Krishna—The Various Roles of the Omnipotent

Who wouldn’t want to hear about the life of Krishna? He is the epitome of charm and the image of mysticism and in him we find the embodiment of Vishnu. He is the remarkable reincarnation of Vishnu and a significant part of Hindu faith. The delightful nature of Krishna has always sowed the impression of a mischievous child with a soulful compassion. Burdened by the greed of humans Bhoodevi, in the form of cow pleaded Vishnu to help her. Her request was granted and Devaki gave birth to two guardians, Baladeva and Vasudeva (Krishna).

Birth Of Krishna

On a dark night, when rain poured down heavily and there was a flash of lightning and roar of thunder, a dark-hued boy, Krishna was born out of Devaki’s womb. Cast by the spell, the people of Mathura were fast asleep. To protect the Guardian of the world, river Yamuna parted her way and Vasuki, the king of serpents raised his mighty hood and protected Krishna and Vasudeva from the inexorable rain.

The Days of Innocence

Vasudeva left with Nanda and Yashoda and the very next day Pootana who was sent by Kansa to kill the lord was sucked to death. Soon after that they left for Vrindavana, far away from the cruel clutch of Kansa.

In Krishna, Yashoda found her happiness, she treasured him and the people of Vrindavana admired him. He used to steal butter and play pranks on the Gopis but the bemused expression and his childlike pronouncement made him the apple of everyone’s eye. The rhythm from his flute became the music of the world and they were so engrossed that they used to forget the worldly possessions and dance with the flow. This is known as the rasa-leela and among the gopis, his dearest companion was Radha, in her, he saw the embodiment of perfect love.

Guardian of Villagers

Kansa again tried to kill Krishna but in vain. This disrupted the peace of the village but Krishna was always there as a guardian to protect them. Along with his brother Balaram, he destroyed-Agha, the Python; Arista, the bull; Baga, the stroke; Keshi, the horse; Vatsa, the heifer; Vyoma, the goat. The best upon them is the dance he performed on the hood of the five-headed serpent, Kaliya after defeating him. To save his village and crush the ego of Vishnu, Krishna raised Mount.Govardhana with his little finger and sheltered the dwellers from the torrential rains.

Call of the Death

It seems that Kansa unknowingly announced his own death when he invited Balaram and Krishna to participate in the royal wrestling festival. The wrestlers were defeated without any effort and in the same event Kansa was killed. This was the time when the people came to know that they were the sons of Vasudeva and Devaki. Krishna did not went back to Vrindavan because it was time for him to accomplish the mission that he had came for.

Krishna and Balarama were sent to rishi Sandipani where they learned all the skills in just sixty-four days. In return Krishna rescued his guru’s son from the clutches of Panchaja and claimed the conch shell as his trumpet-the music of victory (the end of evil).

Bhoodevi was pleased to see Vishnu on earth in the form of Krishna and she too emerged from the fire-pit as Draupadi and married the Pandavas - the five noble prince who had the five qualities of an ideal king. The Pandavas who had lost their father at a very young age asked for their share of land and the Kauravas gave them the undeveloped half on which with the help of Krishna, they built the Indraprastha, the prosperous city.

The Kauravas were envious and wanted to get the kingdom by any means. So, they called them for a game of dice in which the Pandavas lost everything. This was also the time when Draupadi was disrespected. No one was there for her but her faith in Krishna saved her and they were not able to disrobe her. It was at this time that Draupadi vowed, she would not tie her hair until she washes it with the blood of Kauravas.