The Lord Krishna's divine birth

Krishna, born in Mathura, India in 3228 BCE, was destined to reshape manhood's spiritual and temporal destiny. Krishna was born in the jail of his maternal uncle, Kamsa, to devoted parents Devaki and Vasudeva. A sage had predicted that his egoistic uncle, Kamsa, would be murdered by his sister Devaki's eighth child. Because ShreeKrishna was the eighth child, he was smuggled out of jail and raised by his foster parents, Nanda and Yasoda, in Gokula.

ShreeKrishna in Vrindavan

Krishna won the hearts of the village's gopis, or cowherds, in Vrindavan, one of the Vraja villages. The infant Krishna was adored for his mischievous pranks; he also performed several miracles and killed demons. The cowherd Krishna rose to fame as a lover in his youth, the sound of his flute luring the gopis (cowherds' wives and daughters) out of their homes in the moonlight to dance ecstatically with him. His favourite among them was the stunning Radha.

According to legend, Krishna dragged the colossal serpent Kaliya from the river to the sea. ShreeKrishna also used his little finger to raise the Govardhana hill and use it as an umbrella to protect the people of Vrindavan from the torrential rain caused by Lord Indra, who was irritated by Krishna. He remained in Nandagram until the age of ten.

Kansa dispatched a slew of assassins to assassinate Krishna, but none of them succeeded. Lord Krishna and his brother Lord Balarama returned to Mathura and killed Kamsa, restoring the land's dharma. After that, believing the kingdom to be dangerous, he led the Yadavas to Kathiawar's west coast and established his court in Dvaraka (modern Dwarka, Gujarat). He fell in love with Rukmini, a beautiful princess from the Vidarbha Kingdom. Lord Krishna married Goddess Rukmini and seven other wives, who were known collectively as Asthabharya.

Lord Krishna in Kurukshetra War

ShreeKrishna became Arjuna, the Pandava prince's counsellor and friend. Krishna refused to fight in the great battle of Kurukshetra between the Kauravas (sons of Dhritarashtra, Kuru's successor) and the Pandavas (sons of Pandu). Nonetheless, he agreed to choose between his presence and his army loan. Despite the Kauravas' provocations, ShreeKrishna attempted to mediate in order to avoid a confrontation. He requested that the Kauravas give the Pandavas some land. Dhritarashtra, on the other hand, was adamantly opposed to any compromise. When war became inevitable, ShreeKrishna gave his dearest friend Arjuna a choice: he could choose ShreeKrishna himself, or he could choose Krishna's armies. Arjuna preferred ShreeKrishna's counsel over his troops.

Krishna met Gandhari after the Battle of Kurukshetra to offer her condolences (Gandhari was Dhritarashtra's aunt, and she had lost 100 sons in the battle). Gandhari cursed ShreeKrishna because she thought he would put an end to the fighting. Gandhari cursed Krishna and anyone from the Yadu dynasty to die within the next 36 years.

Lord Krishna and Bhagavad Gita

ShreeKrishna revealed the Bhagavad Gita to his disciple and friend Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The Bhagavat Gita explains how an aspirant seeker can seek union with God. The Bhagavad Gita, like previous Indian scriptures, did not require renunciation of the universe but instead encouraged acceptance of the earth. The Bhagavad Gita and ShreeKrishna's history were extremely important.

"You are only entitled to the action; you are not entitled to its fruits." Do not be motivated by the fruits of action, but do not be motivated by inaction." Chapter 2, Verse 47 of the Bhagavad Gita ShreeKrishna occasionally intervened during the war to help Arjuna and the Pandavas win. ShreeKrishna broke his word, demonstrating that his dearest disciple's devotion was greater than human morality.

ShreeKrishna also revealed to Arjuna his universal form (Vishwa rupa), demonstrating his complete spiritual realisation. Arjuna was no longer just an admirer and relative of ShreeKrishna after this. ShreeKrishna represented both the human and spiritual aspects. As an avatar, he played a human role, but he was also a fully realised spirit, one with God. Few remembered ShreeKrishna's spiritual level during his lifetime.

The Gita is an indispensable gift to Krishna's world. Many believe that the entire purpose of Krishna's birth was to deliver this "Song of the Divine," which includes Krishna's advice to Arjuna on the eve of the Mahabharata War. The Gita expresses the essence of faith in a way that the average person can comprehend. "With the Gita, ShreeKrishna took the knowledge of the Upanishads down from the Himalayas and into the marketplace," Swami Chinmayananda says.

Wives of Lord Krishna

ShreeKrishna had ten sons from eight different wives. It is also said that after killing Narakasura, ShreeKrishna accepted 16,100 more women as wives, all of whom were saved from Narakasura's Palace. This reflects ShreeKrishna's sympathy for the oppressed and helpless victims of old social customs and culture.

**His eight wives are: **

1. Rukmini
2. Satyabhama
3. Jambavati
4. Kalindi
5. Nagnajiti
6. Mitravinda
7. Lakshmana
8. Bhadra

Sons and Daughter of Lord Krishna

Lord Krishna had 80 sons, ten from eight prime queens (ashta patraanis). Following are the names of 80 sons of Lord Krishna from these wives:

1. Rukmini – Charu, Charu Deshna, Charudeha, Charuchandra, Bhadracharu, Vicharu, Sudeshna, Sucharu, Charugupta, and Pradyumna.
2. Satyabhama – Bhanu, Swabhanu, Subhanu, Bhanumaan, Prabhanu, Atibhanu, Pratibhanu, Shribhanu, Bruhadbhanu, and Chandrabhanu.
3. Kalindi – Kavi, Subahu, Shanti, Purnamas, Vrush, Somak, Veer, Bhadra, Shrut, and Darsh.
4. Lakshmana – Prabal, Bal, Oja, Sah, Aparajit, Prabodh, Simha, Gatravaan, Mahashakti, and Urdhvag.
5. Bhadra – Satyak, Shoor, Arijit, Vaam, Jay, Aayu, Sangramjit, Praharan, Bruhatsen, and Subhadra.
6. Nagnajiti – Kunti, Vegavaan, Aam, Veer, Vasu, Ashwasen, Vrush, Shanku, Chandra, and Chitragu.
7. Jambavati – Vijay, Krutu, Samba, Sumitra, Dravin, Shatajit, Purujit, Vasuman, Shasrajit, and Chitraketu.
8. Mitravinda – Harsh, Kshudhi, Anand, Vruk, Mahash, Paavan, Anil, Varddhan, Vanhi, and Grudhra. According to an earlier version of the Srimad Bhagavata, Lord Krishna and Rukmini had one daughter named Charumati (). (10.61.24).

ShreeKrishna at Dwarka

After the Great War, Krishna returned to Dwarka. In his final days on earth, he taught divine knowledge to Uddhava, his friend and disciple, and ascended to his dwelling after being shot at by a hunter named Jara. He is thought to have lived on Earth for 125 years. According to legend, he was killed by an arrow through his foot after a Jara mistook ShreeKrishna for a deer and shot him. Shree Krishna's ankle was one of his body's weak points. He accepted death peacefully, knowing that his time on Earth was coming to an end.

Worship & Representation in Art

Krishna worship could have begun as early as the fifth century BCE. Most believers today regard him as the supreme Hindu god, and he is especially revered in southern India, particularly in Bengal and Udupi. The 'Puri ratha-yatra chariot' festival, one of many held in his honour, commemorates Radha's successful attempt to persuade Krishna to return to Vrindavana. The most common festival is Krishna Janmashtami (mid-August to early September), which involves devotees fasting for 24 hours, giving baby Krishna milk sweets, and lighting wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) in the midnight ritual known as arati.

Krishna is traditionally depicted in Hindu art with dark (usually blue-black) skin, and he can hold Vajranabha's chakra discus and Kaumodaki's club, both of which are provided by Agni. He usually dresses in yellow, wears a peacock feather in his long black hair, and plays the flute. Cows frequently accompanied Krishna as he worked as a cowherd in his youth. In the arts, the most famous scene of Krishna's adventures is the raising of Mt. Govardhana, and God is frequently depicted in prominent places. Krishna's personality is a composite, and it is difficult to separate the various elements. Vasudeva-Krishna was deified in the fifth century BCE. Perhaps Krishna, the cowherd, was a pastoral culture deity. The Krishna who resulted from the union of these figures was eventually associated with the supreme God Vishnu - Narayana and thus dubbed his avatar. His religion retained distinguishing features, such as an examination of the parallels between divine and human love. Thus, Krishna's youthful liaisons with the gopis are interpreted as evidence of a romantic interplay between God and the human soul.

The numerous legends associated with Krishna's life have resulted in an abundance of depictions in painting and sculpture. The infant Krishna (Balakrishna) is depicted crawling on his hands and knees or joyfully dancing while holding a butterball in his lap. The most famous depiction shows the divine lover playing the flute while surrounded by worshipping gopis.

Why is Lord Krishna called Ranchod?

Ranchod refers to someone who flees the battlefield. The name refers to a story about Lord Krishna devising a clever plot to kill the otherwise invincible demon Kaalyavana. The Mahabharata war on the soils of Kurukshetra was over in the age of Dwapara, and Dharmaja, the eldest of the Pandavas, was installed on the throne of Hastinapur. Krishna had now relocated to Madhura to care for his Yadhava clan. Several enemies frequently threatened Yadhavas. Once upon a time, the great demon Kaalayavana, along with Jarasandha of Magadha and other allies, launched an attack on the Yadhava Kingdom. Krishna built a fantastic city called Dwaraka in the middle of the ocean to save the Yadhavas. The Yadhavas were transported to Dwaraka over night. Kaalayavana's forces advanced, pursuing Krishna. Kaalayavana pursued Krishna in order to challenge him to a duel. Krishna pretended to flee the battlefield, followed by Kaalayavana. Krishna enticed Kaalayavana inside a cave where Muchukunda was meditating in a clever plot. This was an emperor and Lord Rama's ancestor during the Treta Yuga. Muchukunda had previously assisted Indra in his battle against the Asuras. When Indra won the war with his assistance and asked for a boon in return, the emperor requested a long, uninterrupted sleep for ages to rest. He also demanded that anyone who woke him up from his sleep be burned to ashes. Indra agreed to his request and granted it. As a result, the stage was set for this act, and Krishna was given the name Ranchod.