KRISHNA- THE MYTH AND HISTORY

KRISHNA- THE MYTH AND HISTORY ACROSS AGES -Anna George M. A. English Previous Department of English St. Stephens College, Delhi University INTRODUCTION History cannot be considered as an objective factual account since every archaeological and historical research is guided by a definite but subtle political undercurrent which camouflages its existence. Mythology is not just a bunch of stories meant to educate but a philosophy and history often sugar coated in a parable and often extrapolated from a real incidents. Often myths are local and regional stories passed down to generations. But when it comes to construction of national level religious organisations, they often take up the myths and amalgamate them into a wider body of myths. Hence, stories that originated in different ages regarding different individuals become attributed to one person creating a whole new religion and every interpretation becomes new addition to the story. It is like a blackboard on which many inscriptions have been written one over the other. So one can only get a garbled picture of the actual myth. Krishna is a religious and cultural icon found common in almost all states of India. The cowboy and the King merged into one; Krishna has received more attention than any other incarnation of Mahavishnu making him a specimen case of myth. There have been many attempts to find the historical authenticity of the myth of Krishna since colonisation. For, the intellectuals who tried to incorporate religion and politics, Krishna became an important political figure, the king maker. Later Krishna was considered not a single historical character but a collage of myths all over the nation accumulated from different time periods. Today, historians attempt to place Krishna in the current religious outlook, delve into the original historical person, find the reasons why the additions and deletions happened and find parallels in the Western mythology as well. KURUKSHETRA WAR & BHAGAVAD GITA The war of Kurukshetra which lasted just eighteen days but the war takes up majority of the text of Mahabharata. Historians have found proof that the war has actually happened though the 1 events may have been exaggerated in the epic. Though Krishna never actively participated in the war, the war went exactly as Krishna had designed. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee says in his book Krishna Charithra that Krishna is the creator of the idea 'undivided India.' During the war, many minor kingdoms across the South Asian continent were brought together under Krishna's diplomatic leadership. He installed Pandavas, who were the sons of God on the throne of Indraprastha (the modern Delhi). Thus, Krishna's role in Kurukshetra war was a part of the divine plan to create a modern India according to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Historians like A. L. Basham says that "a great war took place somewhere around 3102 B. C. E. when the Kaliyuga began." (Basham 40). However, historians and astrologers have not yet reached a consensus regarding the exact date of the war. Bhagavad Gita is one of the most iconic philosophical treatises of Hinduism. Gita was considered as guidance to Indian legal system by British and it was promptly translated into English by Charles Wilkins in 1785 roughly 174 years after the King James Version of the Bible. Bhagavad Gita is a text dealing with the question of free will, divine intervention, Yoga, Dharma and various other concepts which are believed to have evolved from Sankhya school of philosophy. Gita is given this importance because it is believed to be spoken by Krishna himself making Gita not just another philosophical treatise but a divine revelation. Gita was popularised by the Hindu Revivalist movements also. Gandhi referred to Gita as a spiritual dictionary. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Aurobindo Ghosh wrote extensive treatises on Gita. Bankim used Gita as a key text in explaining that Hinduism was not about idol worship or fetishism and to prove that Hinduism followed monotheism. But, these ideas were challenged later by historians and philosophers. Authorship of Gita was assimilated to Krishna alone by the Hindu Revivalists and freedom fighters. But today, there are historians who believe it is a text written by some Krishna devotee and added to the text of Mahabharata. D. D. Kosambi says that it was "written in 4th century A. D." (406) Robert N. Minor in his essay Krishna and Bhagavad Gita says, "In approximately 150 B. C., a devotee of the God Krishna composed a seven-hundred-verse poem that came to be known as the Bhagavad Gita, the ‘‘Song of the Beloved One.’’ His intention was to expand on a scene from a tale already in its earliest form in a larger epic poem that has come to be known as the Mahabharata. It is clear that his addition was meant for a particular dramatic moment in the epic." 2 (Bryant 92). 'Bhagavan' in contemporary Indian laguanges means 'lord' or 'God'. The term 'Bhagavadar' means singer in Malayalam. But Robert Minor offers a different meaning 'the beloved one'. While for D. D. Kosambi the term meant 'follower of Buddha'. The term 'Gita' means 'song' in Sanskrit but Gita is not a song but an advice or rather a discourse. Any way it is safe to assume that Gita is a philosophical document whose authorship lies not just with one individual. It would be a challenge to two major texts regarding Krishna- Shrimad Bhagaavatham and Bhagavad Gita. Kosambi indicated that Gita was an evolved text that included pre-Aryan, Buddhist and Hindu philosophies. KRISHNA- THE KING MAKER Bankim Chandra Chatterjee believed that Mahabharata was the earliest text about Krishna. "Mahabharata is the first book that Krishna appears." (Chatterjee 23) But later research proved that there was some form of Krishna worship even before that. Rig Veda mentions the word 'Krishna' referring to it as 'the dark one'. 'Krishna' is one of the many names of Vishnu. Baudayana Dharma also mentions Krsihna as one of the twelve names of Vishnu. Bankim however used many ancient scriptures as the source of tracing Krishna's history and even today they prove to be the valid textual resources. The major ancient texts that provide us details regarding Krishna's life are Mahabharata, Harivamsa and Sri Madbhagavatha. "After my studies of the Sanskrit scriptures, I came to the conclusion that King Yudhishtira ruled 1115 years before Chandragupta." (Chatterjee 25). Major historical evidence is that of Megasthenes's Indika who visited India in 4th century B.C.E. during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. Later authors like Arrian, Strabo and Diodorus had referred to Indika for their works. Edwin F. Bryant explains, According to Arrian, Diodorus, and Strabo, Megasthenes described an Indian tribe called the Sourasenoi, who especially worshiped Herakles in their land, and this land had two great cities, Methora and Kleisobora, and a navigable river, the Jobares. As was common in the ancient period, the Greeks sometimes described foreign gods in terms of their own divinities, and there is little doubt that the Sourasenoi refers to the Shurasenas, a branch of the Yadu dynasty to which Krishna belonged; Herakles to Krishna, or Hari-Krishna; 3 Methora to Mathura, where Krishna was born; Kleisobora to Krishna pura, meaning ‘‘the city of Krishna’’; and the Jobares to the Yamuna, the famous river in the Krishna story. Quintus Curtius also mentions that when Alexander the Great confronted Porus, Porus’s soldiers were carrying an image of Herakles in their vanguard. (5) According to Mahabharata, Krishna beheaded Shishupala with the Sudarshana chakra, a weapon of Vishnu. Kosambi mentions that this circular disc dates before the Vedic age and Buddha. There is a painting of a warrior throwing this disc in Mirzapur district. Kosambi places the date between 800 B.C. and 1000 B. C. Kosambi also points out the annihilation of the aboriginal cults in Krishna's myth. Krishna killed Putana, the sister of Kamsa who was sent to Vrindavan by Kamsa to kill little Krishna. Putana disguised as a gopi, tried to suckle Krishna and feed him poison but Krishna sucked life out of Putana and killed her. Kosambi says "Putana was a mother-goddess. Her name applied to a part of Mathura even in historical times." Meanwhile, Bankim Chandra considers Putana to be an illness. A baby who could suck hard his mother's breast could survive the disease. He says that this would be an allegory which means that Krishna overcoming the disease. Another interesting fact is Krishna's conflict with snakes or Nagas. According to Mahabharata, Indraprastha or Khandavavan was initially a forest inhabited by Nagas. The word Nagas mean snakes and they are believed to be supernatural beings or snakes. According to S. V. Vishwanatha, Nagas were "hardy and warlike" (44) but D. D. Kosambi says that Nagas were "peaceful food gatherers." (402) The forest was burnt down and many snakes were killed in the fire set by Arjuna and Krishna. Takshaka, the chieftain of snakes, bit and killed Parikshit, the King of Hastinapura and Indraprastha years later. It is obvious that Nagas were not snakes but aboriginal people who inhibited Delhi. Takshaka is a local mythological God who is still worshipped in certain places like Taxeshwar. The city named Takshashila was named after him. Worship of snakes are very popular in Southern states. Kerala have the system of 'Sarpakavu'. 'Sarpakavus' are uncultivated spreads of land where snakes reside. Trampling of Kaliya, the many headed snake is another act of aggression on snakes. Up till today, snakes are worshipped as guardians of farm land in India. Krishna's brother Balarama whose weapon in a plough is also incorporated into the myth. Balarama was originally a God of the peasants and to compensate the violence on the Nagas, the creators of the myth added Balarama to the story. These examples show that Krishna had 4 evolved a long way by putting many existing local myths in the back seat and incorporating them into his story. Today, there are Western historians who find interesting evidence regarding the Greek and Western connection of the Krishna myth. As mentioned before Krishna is similar to many major pagan Greek gods. Both Kosambi and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee have agreed that Krishna can be seen as a parallel to Hercules. Both were black in colour. Krishna lifted Mount Govardhana while Hercules lifted Mount Atlas. Both had a number of wives. Today there are extrapolations hinting that the myth of Krishna might be adapted from the Greek pagan history. Edwin F. Bryant writes, "The earliest archaeological evidence of Krishna as a divine being is the Besnagar or the Heliodorus column in Besnagar, northwest Madhya Pradesh, dated to around 100 B.C.E. The inscription is particularly noteworthy because it reveals that a foreigner had been converted to the Krishna religion by this period— Heliodorus was a Greek." (6) Here, the author suggests that Krishna has a lot of additions from West as a result of the Alexandrian invasion. THE MYTH OF RADHA Krishna is believed to have had sixteen thousand and eight wives but the soul mate and better half of Krishna is Radha. Radha is worshipped along with Krishna. In fact, Krishna is called 'Radhey' or Radha Krishna. Bhagavada Purana portrays Krishna as a bawdy young child who was the apple of the eyes of all women in Vrindavan. It is believed that Krishna left Vrindavan at a very young age. Yet there is a fairly detailed myth of how infatuated were the young gopis about Krishna and Radha was his favourite. Radha was about ten years elder than Krishna and had an amorous relation with him. But none of the historical texts like Mahabharata or Bhagavatha Purana mentions Radha. The popular story is that Krishna had a very painful separation from Radha. One of the major texts describing the relation of Radha and Krishna is not a religious text but a literary text. Jayadeva, a Krishna devotee wrote the poem Ashtapadi or Gita Gonvinda, which celebrates the relation of Krishna and Radha. The Rasleela is commemorated in dances like Garba and Raas which is popular in Gujurat. Jayadeva was from Orissa and his poetry became very popular in states Orissa, Maharashtra, Gujurat and Andhra Pradesh. Kosambi says that this myth was a collaboration of the patriarchal and matriarchal cults. "Krishna's supreme love for radha 5 finds no place in either phase of his myth because she was an eastern mother Goddess. She was assimilated into the myth of Krishna." (400) The myth of Radha seems to be popular in South also. The Tamil devotional poets called Alvars have written extensively regarding Radha and Krishna. Alvars were Tamil Bhakthi poets who lived between 4200 and 2700 B. C. and they have a very important position in the history of Hinduism in Tamil Nadu. "We find a uniquely Tamil milieu in the songs of the alvars. Vishnu is called Mal, the wondrous one; this name, in fact, is used often. Many characters and stories are also uniquely Tamil—Krishna’s consort is not Radha, as in the North, but Nappinnai, who is his cousin." (Narayan 204) Marriage among cousins was a part of tradition on Tamil Nadu. The cousin one would marry is referred to as Naapinnai. "In order to wed Nappinnai, Krishna tames seven bulls in a public tournament. The taming of the bulls is again unique to these parts and is still practiced in Tamil Nadu during the month of January." (Narayan 205) Radha's love and worship towards Krishna is considered the supreme form of worship and the ultimate pursuit of human life by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Radha was a common village girl who loved Krishna so deeply and selflessly that she became elevated to the status of a Goddess. But the Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and his contemporaries does not mention the erotic love between Radha and Krishna. Radha is seen in Brahma Vaivartha Purana according to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's Krishna Charitra. But there is no existing copy of Brahma Vaivartha Purana even at the time when Bankim conducted his research. Thus the sources remain questionable. This book presents Krishna not as the avatar of Vishnu but as the Supreme Being. According to this book, they were a married couple. Their marriage was conducted by Brahma when both of them were very young. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee always supported the Radha-Krishna cult and preferred to point out that Radha and Krishna was a married couple. Thus there is a change of status for Radha from a Goddess to an ordinary woman who is elevated to the status of God by her devotion and sacrifice. CONCLUSION Indian freedom fighters tried to create patriotic feelings by elevating the status of Hinduisim. Religious sentiments were vital when it came to mobilising people. It was also to make people proud of their culture and religion which was so far looked down upon by the colonisers 6 Krishna became an icon of Hinduism and patriotism. Krishna worship was popular in almost all states of India. Actually each state had individual traditions of worship of Krishna like Guruvayoorapan in Kerala, Udupi Krishna in Karnataka, Vidhobha in Maharashtra and Alvar tradition in Tamil Nadu. Though their civilisations were different, most of these states had Krishna cult in common. This might be why there was so much interest in the life history of Krishna. Original Hindu religious texts are not read by many since they are written in Sanskrit. Hence, majority of the believers are used to reading the interpretations of texts rather than following the original version. Every time there is a translation, a rendition that happens by the translator. Many people have heard these stories from Amarchithrakathas and TV serials. B. R. Chopra's Mahabharata in 1988 and Sidharth Kumar Tewary's Mahabharata in 2013 garnered immense popularity among masses. But in those serials Krishna is a fair skinned aristocrat rather than a dark skinned cowherd. Thus, these serials are also altering the myths as per the tastes of people. To conclude it would be apt to quote D. D. Kosambi: "Krishna then is not a single historical figure, but compounded of many semi-legendary who helped in the formation of a new food-producing society. The work was done from 800 B. C. onwards "(403). The God who has evolved since ancient times and continues to inspire and create the religious, social and political ideology to the date. 7