[118] Krishna's life is closer to that of a human being in Harivamsa, but is a symbolic universe in the Bhagavata Purana, where Krishna is within the universe and beyond it, as well as the universe itself, always.[119] The Bhagavata Purana manuscripts also exist in many versions, in numerous Indian languages.[120][84]

Proposed datings[edit]

See also: Vedic-Puranic chronology and History of Hinduism
14th-century fresco of Krishna in Udaipur, Rajasthan
The date of Krishna's birth is celebrated every year as Janmashtami.[121]
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 on Indian soil by at least 1000 BCE and interacted with many other historical persons within the cycles of the epic and puranic histories." Yet, Beck also notes that there is an "enormous number of contradictions and discrepancies surrounding the chronology of Krishna's life as depicted in the Sanskrit canon."[122]
Lanvanya Vemsani states that Krishna can be inferred to have lived between 3227 BCE - 3102 BCE from the Puranas.[123] A number of scholars, such as A. K. Bansal, B. V. Raman places Krishna's birth year as 3228 BCE.[124][125] A paper presented in a conference in 2004 by a group of archaeologists, religious scholars and astronomers from Somnath Trust of Gujarat, which was organised at Prabhas Patan, the supposed location of the where Krishna spent his last moments, fixes the death of Sri Krishna on 18 February 3102 BC at the age of 125 years and 7 months.[126][note 2][note 3]
In contrast, according to mythologies in the Jain tradition, Krishna was a cousin of Neminatha, the 22nd Tirthankara of the Jains.[133] Neminatha is believed in the Jain tradition to have been born 84,000 years before the 9th-century BCE Parshvanatha.[134]

Philosophy and theology[edit]

A wide range of theological and philosophical ideas are presented through Krishna in Hindu texts. Ramanuja, a Hindu theologian whose works were influential in Bhakti movement,[135] presented him in terms of qualified monism (Vishishtadvaita).[136] Madhvacharya, a Hindu philosopher whose works led to the founding of Haridasa sect of Vaishnavism,[137] presented Krishna in the framework of dualism (Dvaita).[138] Jiva Goswami, a saint from Gaudiya Vaishnava school,[139] described Krishna theology in terms of Bhakti yoga and Achintya Bheda Abheda.[140] Krishna theology is presented in a pure monism (advaita, called shuddhadvaita) framework by Vallabha Acharya, who was the founder of Pushti sect of vaishnavism.[141][142] Madhusudana Sarasvati, an India philosopher,[143] presented Krishna theology in nondualism-monism framework (Advaita Vedanta), while Adi Shankara, who is credited for unifying and establishing the main currents of thought in Hinduism,[144][145][146] mentioned Krishna in his early eighth-century discussions on Panchayatana puja.[147]
The Bhagavata Purana, a popular text on Krishna considered to be like a scripture in Assam, synthesizes an Advaita, Samkhya, and Yoga framework for Krishna but one that proceeds through loving devotion to Krishna.[148][149][150] Bryant describes the synthesis of ideas in Bhagavata Purana as,
The philosophy of the Bhagavata is a mixture of Vedanta terminology, Samkhyan metaphysics and devotionalized Yoga praxis. (...) The tenth book promotes Krishna as the highest absolute personal aspect of godhead – the personality behind the term Ishvara and the ultimate aspect of Brahman.
— Edwin Bryant, Krishna: A Sourcebook[3]
While Sheridan and Pintchman both affirm Bryant's view, the latter adds that the Vedantic view emphasized in the Bhagavata is non-dualist with a difference. In conventional nondual Vedanta all reality is an interconnected and one, the Bhagavata posits that the reality is interconnected and plural.[151][152]
Across the various theologies and philosophies, the common theme presents Krishna as the essence and symbol of divine love, with human life and love as a reflection of the divine. The longing and love-filled legends of Krishna and the gopis, his playful pranks as a baby,[153] as well as his later dialogues with other characters, are philosophically treated as metaphors for the human longing for the divine and for meaning, and the play between the universals and the human soul.[154][155][156] Krishna's lila is a theology of love-play. According to John Koller, "love is presented not simply as a means to salvation, it is the highest life". Human love is God's love.[157]
Other texts that include Krishna such as the Bhagavad Gita have attracted numerous bhasya (commentaries) in the Hindu traditions.[158] Though only a part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, it has functioned as an independent spiritual guide. It allegorically raises through Krishna and Arjuna the ethical and moral dilemmas of human life, then presents a spectrum of answers, weighing in on the ideological questions on human freedoms, choices, and responsibilities towards self and towards others.[158][159] 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.[158][160][159]

Influence[edit]

Vaishnavism[edit]

Main article: Vaishnavism
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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.[161] However, the exact relationship between Krishna and Vishnu is complex and diverse,[162] with Krishna sometimes considered an independent deity and supreme.[163] 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.[164]
All Vaishnava traditions recognise Krishna as the eighth avatar of Vishnu; others identify Krishna with Vishnu, while traditions such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism,[165][166] Vallabha Sampradaya and the Nimbarka Sampradaya regard Krishna as the Svayam Bhagavan, the original form of Lord or the same as the concept of Brahman in Hinduism.[4][167][168][169][170] Gitagovinda of Jayadeva considers Krishna to be the supreme lord while the ten incarnations are his forms. Swaminarayan, the founder of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, 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.[171] Today the faith has a significant following outside of India as well.[172]

Early traditions[edit]

The deity Krishna-Vasudeva (kṛṣṇa vāsudeva "Krishna, the son of Vasudeva") is historically one of the earliest forms of worship in Krishnaism and Vaishnavism.[15][57] It is believed to be a significant tradition of the early history of Krishna religion in antiquity.[173] 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" (Krishna the lover).[174][175] According to Andre Couture, the Harivamsa contributed to the synthesis of various characters as aspects of Krishna.[176]

Bhakti tradition[edit]

Main articles: Bhakti movement and Bhakti yoga
Krishna has been a major part of the Bhakti movement.
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 sects.[165][177]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.[166][178][179]

Indian subcontinent[edit]

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 Alvarsaints of the Tamil country.[180] A major collection of their works is the Divya Prabandham. The 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.[181][182][183]
Krishna (left) with Radha at Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, England
The movement originated in South India during the 7th CE, spreading northwards from Tamil Nadu through Karnataka and Maharashtra; by the 15th century, it was established in Bengal and northern India.[184] Early Bhakti pioneers include Nimbarka(12th or 13th century CE),[185] but most emerged later, including Vallabhacharya (15th century CE) and (Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. They started their own schools, namely Nimbarka Sampradaya, Vallabha Sampradaya, and Gaudiya Vaishnavism, with Krishna as the supreme god.
In the Deccan, particularly in Maharashtra, saint poets of the Varkari sect such as Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Janabai, Eknath, and Tukaram promoted the worship of Vithoba,[45] a local form of Krishna, from the beginning of the 13th century until the late 18th century.[13] 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.[177]
In South India, the acharyas of the Sri Sampradaya have written reverentially about Krishna in most of their works, including the Thiruppavai by Andal[186] and Gopala Vimshati by Vedanta Desika.[187]
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.[188]

Outside Asia[edit]

An ISKCON temple in Luçay-le-Mâle, France
By 1965 the Krishna-bhakti movement had spread outside India after Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (as instructed by his guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura) traveled 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 Gaudiya tradition, it is the maha-mantra, or great mantra, about Krishna bhakti.[189][190] Its chanting was known as hari-nama sankirtana.[191]
The maha-mantra gained the attention of George Harrison and John Lennon of The Beatles fame,[192] and Harrison produced a 1969 recording of the mantra by devotees from the London Radha Krishna Temple.[193] Titled "Hare Krishna Mantra", the song reached the top twenty on the UK music charts and was also successful in West Germany and Czechoslovakia.[192][194] The mantra of the Upanishad thus helped bring Bhaktivedanta and ISKCON ideas about Krishna into the West.[192] ISCKON has built many Krishna temples in the West, as well as other locations such as South Africa.[195]

Southeast Asia[edit]

Krishna lifts "Govardhan" mountain, a 7th-century artwork from a Da Nang, Vietnam, archaeological site[196][197]
Krishna is found in southeast Asian history and art, but to a far less 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.[198] 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 are found in a series of Krsnayana reliefs in the Prambanan Hindu temple complex near Yogyakarta. These are dated to the 9th century CE.[198][199][200] 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.[201]
The medieval era arts of Vietnam and Cambodia feature Krishna. The earliest surviving sculptures and reliefs are from the 6th and 7th century, and these include Vaishnavism iconography.[196] 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.[196]
Krishna 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 century, from both the Funan and Zhenla periods archaeological sites.[202]

Performance arts[edit]

The Krishna legends in the Bhagavata Purana have inspired many performance arts repertoire, such as Kathak, Kuchipudi(left) and Odissi.[18][16] The Rasa Lila where 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.[203][204] 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.[205]
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 (cowheard maidens), which is theologically supposed to represent divine call only heard by certain enlightened beings.[206] Some of the text's legends have inspired secondary theatre literature such as the eroticism in Gita Govinda.[207]
Krishna-related literature such as the Bhagavata Purana accords a metaphysical significance to the performances and treats them as 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 performance of 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.[208]
Classical dance styles such as Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam in particular are known for their Krishna-related performances.[209] Krisnattam (Krishnattam) traces its origins to Krishna legends, and is linked to another major classical Indian dance form called Kathakali.[210] 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.[17]

Other religions[edit]

Jainism[edit]

Lord Krishna (right) meeting the 22nd Tirthankar, Neminath (left), who is said to be his cousin.
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.[211] 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.[212][213]
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.[214] 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.[215]
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.[216] Partial and older versions of the Krishna story are available in Jain literature, such as in the Antagata Dasao of the Svetambara Agama tradition.[216]
In other Jain texts, Krishna is stated to be a cousin of the twenty-second Tirthankara, Neminatha. The Jain texts state that Naminatha 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.[217]

Buddhism[edit]

Depiction of Krishna playing the flute in a temple constructed in 752 CE 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.[218] The Vidhurapandita Jataka mentions Madhura (Sanskrit: Mathura), the Ghata Jatakamentions Kamsa, Devagabbha (Sk: Devaki), Upasagara or Vasudeva, Govaddhana (Sk: Govardhana), Baladeva (Balarama), and Kanha or Kesava (Sk: Krishna, Keshava).[219][220]
Like the Jaina versions of the Krishna legends, the Buddhist versions such as one in Ghata Jataka follow the general outline of the story,[221] but are different from the Hindu versions as well.[219][63] 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.[222]
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.[223] The Jataka tale also includes an 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.[222]
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[224]
While the Buddhist Jataka texts co-opt Krishna-Vasudeva and make him a student of the Buddha in his previous life,[224] the Hindu texts co-opt the Buddha and make him an avatar of Vishnu.[225][226] The 'divine boy' Krishna as an embodiment of wisdom and endearing prankster forms a part of the pantheon of gods in Japanese Buddhism.[227]

Other[edit]

Krishna is mentioned as Krishna Avtar in the Chaubis Avtar, a composition in Dasam Granth traditionally and historically attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.[228]
Bahá'ís 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 Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh.[229][230]
Ahmadiyya, a 20th century Islamic movement, consider Krishna as one of their ancient prophets.[231][232][233] Ghulam Ahmad stated that he was himself a prophet in the likeness of prophets such as Krishna, Jesus, and Muhammad,[234] 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.[235] 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.[236][237]
Krishna was canonised by Aleister Crowley and is recognised as a saint of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica in the Gnostic Mass of Ordo Templi Orientis.[238][239]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. Jump up^ The regional texts vary in the identity of Krishna's wife (consort), some presenting it as Rukmini, some as Radha, some as Svaminiji, some adding all gopis, and some identifying all to be different aspects or manifestation of one Devi Lakshmi.[6][7]
  2. Jump up^ The death date was deduced from Puranic hints such as the Matsya Purana mention which says Krishna was 89 years old when the Kurukshetran War was fought and the verses from Mahabharata which states that Sri Krishna lived 36 years after the Kurukshetra war.[126]
  3. Jump up^ Scholars such as Ludo Rocher and Hazra state that the Puranas are not a reliable source for Indian history, because the content therein about kings, various peoples, sages, and kingdoms is highly inconsistent across the manuscripts. They state that these stories are probably based in part on real events, in part on hagiography, and in part embellished by expansive imagination.[127][128] Dimmitt and van Buitenen state that it is difficult to ascertain when, where, why and by whom the Puranas were written, and they grew by "numerous accretions in successive historical eras" where people added or changed the text at random.[129] Their reliability has also suffered from the way surviving manuscripts were copied over the centuries.[130][131] The liberties in the transmission of Puranas were normal and those who copied older manuscripts replaced words or added new content.[132][131]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jump up to:a b Ben-Ami Scharfstein (1993). Ineffability: The Failure of Words in Philosophy and Religion. State University of New York Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-7914-1347-0., Quote: "Krishna, god of love, (...)"
  2. ^ Jump up to:a b Edwin Bryant & Maria Ekstrand 2004, pp. 20–25, Quote: "Three Dimensions of Krishna's Divinity (...) divine majesty and supremacy; (...) divine tenderness and intimacy; (...) compassion and protection.; (..., p.24) Krishna as the God of Love".
  3. ^ Jump up to:a b Bryant 2007, p. 114.
  4. ^ Jump up to:a b K. Klostermaier (1997). The Charles Strong Trust Lectures, 1972–1984. Crotty, Robert B. Brill Academic Pub. p. 109. ISBN 90-04-07863-0. "(...) After attaining to fame eternal, he again took up his real nature as Brahman. The most important among Visnu's avataras is undoubtedly Krsna, the black one, also called Syama. For his worshippers he is not an avatara in the usual sense, but Svayam Bhagavan, the Lord himself.
  5. Jump up^ Raychaudhuri 1972, p. 124
  6. ^ Jump up to:a b John Stratton Hawley, Donna Marie Wulff (1982). The Divine Consort: Rādhā and the Goddesses of India. Motilal Banarsidass Publisher. p. 12. ISBN 9780895811028.
  7. ^ Jump up to:a b c Bryant 2007, p. 443.
  8. Jump up^ "Krishna". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
  9. Jump up^ "Krishna". Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
  10. Jump up^ Freda Matchett (2001). Krishna, Lord Or Avatara?. Psychology Press. p. 199. ISBN 9780700712816.
  11. Jump up^ James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 314–315. ISBN 978-0823931798.
  12. Jump up^ Richard Thompson, Ph.D. (December 1994). "Reflections on the Relation Between Religion and Modern Rationalism". Archived from the original on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
  13. ^ Jump up to:a b Mahony, W. K. (1987). "Perspectives on Krsna's Various Personalities". History of Religions. American Oriental Society. 26 (3): 333–335. doi:10.1086/463085. JSTOR 1062381., Quote: "Krsna's various appearances as a divine hero, alluring god child, cosmic prankster, perfect lover, and universal supreme being (...)".
  14. Jump up^ Knott 2000, pp. 15, 36, 56
  15. ^ Jump up to:a b Hein, Norvin (1986). "A Revolution in Kṛṣṇaism: The Cult of Gopāla". History of Religions. 25 (4): 296–317. doi:10.1086/463051. JSTOR 1062622.
  16. ^ Jump up to:a b Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey (2013), The Bhagavata Purana, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149990, pages 185–200
  17. ^ Jump up to:a b Bryant 2007, pp. 118.
  18. ^ Jump up to:a b ML Varadpande (1987), History of Indian Theatre, Vol 1, Abhinav, ISBN 978-8170172215, pages 98–99
  19. Jump up^ J. Gordon Melton (2011). Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations. ABC-CLIO. pp. 330–331. ISBN 978-1-59884-205-0.
  20. Jump up^ Cynthia Packert (2010). The Art of Loving Krishna: Ornamentation and Devotion. Indiana University Press. pp. 5, 70–71, 181–187. ISBN 0-253-22198-6.
  21. Jump up^ Lavanya Vemsani (2016). Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-1-61069-211-3.
  22. Jump up^ Selengut, Charles (1996). "Charisma and Religious Innovation:Prabhupada and the Founding of ISKCON". ISKCON Communications Journal. 4 (2). Archived from the original on 10 July 2012.
  23. ^ Jump up to:a b
  24. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, p. 382
  25. Jump up^ Monier Monier Williams, Go-vinda, Sanskrit English Dictionary and Ettymology, Oxford University Press, p. 336, 3rd column
  26. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, p. 17
  27. Jump up^ Hiltebeitel, Alf (2001). Rethinking the Mahābhārata: a reader's guide to the education of the dharma king. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 251–53, 256, 259. ISBN 0-226-34054-6.
  28. Jump up^ B. M. Misra. Orissa: Shri Krishna Jagannatha: the Mushali parva from Sarala's Mahabharata. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0-19-514891-6.
  29. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, p. 139.
  30. Jump up^ For the historic Jagannath temple in Ranchi, Jharkhand see: Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt (1989). Chota Nagpur, a Little-known Province of the Empire. Asian Educational Services (Orig: 1903). pp. 61–64. ISBN 978-81-206-1287-7.
  31. Jump up^ T. Richard Blurton (1993). Hindu Art. Harvard University Press. pp. 133–134. ISBN 978-0-674-39189-5.
  32. Jump up^ Guy, John (7 April 2014). Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia. Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 222–223. ISBN 978-1-58839-524-5.
  33. Jump up^ [a] Cooler, Richard M. (1978). "Sculpture, Kingship, and the Triad of Phnom Da". Artibus Asiae. JSTOR. 40 (1): 29. doi:10.2307/3249812. JSTOR 3249812.;
    [b] Bertrand Porte (2006), "La statue de Kṛṣṇa Govardhana du Phnom Da du Musée National de Phnom Penh." UDAYA, Journal of Khmer Studies, Volume 7, pages 199-205
  34. Jump up^ Vishvanatha, Cakravarti Thakura (2011). Sarartha-darsini(Bhanu Swami ed.). Sri Vaikunta Enterprises. p. 790. ISBN 978-81-89564-13-1.
  35. Jump up^ The Encyclopedia Americana. [s.l.]: Grolier. 1988. p. 589. ISBN 0-7172-0119-8.
  36. Jump up^ Benton, William (1974). The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. p. 885. ISBN 9780852292907.
  37. Jump up^ Harle, J. C. (1994). The art and architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press. p. 410. ISBN 0-300-06217-6. figure 327. Manaku, Radha's messenger describing Krishna standing with the cow-girls, gopifrom Basohli.
  38. Jump up^ Diana L. Eck (1982). Banaras, City of Light. Columbia University Press. pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-0-231-11447-9.
  39. Jump up^ Ariel Glucklich (2008). The Strides of Vishnu: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective. Oxford University Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-19-971825-2.
  40. Jump up^ T. A. Gopinatha Rao (1993). Elements of Hindu iconography. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 210–212. ISBN 978-81-208-0878-2.
  41. ^ Jump up to:a b John Stratton Hawley (2014). Krishna, The Butter Thief. Princeton University Press. pp. 3–8. ISBN 978-1-4008-5540-7.
  42. Jump up^ Hoiberg, Dale; Ramchandani, Indu (2000). Students' Britannica India. Popular Prakashan. p. 251. ISBN 9780852297605.
  43. Jump up^ Satsvarupa dasa Goswami (1998). "The Qualities of Sri Krsna". GNPress: 152 pages. ISBN 0-911233-64-4.
  44. Jump up^ Stuart Cary Welch (1985). India: Art and Culture, 1300–1900. Metropolitan Museum of Art,. p. 58. ISBN 0030061148.
  45. ^ Jump up to:a b Vithoba is not only viewed as a form of Krishna. He is also by some considered that of Vishnu, Shiva and Gautama Buddha according to various traditions. See: Kelkar, Ashok R. (2001) [1992]. "Sri-Vitthal: Ek Mahasamanvay (Marathi) by R. C. Dhere". Encyclopaedia of Indian literature. 5. Sahitya Akademi. p. 4179. ISBN 9788126012213. Retrieved 2008-09-20. and Mokashi, Digambar Balkrishna; Engblom, Philip C. (1987). Palkhi: a pilgrimage to Pandharpur — translated from the Marathi book Pālakhī by Philip C. Engblom. Albany: State University of New York Press. p. 35. ISBN 0-88706-461-2.
  46. Jump up^ Tryna Lyons (2004). The Artists of Nathadwara: The Practice of Painting in Rajasthan. Indiana University Press. pp. 16–22. ISBN 0-253-34417-4.
  47. ^ Jump up to:a b Official website of Nathdwara Temple of Shrinathji
  48. Jump up^ Kunissery Ramakrishnier Vaidyanathan (1992). Sri Krishna, the Lord of Guruvayur. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. pp. 2–5.
  49. Jump up^ T. A. Gopinatha Rao (1993). Elements of Hindu iconography. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 201–204. ISBN 978-81-208-0878-2.
  50. Jump up^ T. A. Gopinatha Rao (1993). Elements of Hindu iconography. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 204–208. ISBN 978-81-208-0878-2.
  51. Jump up^ Wendy Doniger (2008). "Britannica: Mahabharata". encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  52. Jump up^ Maurice Winternitz (1981), History of Indian Literature, Vol. 1, Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-0836408010, pages 426–431
  53. ^ Jump up to:a b Max Müller, Chandogya Upanishad 3.16–3.17, The Upanishads, Part I, Oxford University Press, pages 50–53 with footnotes
  54. Jump up^ Edwin Bryant and Maria Ekstrand (2004), The Hare Krishna Movement, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231122566, pages 33–34 with note 3
  55. Jump up^ Sandilya Bhakti Sutra SS Rishi (Translator), Sree Gaudia Math (Madras)
  56. Jump up^ WG Archer (2004), The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry, Dover, ISBN 978-0486433714, page 5
  57. ^ Jump up to:a b Bryant 2007, p. 4
  58. Jump up^ Sunil Kumar Bhattacharya Krishna-cult in Indian Art. 1996 M. D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 81-7533-001-5 p.128: Satha-patha-brahmana and Aitareya-Aranyaka with reference to first chapter.
  59. Jump up^ [1] Archived 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  60. Jump up^ Pâṇ. IV. 3. 98, Vâsudevârjunâbhyâm vun. See Bhandarkar, Vaishnavism and Śaivism, p. 3 and J.R.A.S. 1910, p. 168. Sûtra 95, just above, appears to point to bhakti, faith or devotion, felt for this Vâsudeva.
  61. ^ Jump up to:a b c Bryant 2007, p. 5.
  62. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, pp. 5–6.
  63. ^ Jump up to:a b Bryant 2007, p. 6.
  64. Jump up^ Hemacandra Abhidhânacintâmani, Ed. Boehtlingk and Rien, p. 128, and Barnett's translation of the Antagada Dasāo, pp. 13–15 and 67–82.
  65. Jump up^ Osmund Bopearachchi, Emergence of Viṣṇu and Śiva Images in India: Numismatic and Sculptural Evidence, 2016.
  66. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Osmund Bopearachchi, 2016, Emergence of Viṣṇu and Śiva Images in India: Numismatic and Sculptural Evidence
  67. Jump up^ Audouin, Rémy, and Paul Bernard, "Trésor de monnaies indiennes et indo-grecques d'Aï Khanoum (Afghanistan). II. Les monnaies indo-grecques." Revue numismatique 6, no. 16 (1974), pp. 6–41 (in French).
  68. Jump up^ Nilakanth Purushottam Joshi, Iconography of Balarāma, Abhinav Publications, 1979, p. 22
  69. ^ Jump up to:a b c F. R. Allchin; George Erdosy (1995). The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States. Cambridge University Press. pp. 309–310. ISBN 978-0-521-37695-2.
  70. Jump up^ L. A. Waddell (1914), Besnagar Pillar Inscription B Re-Interpreted, The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Cambridge University Press, pp.  1031–1037
  71. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, p. 5
  72. Jump up^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam, ed. India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 73.
  73. Jump up^ Richard Salomon (1998). Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the other Indo-Aryan Languages. Oxford University Press. pp. 265–267. ISBN 978-0-19-535666-3.
  74. Jump up^ Benjamín Preciado-Solís (1984). The Kṛṣṇa Cycle in the Purāṇas: Themes and Motifs in a Heroic Saga. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-89581-226-1.
  75. Jump up^ Richard Salomon (1998). Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages. Oxford University Press. pp. 86–87. ISBN 978-0-19-509984-3.
  76. ^ Jump up to:a b Manohar Laxman Varadpande (1982). Krishna Theatre in India. Abhinav Publications. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-81-7017-151-5.
  77. Jump up^ Barnett, Lionel David (1922). Hindu Gods and Heroes: Studies in the History of the Religion of India. J. Murray. p. 93.
  78. Jump up^ Puri, B. N. (1968). India in the Time of Patanjali. Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan.Page 51: The coins of Rajuvula have been recovered from the Sultanpur District...the Brahmi inscription on the Mora stone slab, now in the Mathura Museum,
  79. Jump up^ Elkman, S. M.; Gosvami, J. (1986). Jiva Gosvamin's Tattvasandarbha: A Study on the Philosophical and Sectarian Development of the Gaudiya Vaisnava Movement. Motilal Banarsidass.
  80. Jump up^ Rocher 1986, pp. 18, 49–53, 245–249.
  81. Jump up^ Gregory Bailey (2003). Arvind Sharma, ed. The Study of Hinduism. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 141–142. ISBN 978-1-57003-449-7.
  82. Jump up^ Barbara Holdrege (2015), Bhakti and Embodiment, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415670708, pp. 109–110
  83. Jump up^ Richard Thompson (2007), The Cosmology of the Bhagavata Purana 'Mysteries of the Sacred Universe, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120819191
  84. ^ Jump up to:a b Bryant 2007, p. 112.
  85. Jump up^ Matchett 2001, pp. 127–137.
  86. Jump up^ Matchett 2001, p. 145.
  87. Jump up^ The Poems of Sūradāsa. Abhinav publications. 1999.
  88. Jump up^ "Yashoda and Krishna". Metmuseum.org. 2011-10-10. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  89. Jump up^ Sanghi, Ashwin (2012). The Krishna key. Chennai: Westland. p. Key7. ISBN 9789381626689. Retrieved 9 June2016.
  90. Jump up^ Lok Nath Soni (2000). The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, Delhi: Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, 2000 Original from the University of Michigan. p. 16. ISBN 978-8185579573.
  91. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, pp. 124–130,224
  92. Jump up^ Lynne Gibson (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam-Webster. p. 503.
  93. Jump up^ Schweig, G. M. (2005). Dance of divine love: The Rasa Lila of Krishna from the Bhagavata Purana, India's classic sacred love story. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ; Oxford. ISBN 0-691-11446-3.
  94. Jump up^ Largen, Kristin Johnston. God at Play: Seeing God Through the Lens of the Young Krishna. Wiley-Blackwell. 1 September 2011. p. 256.
  95. Jump up^ Largen, Kristin Johnston. God at Play: Seeing God Through the Lens of the Young Krishna. Wiley-Blackwell. 1 September 2011. p. 255.
  96. Jump up^ Largen, Kristin Johnston. God at Play: Seeing God Through the Lens of the Young Krishna. Wiley-Blackwell. 1 September 2011. p. 253–261.
  97. Jump up^ "Krishna Rajamannar with His Wives, Rukmini and Satyabhama, and His Mount, Garuda | LACMA Collections". collections.lacma.org. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
  98. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, p. 290
  99. Jump up^ Rao, Shanta Rameshwar (2005). Krishna. New Delhi: Orient Longman. p. 108. ISBN 9788125026969.
  100. Jump up^ D Dennis Hudson (27 August 2008). The Body of God : An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram: An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram. Oxford University Press. pp. 263–4. ISBN 978-0-19-970902-1. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  101. Jump up^ D Dennis Hudson (27 August 2008). The Body of God : An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram: An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram. Oxford University Press. pp. 102–103, 263–273. ISBN 978-0-19-970902-1. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  102. Jump up^ George Mason Williams (18 June 2008). Handbook of Hindu Mythology. Oxford University Press. pp. 188, 222. ISBN 978-0-19-533261-2. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  103. Jump up^ John Stratton Hawley, Donna Marie Wulff (1982). The Divine Consort: Rādhā and the Goddesses of India. Motilal Banarsidass Publisher. p. 12. ISBN 9780895811028., Quote: "The regional texts vary in the identity of Krishna's wife (consort), some presenting it as Rukmini, some as Radha, some as Svaminiji, some adding all gopis, and some identifying all to be different aspects or manifestation of one Devi Lakshmi."
  104. Jump up^ Rosen 2006, p. 136
  105. Jump up^ Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, by Robert N. Minor in Bryant 2007, pp. 77–79
  106. Jump up^ Jeaneane D. Fowler (2012). The Bhagavad Gita: A Text and Commentary for Students. Sussex Academic Press. pp. 1–7. ISBN 978-1-84519-520-5.
  107. Jump up^ Eknath Easwaran (2007). The Bhagavad Gita: (Classics of Indian Spirituality). Nilgiri Press. pp. 21–59. ISBN 978-1-58638-019-9.
  108. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, pp. 148
  109. ^ Jump up to:a b Diana L. Eck (2012). India: A Sacred Geography. Harmony. pp. 380–381. ISBN 978-0-385-53190-0., Quote: "Krishna was shot through the foot, hand, and heart by the single arrow of a hunter named Jara. Krishna was reclining there, so they say, and Jara mistook his reddish foot for a deer and released his arrow. There Krishna died."
  110. Jump up^ Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. p. 429. ISBN 0-8426-0822-2.
  111. Jump up^ Edwin Bryant (2003). Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God: Srimad Bhagavata Purana. Penguin. pp. 417–418. ISBN 978-0-14-191337-7.
  112. Jump up^ Largen, Kristin Johnston (2011). Baby Krishna, Infant Christ: A Comparative Theology of Salvation. Orbis Books. p. 44. ISBN 1608330184.
  113. Jump up^ Matchett 2001, pp. 9–14, 145–149.
  114. Jump up^ Benjamín Preciado-Solís (1984). The Kṛṣṇa Cycle in the Purāṇas: Themes and Motifs in a Heroic Saga. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-89581-226-1., Quote: "Within a period of four or five centuries [around the start of the common era], we encounter our major sources of information, all in different versions. The Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Visnu Purana, the Ghata Jataka, and the Bala Carita all appear between the first and the fifth century AD, and each of them represents a tradition of a Krsna cycle different from the others".
  115. Jump up^ Matchett 2001, pp. 145, 44–49, 63–64.
  116. Jump up^ Matchett 2001, pp. 146, 89–104.
  117. Jump up^ Rocher 1986, pp. 18, 245–249.
  118. Jump up^ Matchett 2001, pp. 146–147, 108–115.
  119. Jump up^ Matchett 2001, pp. 145–149.
  120. Jump up^ Rocher 1986, pp. 138–149.
  121. Jump up^ Knott, Kim (2000). Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0-19-285387-2.
  122. Jump up^ Beck, Guy (2012-02). Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity. Suny Press. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9780791483411. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  123. Jump up^ Vemsani, Lavanya (2016). Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names. ABC-CLIO. p. 212.
  124. Jump up^ Bhatt, Saligram (2008). Kashmiri Scholars Contribution to Knowledge and World Peace. APH Publishing. ISBN 9788131304020.
  125. Jump up^ "Notable Horoscopes Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1991, ISBN 8120809009,9788120809000". Retrieved 30 December2015.
  126. ^ Jump up to:a b Cite error: The named reference TOI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  127. Jump up^ RC Hazra (1987), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120804227, pages 6–9 with footnotes.
  128. Jump up^ Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 115–121 with footnotes.
  129. Jump up^ Dimmitt & van Buitenen 2012, p. 5.
  130. Jump up^ Rocher 1986, pp. 49-53.
  131. ^ Jump up to:a b Avril Ann Powell (2010). Scottish Orientalists and India: The Muir Brothers, Religion, Education and Empire. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 130, 128–134, 87–90. ISBN 978-1-84383-579-0.
  132. Jump up^ Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pp=49-53
  133. Jump up^ Sangave 2001, p. 104.
  134. Jump up^ Zimmer 1953, p. 226.
  135. Jump up^ Hermann Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund (2004). A History of India. Routledge. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-415-32920-0.
  136. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, pp. 329–334 (Francis X Clooney).
  137. Jump up^ Sharma; B. N. Krishnamurti (2000). A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 514–516. ISBN 978-8120815759.
  138. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, pp. 358–365 (Deepak Sarma).
  139. Jump up^ Tripurari, Swami. "The Life of Sri Jiva Goswami". Harmonist. Archived from the original on 24 March 2013.
  140. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, pp. 373–378 (Satyanarayana Dasa).
  141. Jump up^ Jindel, Rajendra (1976). Culture of a Sacred Town: A Sociological Study of Nathdwara. Popular Prakashan. pp. 34, 37. ISBN 9788171540402.
  142. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, pp. 479–480 (Richard Barz).
  143. Jump up^ William R. Pinch (1996). "Soldier Monks and Militant Sadhus". In David Ludden. Contesting the Nation. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 148–150. ISBN 9780812215854.
  144. Jump up^ Johannes de Kruijf and Ajaya Sahoo (2014), Indian Transnationalism Online: New Perspectives on Diaspora, ISBN 978-1-4724-1913-2, page 105, Quote: "In other words, according to Adi Shankara's argument, the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta stood over and above all other forms of Hinduism and encapsulated them. This then united Hinduism; (...) Another of Adi Shankara's important undertakings which contributed to the unification of Hinduism was his founding of a number of monastic centers."
  145. Jump up^ Shankara, Student's Encyclopedia Britannia – India (2000), Volume 4, Encyclopaedia Britannica (UK) Publishing, ISBN 978-0-85229-760-5, page 379, Quote: "Shankaracharya, philosopher and theologian, most renowned exponent of the Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy, from whose doctrines the main currents of modern Indian thought are derived.";
    David Crystal (2004), The Penguin Encyclopedia, Penguin Books, page 1353, Quote: "[Shankara] is the most famous exponent of Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy and the source of the main currents of modern Hindu thought."
  146. Jump up^ Christophe Jaffrelot (1998), The Hindu Nationalist Movement in India, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0-231-10335-0, page 2, Quote: "The main current of Hinduism – if not the only one – which became formalized in a way that approximates to an ecclesiastical structure was that of Shankara".
  147. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, pp. 313–318 (Lance Nelson).
  148. Jump up^ Sheridan 1986, pp. 1–2, 17–25.
  149. Jump up^ Kumar Das 2006, pp. 172–173.
  150. Jump up^ Brown 1983, pp. 553–557.
  151. Jump up^ Tracy Pintchman (1994), The rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791421123, pages 132–134
  152. Jump up^ Sheridan 1986, pp. 17–21.
  153. Jump up^ John Stratton Hawley (2014). Krishna, The Butter Thief. Princeton University Press. pp. 10, 170. ISBN 978-1-4008-5540-7.
  154. Jump up^ Krishna: Hindu Deity, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2015)
  155. Jump up^ John M Koller (2016). The Indian Way: An Introduction to the Philosophies & Religions of India. Routledge. pp. 210–215. ISBN 978-1-315-50740-8.
  156. Jump up^ Vaudeville, Ch. (1962). "Evolution of Love-Symbolism in Bhagavatism". Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 82 (1): 31. doi:10.2307/595976. JSTOR 595976.
  157. Jump up^ John M Koller (2016). The Indian Way: An Introduction to the Philosophies & Religions of India. Routledge. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-315-50740-8.
  158. ^ Jump up to:a b c Juan Mascaró (1962). The Bhagavad Gita. Penguin. pp. xxvi–xxviii. ISBN 978-0-14-044918-1.
  159. ^ Jump up to:a b Georg Feuerstein; Brenda Feuerstein (2011). The Bhagavad-Gita: A New Translation. Shambhala Publications. pp. ix–xi. ISBN 978-1-59030-893-6.
  160. Jump up^ Nicholas F. Gier (2004). The Virtue of Nonviolence: From Gautama to Gandhi. State University of New York Press. pp. 36–40. ISBN 978-0-7914-5949-2.
  161. Jump up^ John Dowson (2003). Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History and Literature. Kessinger Publishing. p. 361. ISBN 0-7661-7589-8.
  162. Jump up^ See Beck, Guy, "Introduction" in Beck 2005, pp. 1–18
  163. Jump up^ Knott 2000, p. 55
  164. Jump up^ Flood 1996, p. 117.
  165. ^ Jump up to:a b See McDaniel, June, "Folk Vaishnavism and Ṭhākur Pañcāyat: Life and status among village Krishna statues" in Beck 2005, p. 39
  166. ^ Jump up to:a b Kennedy, M. T. (1925). The Chaitanya Movement: A Study of the Vaishnavism of Bengal. H. Milford, Oxford university press.
  167. Jump up^ Indian Philosophy & Culture, Volume 20. Institute of Oriental Philosophy (Vrindāvan, India), Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Vaishnava Research Institute, contributors. The Institute. 1975. p. 148. On the touch-stone of this definition of the final and positive characteristic of Sri Krsna as the Highest Divinity as Svayam-rupa Bhagavan
  168. Jump up^ Delmonico, N., The History Of Indic Monotheism And Modern Chaitanya Vaishnavism in Edwin Bryant & Maria Ekstrand 2004
  169. Jump up^ De, S. K. (1960). Bengal's contribution to Sanskrit literature & studies in Bengal Vaisnavism. KL Mukhopadhyaya.p. 113: "The Bengal School identifies the Bhagavat with Krishna depicted in the Shrimad-Bhagavata and presents him as its highest personal God."
  170. Jump up^ Bryant 2007, p. 381
  171. Jump up^ "Vaishnava". encyclopedia. Division of Religion and Philosophy University of Cumbria. Archived from the originalon 5 February 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2008., University of Cumbria website Retrieved on 5-21-2008
  172. Jump up^ Graham M. Schweig (2005). Dance of Divine Love: The Rڄasa Lڄilڄa of Krishna from the Bhڄagavata Purڄa. na, India's classic sacred love story. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. Front Matter. ISBN 0-691-11446-3.
  173. Jump up^ Bhattacharya, Gouriswar: Vanamala of Vasudeva-Krsna-Visnu and Sankarsana-Balarama. In: Vanamala. Festschrift A. J. Gail. Serta Adalberto Joanni Gail LXV. diem natalem celebranti ab amicis collegis discipulis dedicata.
  174. Jump up^ Klostermaier, Klaus K. (2005). A Survey of Hinduism. State University of New York Press; 3 edition. pp. 203–204. ISBN 0-7914-7081-4. Present day Krishna worship is an amalgam of various elements. According to historical testimonies Krishna-Vasudeva worship already flourished in and around Mathura several centuries before Christ. A second important element is the cult of Krishna Govinda. Still later is the worship of Bala-Krishna, the Child Krishna—a quite prominent feature of modern Krishnaism. The last element seems to have been Krishna Gopijanavallabha, Krishna the lover of the Gopis, among whom Radha occupies a special position. In some books Krishna is presented as the founder and first teacher of the Bhagavata religion.
  175. Jump up^ Basham, A. L. (May 1968). "Review: Krishna: Myths, Rites, and Attitudes. by Milton Singer; Daniel H. H. Ingalls". The Journal of Asian Studies. 27 (3): 667–670. doi:10.2307/2051211. JSTOR 2051211.
  176. Jump up^ Couture, André (2006). "The emergence of a group of four characters (Vasudeva, Samkarsana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha) in the Harivamsa: points for consideration". Journal of Indian Philosophy. 34 (6): 571–585. doi:10.1007/s10781-006-9009-x.
  177. ^ Jump up to:a b Klostermaier, K. (1974). "The Bhaktirasamrtasindhubindu of Visvanatha Cakravartin". Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 94 (1): 96–107. doi:10.2307/599733. JSTOR 599733.
  178. Jump up^ Jacobsen, Knut A., ed. (2005). Theory And Practice of Yoga: Essays in Honour of Gerald James Larson. Brill Academic Publishers. p. 351. ISBN 90-04-14757-8.
  179. Jump up^ Christopher Key Chapple (Editor) and Winthrop Sargeant (Translator), The Bhagavad Gita: Twenty-fifth–Anniversary Edition, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-1438428420, pages 302–303, 318
  180. Jump up^ Vaudeville, C. (1962). "Evolution of Love-Symbolism in Bhagavatism". Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 82 (1): 31–40. doi:10.2307/595976. JSTOR 595976.
  181. Jump up^ Bowen, Paul (1998). Themes and issues in Hinduism. London: Cassell. pp. 64–65. ISBN 0-304-33851-6.
  182. Jump up^ Radhakrisnasarma, C. (1975). Landmarks in Telugu Literature: A Short Survey of Telugu Literature. Lakshminarayana Granthamala.
  183. Jump up^ Sisir Kumar Das (2005). A History of Indian Literature, 500–1399: From Courtly to the Popular. Sahitya Akademi. p. 49. ISBN 81-260-2171-3.
  184. Jump up^ Schomer & McLeod (1987), pp. 1–2
  185. Jump up^ Nimbarka, Encyclopaedia Britannica
  186. Jump up^ "Thiruppavai". Ibiblio. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
  187. Jump up^ Desika, Vedanta. "Gopala Vimshati". Ibiblio, Sripedia. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
  188. Jump up^ Jaganathan, Maithily (2005). "Sri Krishna Jayanti". South Indian Hindu festivals and traditions (1st ed.). New Delhi: Abhinav Publication. pp. 104–105. ISBN 81-7017-415-5.
  189. Jump up^ Bryant 2013, p. 42.
  190. Jump up^ Alanna Kaivalya (2014), Sacred Sound: Discovering the Myth and Meaning of Mantra and Kirtan, New World, ISBN 978-1608682430, pages 153–154
  191. Jump up^ Srila Prabhupada — He Built a House in which the whole world can live in peace, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1984, ISBN 0-89213-133-0 page xv
  192. ^ Jump up to:a b c Charles Brooks (1989), The Hare Krishnas in India, Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-8120809390, pages 83–85
  193. Jump up^ Peter Lavezzoli (2006), The Dawn of Indian Music in the West, Continuum, ISBN 0-8264-2819-3, page 195
  194. Jump up^ Peter Clarke (2005), Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415267076, page 308 Quote: "There they captured the imagination of The Beatles, particularly George Harrison who helped them produce a chart topping record of the Hare Krishna mantra (1969) and ...".
  195. Jump up^ Brian A. Hatcher (5 October 2015). Hinduism in the Modern World. Routledge. pp. 118–119. ISBN 978-1-135-04631-6.
  196. ^ Jump up to:a b c John Guy (2014). Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia. Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 17, 146–148. ISBN 978-1-58839-524-5.
  197. Jump up^ Anne-Valérie Schweyer; Paisarn Piemmettawat (2011). Viêt Nam ancien: histoire arts archéologie. Editions Olizane. p. 388. ISBN 978-2-88086-396-8.
  198. ^ Jump up to:a b Marijke J. Klokke 2000, pp. 19–23.
  199. Jump up^ J Fontein (1997). Nataskha Eilenberg; et al., eds. Living a life in accord with Dhamma: papers in honor of professor Jean Boisselier on his eightieth birthday. Silpakorn University. pp. 191–204.
  200. Jump up^ Triguṇa (Mpu.); Suwito Santoso (1986). Krĕṣṇāyana: The Krĕṣṇa Legend in Indonesia. IAIC. OCLC 15488486.
  201. Jump up^ Marijke J. Klokke 2000, pp. 19–23, for reliefs details see 24–41.
  202. Jump up^ John Guy; Pierre Baptiste; Lawrence Becker; et al. (2014). Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia. Yale University Press. pp. 222–223. ISBN 978-0-300-20437-7.
  203. Jump up^ Beck 1993, pp. 107–108.
  204. Jump up^ PV Kane, History of Sanskrit Poetics, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120802742 (2015 Reprint), pages 10–41
  205. Jump up^ Varadpande 1987, pp. 92–94.
  206. Jump up^ Vemsani, Lavanya (2016). "Music and Krishna". Krishna in history thought and culture. California: ABC-Clio LLC. pp. 179–180. ISBN 978-1-61069-210-6.
  207. Jump up^ Graham Schweig ( 2007), Encyclopedia of Love in World Religions (Editor: Yudit Kornberg Greenberg), Volume 1, ISBN 978-1851099801, pages 247–249
  208. Jump up^ Varadpande 1987, pp. 95–97.
  209. Jump up^ Varadpande 1987, p. 98.
  210. Jump up^ Zarrilli, P. B. (2000). Kathakali Dance-Drama: Where Gods and Demons Come to Play. Routledge. p. 246.
  211. Jump up^ Jaini, P. S. (1993), Jaina Puranas: A Puranic Counter Tradition, ISBN 978-0-7914-1381-4
  212. Jump up^ Upinder Singh 2016, p. 26.
  213. Jump up^ See Jerome H. Bauer "Hero of Wonders, Hero in Deeds: "Vasudeva Krishna in Jaina Cosmohistory" in Beck 2005, pp. 167–169
  214. Jump up^ Cort, J. E. (1993), Wendy Doniger, ed., An Overview of the Jaina Puranas, in Purana Perennis, pp. 220–233, ISBN 9781438401362
  215. Jump up^ Helmuth von Glasenapp (1999). Jainism: An Indian Religion of Salvation. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 316–318. ISBN 978-81-208-1376-2.
  216. ^ Jump up to:a b Cort, J. E. (1993), Wendy Doniger, ed., An Overview of the Jaina Puranas, in Purana Perennis, p. 191, ISBN 9781438401362
  217. Jump up^ Jeffery D. Long (2009). Jainism: An Introduction. I. B. Tauris. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-84511-625-5.
  218. Jump up^ "Andhakavenhu Puttaa". www.vipassana.info. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  219. ^ Jump up to:a b Law, B. C. (1941). India as Described in Early Texts of Buddhism and Jainism. Luzac. pp. 99–101.
  220. Jump up^ Jaiswal, S. (1974). "Historical Evolution of the Ram Legend". Social Scientist. 21 (3–4): 89–97. JSTOR 3517633.
  221. Jump up^ G.P. Malalasekera (2003). Dictionary of Pali Proper Names. Asian Educational Services. p. 439. ISBN 978-81-206-1823-7.
  222. ^ Jump up to:a b H. T. Francis; E. J. Thomas (1916). Jataka Tales. Cambridge University Press (Reprinted: 2014). pp. 314–324. ISBN 978-1-107-41851-6.
  223. Jump up^ Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera (2007). Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names: A-Dh. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 825–826. ISBN 978-81-208-3021-9.
  224. ^ Jump up to:a b E.B. Cowell; WHD Rouse (1901). The Jātaka: Or, Stories of the Buddha's Former Births. Cambridge University Press. p. 57.
  225. Jump up^ Daniel E Bassuk (1987). Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: The Myth of the God-Man. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-349-08642-9.
  226. Jump up^ Edward Geoffrey Parrinder (1997). Avatar and Incarnation: The Divine in Human Form in the World's Religions. Oxford: Oneworld. pp. 19–24, 35–38, 75–78, 130–133. ISBN 978-1-85168-130-3.
  227. Jump up^ Guth, C. M. E. "Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Spring, 1987 ), pp. 1–23". 42: 1–23. JSTOR 2385037.
  228. Jump up^ http://www.info-sikh.com/VVPage1.html
  229. Jump up^ Smith, Peter (2000). "Manifestations of God". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 231. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
  230. Jump up^ Esslemont, J. E. (1980). Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (5th ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. p. 2. ISBN 0-87743-160-4.
  231. Jump up^ Siddiq & Ahmad (1995), Enforced Apostasy: Zaheeruddin v. State and the Official Persecution of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan, Law & Inequality, Volume 14, pp. 275–324
  232. Jump up^ Minahan, James (2012). Ethnic groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, USA: ABC-CLIO. pp. 6–8. ISBN 978-1-59884-659-1.
  233. Jump up^ Burhani A. N. (2013), Treating minorities with fatwas: a study of the Ahmadiyya community in Indonesia, Contemporary Islam, Volume 8, Issue 3, pp. 285–301
  234. Jump up^ Cormack, Margaret (2013). Muslims and Others in Sacred Space. Oxford University Press. pp. 104–105.
  235. Jump up^ Harvey, D. A. (2003). "Beyond Enlightenment: Occultism, Politics, and Culture in France from the Old Regime to the Fin-de-Siècle". The Historian. Blackwell Publishing. 65 (3): 665–694. doi:10.1111/1540-6563.00035.
  236. Jump up^ Schure, Edouard (1992). Great Initiates: A Study of the Secret History of Religions. Garber Communications. ISBN 0-89345-228-9.
  237. Jump up^ See for example: Hanegraaff, Wouter J. (1996). New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought. Brill Publishers. p. 390. ISBN 90-04-10696-0., Hammer, Olav (2004). Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age. Brill Publishers. pp. 62, 174. ISBN 90-04-13638-X., and Ellwood, Robert S. (1986). Theosophy: A Modern Expression of the Wisdom of the Ages. Quest Books. p. 139. ISBN 0-8356-0607-4.
  238. Jump up^ Crowley associated Krishna with Roman god Dionysus and Magickal formulae IAO, AUM and INRI. See Crowley, Aleister(1991). Liber Aleph. Weiser Books. p. 71. ISBN 0-87728-729-5. and Crowley, Aleister (1980). The Book of Lies. Red Wheels. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-87728-516-0.
  239. Jump up^ Apiryon, Tau; Apiryon (1995). Mystery of Mystery: A Primer of Thelemic Ecclesiastical Gnosticism. Berkeley: Red Flame. ISBN 0-9712376-1-1.

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