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<noinclude>
{{about|the Hindu deity|other meanings|Krishna (disambiguation)}}
{{Wikipedia:Administrator intervention against vandalism/Header}}
{{Hdeity infobox
{{Floatinglink|Administrator instructions|Administrator instructions}}
| Image = RadheShyam07.jpg
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| Caption = Krishna with [[Radha]], 18th C Rajasthani painting
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| Name = Krishna
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| Sanskrit_Transliteration = Kṛṣṇa
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| Devanagari = कृष्ण
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| Affiliation = [[Avatar]] of [[Vishnu]], [[Svayam bhagavan]]
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| Weapon = Discus ([[Sudarshana Chakra]])
== Alerts ==
| Consort = [[Radha]], [[Rukmini]], [[Satyabhama]], [[Jambavati]].
</noinclude>
| Abode = [[Vrindavan]], [[Dwarka]]
{{Wikipedia:Administrator intervention against vandalism/TB2}}
| Mount = [[Garuda]]
| Texts = ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'', ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]''
}}
'''Krishna''' (कृष्ण in Devanagari, ''{{IAST|kṛṣṇa}}'' in [[IAST]], {{pronounced|ˈkr̩ʂɳə}} in classical Sanskrit) is a deity worshiped across many traditions of [[Hinduism]] in a variety of different perspectives. While many [[Vaishnava]] groups recognize him as an [[avatar]] of [[Vishnu]], some consider him to be [[svayam bhagavan]], or the original form of the Lord.


=== User-reported ===
Krishna is often depicted as a baby, as a young boy playing a [[Bansuri|flute]] as in the [[Bhagavata Purana]],<ref name=Knott56>{{Harvnb|Knott|2000|p=56}}</ref> or as a youthful prince giving direction and guidance as in the [[Bhagavad Gita]].<ref name=Knott2000>{{Harvnb|Knott|2000|loc=p. 36, p. 15}}</ref>
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Anonymous Users (IP addresses):
The stories of Krishna appear across a broad spectrum of [[Hindu philosophy|Hindu philosophical]] and theological traditions.<ref name = Thomson>{{cite journal |author = Richard Thompson, Ph. D. | year = December 1994 | title = Reflections on the Relation Between Religion and Modern Rationalism | url = http://www.iskcon.com/icj/1_2/12thompson.html |accessdate = 2008-04-12}}</ref> They portray him in various roles: a god-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero and the Supreme Being.<ref name = Mahony1987>{{cite journal| author = Mahony, W.K. | year = 1987 | title = Perspectives on Krsna's Various Personalities | journal = History of Religions | volume = 26| issue = 3 | pages = 333–335 | url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0018-2710(198702)26%3A3%3C333%3APOKVP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-0 | doi = 10.2307/599733
* {{IPvandal|IP address}} brief reason for listing (keep it short) ~~~~
}}</ref> The principal scriptures discussing Krishna's legands are the [[Mahābhārata]], the [[Harivamsa]], the [[Bhagavata Purana]] and the [[Vishnu Purana]].


Registered Users:
==Etymology and names==
* {{Vandal|username}} optional brief reason for listing (keep it short) ~~~~
[[Image:Lord Jagannath.jpg|thumb|Krishna as [[Jaganatha]] in a typical Oriya style, shown at the far right, with sister [[Subhadra]] in the center and brother [[Balarama]] on the left.]]
* {{Userlinks|username}} optional brief reason for listing (keep it short) ~~~~
{{main|List of titles and names of Krishna}}
The [[Sanskrit]] word ''{{IAST|kṛṣṇa}}'' has the literal meaning of "black", "dark" or "dark-blue",<ref>
{{cite web |url= http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/serveimg.pl?file=/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0306-kRzanAvat.jpg|title= Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary p.306|accessdate=2008-10-13 |work= website|publisher = Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon project|date= 2008}}</ref> and is used as a name to describe someone with dark skin. Krishna is often depicted in [[murti]]s (images) as black, and is generally shown in paintings with blue skin.


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Some Hindu traditions often ascribe varying interpretations and powers to the names. The [[Mahabharata]]'s Udyoga-parva (Mbh 5.71.4) divides ''{{IAST|kṛṣṇa}}'' into elements ''{{IAST|kṛṣ}}'' and ''{{IAST|ṇa}}'', ''{{IAST|kṛṣ}}'' (a verbal root meaning "to plough, drag") being taken as expressing ''{{IAST|bhū}}'' "being; earth" and ''{{IAST|ṇa}}'' being taken as expressing ''{{IAST|nirvṛti}}'' "bliss".
* {{IPvandal|122.54.248.82}} – vandalism, including <span class="plainlinks">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchong_Dee?diff=244920433 1], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balitang_K?diff=244920193 2], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balitang_K?diff=244919159 3], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balitang_K?diff=244918706 4], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_V._Pangilinan?diff=244918087 5]</span> – [[User:Jennavecia|<span style="font-family:Lucida Handwriting Italic;color:#9400D3">'''ل'''enna</span>]][[User talk:Jennavecia|<span style="font-family:Lucida Handwriting Italic;color:#00BFFF">vecia</span>]] 04:22, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
In the {{IAST|Brahmasambandha mantra}} of the [[Pushtimarg|Vallabha sampradaya]], the syllables of the name ''Krishna'' are assigned the power to destroy sin relating to material, self and divine causes.<ref>{{Harvnb|Beck|1993|p=195}}</ref> Mahabharata verse 5.71.4 is also quoted in [[Chaitanya Charitamrita]] and [[Prabhupada]] in his commentary, translates the ''{{IAST|bhū}}'' as "attractive existence", thus Krishna is also interpreted as meaning "all-attractive one".<ref>
*{{IPvandal|130.184.250.29}} - On [[Charlie Kelly (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia character)]] ([http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charlie%20Kelly%20(It's%20Always%20Sunny%20In%20Philadelphia%20character)&diff=244911892&oldid=165248426 diff]); vandalism after recent release of block. Is up to old tricks of undoing redirects in violation of [[WP:GNG]]. See [[User:EEMIV/scratch]] for details on assorted IP addresses.. --[[User:EEMIV|EEMIV]] ([[User talk:EEMIV|talk]]) 04:49, 13 October 2008 (UTC) <!-- Marked -->
{{cite web
:*'''Note''': User is in the category: [[:Category:Shared IP addresses from educational institutions|Shared IP addresses from educational institutions]]. [[User:HBC AIV helperbot5|HBC AIV helperbot5]] ([[User talk:HBC AIV helperbot5|talk]]) 04:50, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
|url=http://vedabase.net/cc/madhya/9/30/en
|title=Chaitanya Charitamrta ''Madhya-lila'' Chapter 9 Verse 30
|publisher=vedabase.net
|accessdate=2008-06-15
|last=[[Bhaktivedanta Swami]]
|first=[[Prabhupada]]
}}
</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Lynne Gibson |title=Modern World Religions: Hinduism - Pupils Book Foundation (Modern World Religions) |publisher=Heinemann Educational Publishers |location=Oxford [England] |year=2002 |pages=p. 7 |isbn=0-435-33618-5 |url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=jnwffnGT0tEC&pg=PA7 }}</ref> This quality of Krishna is stated in the ''atmarama'' verse of Bhagavatam 1.7.10.<ref>{{Harvnb|Goswami|1998|p=141}}</ref>

The name Krishna is also the 57th name in the [[Vishnu Sahasranama]] and means the Existence of Bliss, according to [[Adi Sankara]]'s interpretation. <ref> Vishnu sahasranama, Swami [[Tapasyananda]]'s translation, pg. 51.</ref> Krishna is also known by various [[List of titles and names of Krishna|other names, epithets and titles]], which reflect his many associations and attributes. Among the most common names are ''[[Govinda]]'', "finder of cows", or ''Gopala'', "protector of cows", which refer to Krishna's childhood in [[Vraja]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|p=17}}</ref><ref name="Hilt">{{cite book
|author=Hiltebeitel, Alf
|title=Rethinking the Mahābhārata: a reader's guide to the education of the dharma king
|publisher=University of Chicago Press
|location=Chicago
|year=2001
|pages=pp. 251-53, 256, 259
|isbn=0-226-34054-6
}}</ref> Some of the distinct names may be regionally important; for instance, ''[[Jagannatha]]'' (literally "Lord of the Universe")<ref>{{cite book
|author=Bryant, Edwin H.
|title=Krishna: A Sourcebook
|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA
|year=2007
|pages=p. 139
|isbn=0-19-514891-6
}}</ref> in eastern India.

==Iconography==
[[Image:Krishna with flute.jpg|thumb|Krishna with Gopis - Painting from [[Smithsonian Institution]]]]
Krishna is easily recognized by his representations. Though his skin colour may be depicted as black or dark in some representations, particularly in [[murti]]s, in other images such as modern pictorial representations, Krishna is usually shown with blue skin. He is often shown wearing a yellow silk [[dhoti]] and peacock feather headgear. Common depictions show him as a little boy, or as a young man in a characteristic relaxed pose, playing the [[bansuri|flute]].<ref name="Grolier">{{cite book
|author=
|title=The Encyclopedia Americana
|publisher=Grolier
|location=[s.l.]
|year=1988
|pages=p. 589
|isbn=0-7172-0119-8
|oclc=
|doi=
|accessdate=
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite book |title= The New Encyclopaedia Britannica |author = Benton, William|authorlink= |coauthors= |year= 1974|publisher= Encyclopaedia Britannica|location= |isbn= 0852292902, 9780852292907|pages= p.885|url= http://books.google.ie/books?id=G8YqAAAAMAAJ&q=Krsna+blue+skin+deity&dq=Krsna+blue+skin+deity&ei=Wz5VSLa2HZOcjgGeoISTDA&client=firefox-a}}</ref> In this form, he usually stands with one leg bent in front of the other and raises a flute to his lips, accompanied by cows, emphasising his position as the divine herdsman, ''Govinda'', or with the [[gopi]]s (milkmaids).

The scene on the battlefield of [[Kurukshetra]], notably where he addresses [[Arjuna]] in the [[Bhagavad Gita]], is another common subject for representation. In these depictions, he is shown as a man, often shown with typical god-like characteristics of Hindu religious art, such as multiple arms or heads, denoting power, and with attributes of Vishnu, such as the [[chakra]] or in his two-armed form as a charioteer.

Representations in temples often show Krishna as a man standing in an upright, formal pose. He may be alone, or with associated figures:<ref>{{cite book |author=Harle, J. C. |title=The art and architecture of the Indian Subcontinent |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, Conn |year=1994 |pages=p. 410 |isbn=0-300-06217-6 |quote=figure 327. Manaku, Radha‭'‭s messenger describing Krishna standing with the cow-girls, from Basohli.|doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> his brother [[Balarama]] and sister [[Subhadra]], or his main queens [[Rukmini]] and [[Satyabhama]].

Often, Krishna is pictured with his gopi-consort [[Radha]]. [[Vaishnavism in Manipur|Manipuri Vaishnavas]] do not worship Krishna alone, but as [[Radha Krishna]],<ref>
{{cite book |title= Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature|last= Datta|first= Amaresh|authorlink= |coauthors= Mohan Lal|year= 1994|publisher= Sahitya Akademi|location= |isbn= |pages= p.4290 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=g-wbAAAAIAAJ&q=Manipur+Radha&dq=Manipur+Radha&lr=&client=firefox-a}}
</ref> a combined image of Krishna and Radha. This is also a characteristic of the schools [[Rudra Sampradaya|Rudra]]<ref>The penny cyclopædia [ed. by G. Long]. 1843, p.390 [http://books.google.com/books?id=_8cWRilIuE0C&pg=RA1-PA390&dq=rudra+sampradaya&as_brr=3#PRA1-PA390,M1]</ref> and [[Nimbarka sampradaya]],<ref>Ramesh M. Dave, K. K. A. Venkatachari, ''The Bhakta-bhagawan Relationship: Paramabhakta Parmeshwara Sambandha''. Sya. Go Mudgala, Bochasanvasi Shri Aksharpurushottama Sanstha, 1988. p.74</ref> as well as that of [[Swaminarayan faith]]. [[Gaudiya Vaishnavas]] celebrate [[Radharamana]] image, who is viewed as a form of Radha Krishna by members of the sect.<ref>{{Harvnb|Valpey|2006|p=52}}</ref>

Krishna is also depicted and worshipped as a small child (''[[Bala Krishna|bāla kṛṣṇa]]'', the child Krishna), crawling on his hands and knees or dancing, often with butter in his hand.<ref>
{{cite book |title= Students' Britannica India|last= Hoiberg|first= Dale |authorlink= |coauthors= Ramchandani, Indu|year= 2000|publisher= Popular Prakashan|location= |isbn= 0852297602, 9780852297605|pages= p.251|url= http://books.google.com/books?id=kEj-2a7pmVMC&pg=PA251&dq=Bala+Krishna&lr=&as_brr=3&sig=YZ2AcCNXeVfLs5TcNzx9GXHjYzI}}</ref><ref>{{citation | title = The Qualities of Sri Krsna | author = Satsvarupa dasa Goswami| authorlink = Satsvarupa dasa Goswami | publisher = GNPress | date = 1998 | pages = 152 pages | isbn = 0911233644}}</ref> Regional variations in the iconography of Krishna are seen in his different forms, such as [[Jaganatha]] of [[Orissa]], [[Vithoba]] of [[Maharashtra]]<ref name = "vithoba">[[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: {{cite encyclopedia
| title = ''Sri-Vitthal: Ek Mahasamanvay (Marathi)'' by R.C. Dhere
| volume = 5
| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KnPoYxrRfc0C&pg=PA4179&dq=vithoba&as_brr=3&sig=0WHJ4sGcLGYNiZDwjR9YHwDA75k#PPA4180,M1|accessdate=2008-09-20|author= Kelkar, Ashok R.| encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia of Indian literature|pubisher = [[Sahitya Akademi]]|pages= p. 4179|year = 2001|origyear = 1992}} and {{citebook|author=Mokashi, Digambar Balkrishna|coauthors= Engblom, Philip C.|title=Palkhi: a pilgrimage to Pandharpur - translated from the Marathi book Pālakhī by Philip C. Engblom|year=1987|publsher=SUNY Press|isbn=0887064612| url = http://books.google.co.in/books?id=vgLZGFH1ZTIC&pg=PA14&dq=Palkhi:+a+pilgrimage+to+Pandharpur&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U1KBqvMzk0wEuh16tLjpETKQHeJDg#PPP1,M1|pages = p.35}}</ref> and [[Shrinathji]] in [[Rajasthan]].

==Literary sources==
{{seealso|Krishna in the Mahābhārata}}
[[Image:Meister der Bhâgavata-Purâna-Handschrift 001.jpg|thumb|[[Yashoda]] bathing the child Krishna. (Western Indian illustrated Bhagavata Purana Manuscript)]]
The earliest text to explicitly provide detailed descriptions of Krishna as a personality is the epic [[Mahābhārata]] which depicts Krishna as an incarnation of [[Vishnu]].<ref>
{{cite web |url= http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-357806/Mahabharata|title= Britannica: Mahabharata|accessdate=2008-10-13 |work = encyclopedia|publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica Online |date= 2008|author = Wendy Doniger}}

</ref> 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 the warrior-hero [[Arjuna]], on the battlefield. Krishna is already an adult in the epic, although there are allusions to his earlier exploits. The ''[[Harivamsa]]'', a later appendix to this epic, contains the earliest detailed version of Krishna's childhood and youth.

Many [[Puranas]] tells Krishna's life-story or some highlights from it. Two Puranas, the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' and the ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'', that contain the most elaborate telling of Krishna’s story and teachings are the most theologically venerated by the [[Gaudiya Vaishnava]] schools.<ref name = "Elkman1986">{{cite book
| author = Elkman, S.M.
| coauthors = Gosvami, J.
| year = 1986
| title = Jiva Gosvamin's Tattvasandarbha: A Study on the Philosophical and Sectarian Development of the Gaudiya Vaisnava Movement
| publisher = Motilal Banarsidass Pub
| isbn =
}}</ref> Roughly one quarter of the ''Bhagavata Purana'' is spent extolling his [[life]] and [[philosophy]].

[[Yāska]]'s ''[[Nirukta]]'', an etymological dictionary around the 5th century BCE, contains a reference to the Shyamantaka jewel in the possession of [[Akrura]], a motif from well known Puranic story about Krishna.<ref name = bryant4/>''Satha-patha-brahmana'' and ''Aitareya-Aranyaka'', associate Krishna with his Vrishni origins.<ref>
Sunil Kumar Bhattacharya ''Krishna-cult in Indian Art''. 1996
M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 8175330015 p.128: Satha-patha-brahmana and Aitareya-Aranyaka with reference to first chapter.</ref> In early texts, such as [[Rig Veda]], there is no obvious references to Krishna, however some, like [[Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar]] attempted to show that "the very same Krishna" made an appearance, e.g as the ''drapsa ... krishna'' "black drop" of [[RV 8]].96.13.<ref>
Sunil Kumar Bhattacharya ''Krishna-cult in Indian Art''. 1996
M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 8175330015 p.126: "According to (D.R.Bhadarkar), the word Krishna referred to in the expression 'Krishna-drapsah' in the Rig- Veda, denotes the very same Krishna".</ref><ref name = bryant4/>

==Biography==
This summary is based on details from the ''[[Mahābhārata]]'', the ''[[Harivamsa]]'', the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' and the ''[[Vishnu Purana]]''. The scenes from the narrative are set in north [[India]], mostly in the present states of [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Bihar]], [[Haryana]], [[Delhi]] and [[Gujarat]].

===Birth===
[[Image:Krishna carried over river yamuna.jpg|thumb|Krishna is carried by his father [[Vasudeva]] across river [[Yamuna]] to [[Vrindavana]], mid 18th century painting.]]
Traditional belief based on scriptural details and [[Jyotisha|astrological calculations]] gives the date of Krishna's birth, known as [[Krishna Janmashtami|Janmashtami]],<ref name = Knott61>{{Harvnb|Knott|2000|p=61}}</ref> as either 18 or 21 July 3228 BCE.<ref name="Krishna was born">See also: [http://www.planetarypositions.com/notes/2006/11/26/rama-and-krishna/ Astrology Notes] and [http://www.avatara.org/krishna/lila.html Sri Krishna: His Birth and Activities]. [[N.S. Rajaram]] takes these dates at face value when he opines that "We have therefore overwhelming evidence showing that Krishna was a historical figure who must have lived within a century on either side of that date, i.e., in the 3200-3000 BCE period".({{cite web
|url=http://veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/historical-krsna.htm
|title=Search for the Historical Krishna
|publisher=www.swordoftruth.com September 4th, 1999
|accessdate=2008-06-15
|last=Prof. N. S. Rajaram
}}</ref> Krishna belonged to the royal family of [[Mathura]], and was the eighth son born to the princess [[Devaki]], and her husband [[Vasudeva]]. Mathura was the capital of the [[Yadava]]s (also called the [[Surasena]]s), to which Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki belonged to. The king [[Kamsa]], Devaki's cousin,<ref>According to the Bhagavata and Vishnu Puranas, but in some Puranas like Devi-Bhagavata-Purana,her paternal uncle. See the Vishnu-Purana Book V Chapter 1, translated by H. H. Wilson, (1840), the Srimad Bhagavatam, translated by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, (1988) copyright Bhaktivedanta Book Trust</ref> had ascended the throne by imprisoning his father, King [[Ugrasena]]. Afraid of a prophecy that predicted his death at the hands of [[Devaki]]'s eighth son, he had locked the couple into a prison cell. After killing the first six children, and Devaki's apparent miscarriage of the seventh, being transferred to Rohini as [[Balarama]], Krishna took birth.

Since Vasudeva believed Krishna's life was in danger, Krishna was secretly taken out of the prison cell to be raised by his foster parents, [[Yasoda]] and [[Nanda (mythology)|Nanda]] in [[Gokul]]a. Two of his other siblings also survived, [[Balarama]] (Devaki's seventh child, transferred to the womb of [[Rohini]], Vasudeva's first wife) and [[Subhadra]] (daughter of Vasudeva and Rohini, born much later than Balarama and Krishna).<ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|pp=124-130,224}}</ref> According to [[Bhagavata Purana]] some believe that Krishna was born without a sexual union, by "mental transmission" from the mind of Vasudeva into the womb of Devaki.<ref name = Knott61/><ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2004|p=425 (Note. 4)}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2004|p=16 (Bh.P. X Ch 2.18)}}[http://books.google.com/books?id=--WwYKkW0cwC&pg=RA1-PA16&dq=Krsna+He+had+been+deposited+there+the+son+metal+transmission+entered+Vasudeva+mind+Devaki&lr=&ei=9LmdSIeyCqHOjgHcvPH6BA&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U0Wnfpkr7Zhd5XJmH6hm8j3iNtkeQ#PRA1-PA16,M1]</ref>

===Childhood and youth===
[[Image:Krishna Holding Mount Govardhan - Crop.jpg|thumb|upright|Krishna holding [[Govardhan hill]]. <small>From the [[Smithsonian Institution]] collections.</small>]]
Nanda was the head of a community of cow-herders, and he settled in [[Vrindavana]]. The stories of Krishna's childhood and youth tell of his mischievous pranks as ''Makhan Chor'' (butter thief), his foiling of attempts to take his life, and his role as a protector of the people of Vrindavana. Krishna is said to have killed the demons like Putana, sent by Kamsa for Krishna's life. He tamed the serpent [[Kaliya]], who previously poisoned the waters of [[Yamuna]] river, thus leading to the death of the cowherds. In Hindu art, Krishna is often depicted dancing on the multi-hooded Kaliya. Krishna is believed to have lifted the [[Govardhana hill]] and defeated [[Indra]]—the kings of the [[Deva (Hinduism)|devas]] and rain—to protect native people of Vrindavana from prosecution by Indra and prevent the devastation of the pasture land of Govardhan.<ref name="UC">{{cite book
|author=Lynne Gibson
|title=Calcutta Review
|publisher=University of Calcutta Dept. of English
|location=India
|year=1844
|pages=p. 119
|accessdate=2008-06-07
}}</ref><ref name="MW">{{cite book
|author=Lynne Gibson
|title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions
|publisher=Merriam-Webster
|location=
|year=1999
|pages=p. 503
|accessdate=2008-06-07
}}</ref> In the view of some, the spiritual movement started by Krishna had something in it which went against the orthodox forms of worship of the [[Vedic]] gods such as Indra.<ref name="RT">{{cite book
|author=The English Writings of Rabindranath Tagore (ed. Sisir Kumar
Das)
|title=A Vision of Indias History
|location=Sahitya Akademi
|year=1996
|pages=p. 444
|ISBN = 8126000945
|accessdate=2008-06-07
}}</ref>

The stories of his play with the [[gopi]]s (milkmaids) of Vrindavana became known as the ''[[Rasa lila]]'' and were romanticised in the poetry of [[Jayadeva]], author of the [[Gita Govinda]]. These became important as part of the development of the Krishna [[bhakti]] traditions worshiping [[Radha Krishna]].<ref>{{cite book
| author = Schweig, G.M.
| year = 2005
| title = Dance of divine love: The Rasa Lila of Krishna from the Bhagavata Purana, India's classic sacred love story.
| publisher = Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ; Oxford
| isbn = 0691114463
}}</ref>

===The prince===
On his return to Mathura as a young man, Krishna overthrew and killed his uncle Kamsa after avoiding several assassination attempts from Kansa's followers. He reinstated Kamsa's father, [[Ugrasena]], as the king of the Yadavas and became a leading prince at the court.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|p=290}}</ref> During this period, he became a friend of [[Arjuna]] and the other [[Pandava]] princes of the [[Kuru]] kingdom, who were his cousins. Later, he took his Yadava subjects to the city of [[Dwaraka]] (in modern [[Gujarat]]) and established his own kingdom there.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|pp=28-29}}</ref>

Krishna married [[Rukmini]], the princess of [[Vidarbha]], by abducting her from her wedding. According to some texts, Krishna had 16,108 wives,<ref>Charudeva Shastri, Suniti Kumar Chatterji(1974) [http://books.google.com/books?id=WiAhAAAAMAAJ&q=16108+wives&dq=16108+wives Charudeva Shastri Felicitation Volume, p. 449]</ref><ref>David L. Haberman, (2003) Motilal Banarsidass, [http://books.google.com/books?id=DsRb6gjUa1oC The Bhaktirasamrtasindhu of Rupa Gosvamin, p. 155], ISBN 812081861X</ref> of which eight were chief—including Rukmini, [[Satyabhama]], [[Jambavati]];<ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|p=152}}</ref> Krishna subsequently married 16,100 maidens who were being held in captivity by [[asura|demon]] [[Narakasura]], to save their honor. Krishna killed the demon and released them all. According to strict social custom of the time all of the captive women were degraded, and would be unable to marry, as they had been under the control of Narakasura, however Krishna decided to marry them to reinstate their status in the society.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|pp=130-133}}</ref> In Vaishnava traditions, Krishna's wives are believed to be forms of the goddess [[Lakshmi]]—consort of Vishnu or special [[jiva|souls]] attained this qualification after many lifetimes of [[tapasya|austerity]], while his primary queen Satyabhama, is an expansion of [[Radha]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Rosen|2006|p=136}}</ref>

===Kurukshetra War and Bhagavad Gita===
{{main|Kurukshetra War|Bhagavad Gita}}

Krishna was a cousin of the [[Pandava]]s, one of the two parties in the [[Kurukshetra War]] of the [[Mahabharat]]. Once battle seemed inevitable, Krishna offered both sides the opportunity to choose between having either his army or simply himself alone, but on the condition that he personally would not raise any weapon. Arjuna, on behalf of the Pandavas, chose to have Krishna on their side, and [[Duryodhana]], chief of the Kauravas, chose Krishna's army. At the time of the great battle, Krishna acted as Arjuna's charioteer, since it was a position that did not require the wielding of weapons.

[[Image:Avatars of Vishnu.jpg|thumb|left|Krishna displays his [[Vishvarupa]] (Universal Form) to [[Arjuna]] on the battlefield of [[Kurukshetra]].]]
Upon arriving at the battlefield, and seeing that the enemies he would soon fight against were people close to him prior to the battle, Arjuna becomes doubtful about fighting. Krishna then advises him about the battle, with the conversation soon extending into a discourse which was later compiled as the [[Bhagavad Gita]].<ref>Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, by Robert N. Minor in {{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|pp=77-79}}</ref>

===Later life===
Following the war Krishna lived at Dwaraka for thirty-six years. Then at a festival, a fight broke out between the Yadavas who exterminated each other. His elder brother [[Balarama]] then gave up his body using [[Yoga]]. Krishna retired into the forest and sat under a tree in meditation. While Vyasa's Mahābhārata says that Shri Krishna ascended to heaven, [[Sarala]]'s Mahabhārata narrates the story that a hunter mistook his partly visible left foot for a deer and shot an [[arrow (weapon)|arrow]] wounding him mortally.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|pp=148}}</ref><ref>http://orissagov.nic.in/e-magazine/Orissareview/nov-2007/engpdf/Pages51-54.pdf Sarala's Mahabhārata</ref><ref>http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m16/m16004.htm Mahabhārata on departure of Kṛṣṇa, Ganguli</ref> Bhagavad Gita, which is part of Mahābhārata, mentions Krishna saying the following implying Krishna is beyond a material body and death.<ref>http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06031.htm Bhagavad Gita of Mahabhārata on Kṛṣṇa's nature, Ganguli</ref>

According to [[Purana|Puranic sources]],<ref>The Bhagavata Purana (1.18.6), Vishnu Purana (5.38.8), and Brahma Purana (212.8) state that the day Krishna left the earth was the day that the Dvapara Yuga ended and the Kali Yuga began.</ref> Krishna's disappearance marks the end of [[Dvapara Yuga]] and the start of [[Kali Yuga]], which is dated to February 17/18, 3102 BCE.<ref> See: Matchett, Freda, ''"The Puranas"'', p 139 and Yano, Michio, ''"Calendar, astrology and astronomy"'' in {{Citation|last=Flood| first=Gavin (Ed)| year=2003| title=Blackwell companion to Hinduism| place=| publisher= [[Blackwell Publishing]]| edition=| isbn=0-631-21535-2}}</ref> Vaishnava teachers such as [[Ramanujacharya]] and [[Gaudiya Vaishnavas]] held the view that the body of Krishna is completely spiritual and never decays as this appears to be the perspective of the [[Bhagavata Purana]]. Krishna never appears to grow old or age at all in the historical depictions of the [[Puranas]] despite passing of several decades, but there are grounds for a debate whether this indicates that he has no material body, since battles and other descriptions of the Mahabhārata epic show clear indications that he seems to be subject to the limitations of nature.<ref name = Sutton>Sutton (2000) pp.174-175</ref> While battles apparently seem to indicate limitations, Mahabharatha also shows in many places where Krishna is not subject to any limitations as through episodes Duryodhana trying to arrest Krishna where His body burst into fire showing all creation within Him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m05/m05131.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 5: Udyoga Parva: Bhagwat Yana Parva: section CXXXI |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |date= |accessdate=2008-10-09}}</ref> Krishna is also explicitly told to be without deterioration elsewhere. <ref>http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m05/m05130.htm, "Knowest thou not sinless Govinda, of terrible prowess and incapable of deterioration?"
</ref>

==Early historical references==

One of the earliest recorded instances of a Krishna who could potentially be identified with the deity can be found in the ''[[Chandogya Upanishad]]'', where he is mentioned as the son of Devaki, and to whom Ghora Angirasa was a teacher.<ref name = ERE>{{Cite book||title=[[Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics]] |last=Hastings |first=James |authorlink= |coauthors= Selbie, John Alexander|year=2003 |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |location= |isbn=0766136884 |pages=195-196}}</ref><ref> See Chandogya Upanishad(III, xvii, 6) in {{citation|last = Müller| first = Max| authorlink = Max Müller| title = Sacred Books of the East| volume =1| year = 1879| url= http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe01/sbe01075.htm}}</ref> The Upanishads, namely ''{{IAST|Nārāyaṇātharvaśirsa}}'' and ''{{IAST|Ātmabodha}}'', specifically regard Krishna as a god and associate him with Vishnu.<ref name = ERE/>

References to Vāsudeva also occur in early Sanskrit literature. [[Aranyakas#Taittiriya-Aranyaka|Taittiriya Aranyaka]] (X,i,6) identifies him with ''Narayana'' and ''Vishnu''. [[Panini (grammarian)|Panini]], ca. 4th century BCE, in his [[Ashtadhyayi]] explains the word "Vāsudevaka" as a ''Bhakta'' (devotee) of Vāsudeva.<ref name = bryant4>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|p=4}}</ref> This, along with the mention of [[Arjuna]] in the same context, indicates that the [[Vāsudeva]] here is Krishna.<ref> {{cite book
| author = Singh, R.R.
| year = 2007
| title = Bhakti And Philosophy
| publisher = Lexington Books
| isbn = 0739114247
}}Page 10: Panini, the fifth-century BC Sanskrit grammarian also refers to the term Vaasudevaka, explained by the second century B.C commentator Patanjali, as referring to "the follower of Vasudeva, God of gods." </ref> At some stage during the Vedic period, Vasudeva and Krishna became one deity, and by the time of composition of the redaction of [[Mahabharata]] that survives till today, Krishna (Vasudeva) was generally acknowledged as an ''avatar'' of Vishnu and often as the Supreme God.<ref name = ERE/>

In the 4th century BCE, [[Megasthenes]] the Greek ambassador to the court of [[Chandragupta Maurya]] says that the Sourasenoi ([[Surasena]]), who lived in the region of Mathura worshipped [[Herakles]]. This Herakles is usually identified with Krishna due to the regions mentioned by Megasthenes as well as similarities between some of the herioc acts of the two.<ref name = Rosen>{{Harvnb|Rosen|2006|p=126}}</ref>
The [[Greco-Bactrian]] ruler [[Agathocles]] issued coins bearing the images of Krishna and Balarama in around 180–165 BCE.

Three inscriptions from Hāthibādā and one from Ghosundi (near Nāgari, [[Chittorgarh district]]) from the 2nd century BCE, record the building of a ''pujā-silā-prākar'' (stone enclosure for worship) in ''Nārāyana-vata'' (park of Nārāyana) by king {{IAST|Gājāyana Sarvatāta}} for the worship of the gods Sankarshana (Balarama) and Vasudeva (Krishna).<ref>D.C.Sircar (1942), Select inscriptions bearing on Indian history and civilisation Vol 1, From sixth century BC to sixth century CE, Calcutta. These are four renderings of the same text.</ref><ref name = Rosen/>
From the same century,the {{IAST|Nānāghāt}} cave ([[Maharashtra]]) inscription of the [[Satavahana]] queen {{IAST|Nāyanika}} begins with an invocation to various gods including [[Sankarshana]] and Vasudeva.<ref>D.C.Sircar (1942), Select inscriptions bearing on Indian history and civilisation Vol 1, From sixth century BC to sixth century CE, Calcutta.</ref>

[[Image:Heliodoruspillar.gif|frame|The first inscription of the [[Heliodorus pillar]] that was made by Heliodorus 110 BCE after his conversion to [[Bhagavata]] [[Monotheism]].]]
In the 1st century BCE, [[Heliodorus (votive erector)|Heliodorus]] from Greece erected the [[Heliodorus pillar]] at [[Besnagar]] near Bhilsa with the inscription:<ref name = Rosen/> "This [[Garuda]]-column of Vasudeva the god of gods was erected here by Heliodorus, a worshipper of the Lord [[Bhagavata]], the son of Diya Greek Dion and an inhabitant of [[Taxila]], who came as ambassador of the Greeks from the Great King Amtalikita [Greek Antialcidas] to King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra the saviour, who was flourishing in the fourteenth year of his reign [...] three immortal steps [...] when practiced, lead to heaven—self-control, charity, and diligence."

Another inscription from [[Besnagar]], from the same period, records the setting up of a Garuda pillar in a ''{{IAST|prasādottama}}'' (excellent temple) in the twelfth regnal year of a king called {{IAST|Bhāgavata}}, usually identified as a [[Sunga]] king.<ref>S Jaiswal (1967), The origins and development of Vaisnavism, New Delhi - Manhorlal Munshiram.</ref><ref>Gavin Flood (2003), The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism</ref> A 1st century [[BCE]] inscription from Mathura records the building of a part of a sanctuary to Vasudeva by the great ''[[satrap]]'' [[Sodasa]].

The renowned grammar scholar [[Patanjali]], who wrote his commentary on Panini's grammar rules around [[150 BCE]] (known as the ''[[Mahabhashya]]''), quotes a verse: "May the might of Krishna accompanied by Samkarshana increase!" Other verses are mentioned. One verse speaks of "Janardana with himself as fourth" (Krishna with three companions, the three possibly being Samkarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha). Another verse mentions musical instruments being played at meetings in the temples of Rama ([[Balarama]]) and Kesava (Krishna). Patanjali also describes dramatic and mimetic performances (Krishna-Kamsopacharam) representing the killing of Kamsa by Vasudeva.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|p=5}}</ref>

Also in the 1st century BCE, there seems to be evidence for a worship of five Vrishni heroes (Balarama, Krishna, [[Pradyumna]], [[Aniruddha]] and [[Samba]]) for an inscription has been found at [[Mora]] near Mathura, which apparently mentions a son of the great ''satrap'' [[Rajuvula]], probably the ''satrap'' Sodasa, and an image of Vrishni, "probably Vasudeva, and of the "Five Warriors".<ref>Hindu Gods and Heroes: Studies in the History of the Religion of India
Lionel David Barnett, 1922, [http://books.google.com/books?id=R-5KAAAAMAAJ Page 93]</ref> Brahmi inscription on the Mora stone slab, now in the Mathura Museum.<ref name=Puri1968>{{cite book
| author = Puri, B.N.
| year = 1968
| title = India in the Time of Patanjali
| publisher = Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan
| isbn =
}}Page 51: The coins of Raj uvula have been recovered from the Sultanpur District..
the Brahmi inscription on the Mora stone slab, now in the Mathura Museum,</ref><ref> Hindu Gods and Heroes: Studies in the History of the Religion of India
Lionel David Barnett, 1922, [http://books.google.com/books?id=R-5KAAAAMAAJ Page 92]</ref>
Many inscriptions and references to worship of Krishna can be found from the early centuries of the [[Common Era]].

==Worship==
===Vaishnavism===
{{main|Vaishnavism|Krishnaism}}
The worship of Krishna is part of Vaishnavism, which regards [[Vishnu]] as the [[Supreme God]] and venerates his associated avatars, their consorts, and related saints and teachers. Krishna is especially looked upon as a full manifestation of Vishnu, and as one with Vishnu himself.<ref>{{cite book |author=John Dowson |title=Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History and Literature |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |location= |year=2003 |pages= |isbn=0-7661-7589-8}} [http://books.google.com/books?id=6JB-KOXy5k8C&pg=PA361&dq=Vishnu+Sahasranama+Krishna&lr=&ei=bd5WSKD6CYe4jgHqyeWNDA&sig=aGU7ZPp35xBWhLj4_2BAWCWrTUA p. 361])</ref> However the exact relationship between Krishna and Vishnu is complex and diverse,<ref name = Beck>See Beck, Guy, ''"Introduction"'' in {{Harvnb|Beck|2005|pp=1-18}}</ref> where Krishna is sometimes considered an independent deity, supreme in his own right.<ref name=Knott55>{{Harvnb|Knott|2000|p=55}}</ref> Out of many deities Krishna is particularly important, and traditions of Vaishnava lines are generally centered either on Vishnu or on Krishna, as supreme. The term Krishnaism has been used to describe the sects of Krishna, reserving term "Vaishnavism" for sects focusing on Vishnu in which Krishna is an [[avatar]], rather than a transcended being.<ref>Flood (1996) p. 117</ref>
All Vaishnava traditions recognise Krishna as an avatar of Vishnu; others identify Krishna with Vishnu; while traditions, such as [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism]],<ref name = McDaniel>See McDaniel, June, ''"Folk Vaishnavism and {{IAST|Ṭhākur Pañcāyat}}: Life and status among village Krishna statues"'' in {{Harvnb|Beck|2005|p=39}}</ref><ref name=Kennedy1925>{{cite book| author = Kennedy, M.T.| year = 1925 | title = The Chaitanya Movement: A Study of the Vaishnavism of Bengal| publisher = H. Milford, Oxford university press| isbn = }}</ref> [[Vallabha Sampradaya]] and the [[Nimbarka Sampradaya]], regard Krishna as the ''[[svayam bhagavan]]'', original form of God, or the Lord himself.<ref name="KK">{{cite book |author=K. Klostermaier | other = Crotty, Robert B. |title=The Charles Strong Trust Lectures, 1972-1984 |publisher=Brill Academic Pub |location= |year=1997 |pages=206 |isbn=90-04-07863-0 |quote= For his worshippers he is not an avatara in the usual sense, but svayam bhagavan, the Lord himself.|url= http://books.google.com/books?id=F_0UAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA109&dq=Svayam+bhagavan&as_brr=3&sig=0MqNO6X3nyfgZTNDC1nVI_OLd0A |accessdate=}} p.109</ref><ref name = VaisnavaInstitute1956>[http://books.google.com/books?id=yEMB3RBwjTsC Indian Philosophy & Culture ][http://books.google.com/books?q=+subject:%22Philosophy,+Indic%22&lr=&num=50&as_brr=0 Philosophy, Indic]1956. Page 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."</ref><ref name=Delmonico> Delmonico, N., ''The History Of Indic Monotheism And Modern Chaitanya Vaishnavism'' in {{Harvnb|Ekstrand|2004}}</ref><ref name=De1960>{{cite book
| author = De, S.K.
| year = 1960
| title = Bengal's contribution to Sanskrit literature & studies in Bengal Vaisnavism
| publisher = 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."</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Bryant|2007|p=381}}</ref> [[Swaminarayan]], the founder of the [[Swaminarayan Sampraday]] also worshipped Krishna as god himself. In the [[Shikshapatri]] he wrote, the very first [[shloka]] says, "I (Swaminarayan) meditate in my heart upon Lord Krishna, on whose left stands Radha, on whose bosom resides Laxmiji and who plays (with his Bhaktas) in Vrindavan". <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.swaminarayanwales.org.uk/Shikshapatri/shikshapatridetails.asp?shlockcode=1 | title=Shikshapatri Shlok 1}}</ref> In the list of the epithets attributed to Krishna, he is described as the "source of all incarnations" by [[Rupa Goswami]], a philosopher from the Gaudiya tradition.<ref>{{Harvnb|Goswami|1998|p=136}}</ref> "Greater Krishnaism" corresponds to the second and dominant phase of Vaishnavism, revolving around the cults of the [[Vasudeva]], Krishna, and [[Gopala]] of late [[Vedic period]].<ref>[http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/hindu/devot/vaish.html Vaishnava] University of Cumbria website Retrieved on 5-21-2008</ref> Today the faith has a significant following outside of India as well.<ref name="Princeton">{{cite book
|author=Graham M. Schweig
|title=Dance of Divine Love: The Rڄasa Lڄilڄa of Krishna from the Bhڄagavata Purڄa. na, India's classic sacred love story
|publisher=Princeton University Press
|location=Princeton, N.J
|year=2005
|pages=Front Matter
|isbn=0-691-11446-3
|oclc=
|doi=
|accessdate=
}}</ref>

===Early traditions===
The deity ''Krishna-Vasudeva'' (''{{IAST|kṛṣṇa vāsudeva}}'' "Krishna, the son of [[Vasudeva]]") is historically one of the earliest forms of worship in [[Krishnaism]] and [[Vaishnavism]].<ref name = bryant4/><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.jstor.org/pss/1062622
|title=A Revolution in {{IAST|Kṛṣṇaism}}: The Cult of Gopāla: History of Religions, Vol. 25, No. 4 (May, 1986 ), pp. 296-317
|publisher=www.jstor.org
|accessdate=2008-05-24
|last=Hein
|first=Norvin
}}</ref> It is believed to be a significant tradition of the early history of the worship of Krishna in antiquity.<ref name = "Hastings540"/><ref>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.</ref> This tradition is considered as earliest to other traditions that led to [[amalgamation]] at a later stage of the historical development. Other traditions are [[Bhagavatism]] and the cult of [[Gopala]], that along with the cult of [[Bala Krishna]] form the basis of current tradition of monotheistic religion of Krishna.<ref name = kk20072>
{{citation
| author = Klostermaier, Klaus K.
| pages = p.206
| year = 2005
| title = A Survey of Hinduism
| publisher = State University of New York Press; 3 edition
| isbn = 0791470814
| quote = 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.
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.jstor.org/pss/2051211
|title=Review:''Krishna: Myths, Rites, and Attitudes.'' by Milton Singer; Daniel H. H. Ingalls, The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 27, No. 3 (May, 1968 ), pp. 667-670
|publisher=www.jstor.org
|accessdate=2008-05-24
|last=Basham
|first=A. L.
}}
</ref> Some early scholars would equate it with Bhagavatism,<ref name = "Hastings540">{{cite book
|author= Hastings, James Rodney
|authorlink=James Hastings
|editor=
|others=John A Selbie
|title=Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics
|edition=Volume 4 of 24 ( Behistun (continued) to Bunyan.)
|language=
|publisher=Kessinger Publishing, LLC
|location=Edinburgh
|year=2nd edition 1925-1940, reprint 1955, 2003
|origyear=1908-26
|pages=476
|quote=The encyclopedia will contain articles on all the religions of the world and on all the great systems of ethics. It will aim at containing articles on every religious belief or custom, and on every ethical movement, every philosophical idea, every moral practice.
|isbn=0-7661-3673-6
|oclc=
|doi=
|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Kaz58z--NtUC&pg=PA540&vq=Krishna&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1_1&sig=lo3NqA31k8hJZw7qNc9QDEAYyYA
|accessdate=2008-05-03
}}pp.540-42</ref> and the founder of this religious tradition is believed to be Krishna, who is the son of Vasudeva, thus his name is ''Vāsudeva'', he is belonged to be historically part of the Satvata tribe, and according to them his followers called themselves Bhagavatas and this religion had formed by the 2nd century BCE (the time of [[Patanjali]]), or as early as the 4th century BCE according to evidence in [[Megasthenes]] and in the [[Arthasastra]] of [[Kautilya]], when ''Vāsudeva'' was worshiped as supreme deity in a strongly monotheistic format, where the supreme being was perfect, eternal and full of grace.<ref name = "Hastings540"/>
In many sources outside of the cult, devotee or [[bhakta]] is defined as ''Vāsudevaka''.<ref>{{cite book
| author = Singh, R.R.
| year = 2007
| title = Bhakti And Philosophy
| publisher = Lexington Books
| isbn = 0739114247
}}
:p. 10: "[Panini's] term Vāsudevaka, explained by the second century B.C commentator Patanjali, as referring to "the follower of Vasudeva, God of gods."</ref> The [[Harivamsa]] describes intricate relationships between Krishna Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha that would later form a [[Vaishnava]] concept of primary quadrupled expansion, or [[avatara]].<ref>Couture, André: ''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 (2006) 571-585.</ref>

===Bhakti tradition===
{{main|Bhakti yoga}}
Bhakti, meaning devotion, is not confined to any one deity. However Krishna is an important and popular focus of the [[devotional]] and [[ecstatic]] aspects of Hindu religion, particularly among the [[Vaishnava]] sects.<ref name = McDaniel/><ref name = "Klostermaier1974">{{cite journal
| author = Klostermaier, K.
| year = 1974
| title = The Bhaktirasamrtasindhubindu of Visvanatha Cakravartin
| journal = Journal of the American Oriental Society
| volume = 94
| issue = 1
| pages = 96–107
| url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-0279(197401%2F03)94%3A1%3C96%3ATBOVC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-E
| accessdate = 2008-04-12
| doi = 10.2307/599733 <!--Retrieved from CrossRef by DOI bot-->
}}</ref> Devotees of Krishna subscribe to the concept of ''[[lila]]'', meaning 'divine play', as the central principle of the [[universe]]. The ''lilas'' of Krishna, with their expressions of personal love that transcend the boundaries of formal reverence, serve as a counterpoint to the actions of another avatar of Vishnu: [[Rama]], "He of the straight and narrow path of ''maryada,'' or rules and regulations."<ref name = "Kennedy1925"/>

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 [[Alvars|Alvar]] saints of the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] country.<ref name=Vaudeville1962>{{cite journal
| author = Vaudeville, C.
| year = 1962
| title = Evolution of Love-Symbolism in Bhagavatism
| journal = Journal of the American Oriental Society
| volume = 82
| issue = 1
| pages = 31–40
| url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-0279(196201%2F03)82%3A1%3C31%3AEOLIB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S
| accessdate = 2008-06-20
| doi = 10.2307/595976
}}</ref> 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.<ref name="cassel">{{cite book |author=Bowen, Paul |title=Themes and issues in Hinduism |publisher=Cassell |location=London |year=1998 |pages=p. 64-65 |isbn=0-304-33851-6 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref><ref name=Radhak1975>{{cite book
| author = Radhakrisnasarma, C.
| year = 1975
| title = Landmarks in Telugu Literature: A Short Survey of Telugu Literature
| publisher = Lakshminarayana Granthamala
| isbn =
}}</ref>
<ref name=histor>{{cite book
| author = Sisir Kumar Das
| year = 2005
| title =A History of Indian Literature, 500-1399: From Courtly to the Popular
| publisher = Sahitya Akademi
|pages = p. 49
| isbn = 8126021713
}}</ref> [[Kulasekaraazhvaar]]'s [[Mukundamala]] was another notable work of this early stage.

===Spread of the Krishna-Bhakti Movement===

The movement spread rapidly from northern India into the south, with the [[Sanskrit]] poem ''[[Gita Govinda]]'' of [[Jayadeva]] (12th century CE) becoming a landmark of devotional, Krishna-based literature. It elaborated a part of the Krishna legend—his love for one particular [[gopi]], called [[Radha]], a minor character in ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' but a major one in other texts like ''[[Brahma Vaivarta Purana]]''. By the influence of ''Gita Govinda'', Radha became inseparable from devotion to Krishna.<ref name= "Mahony1987"/>

[[Image:Westindischer Maler um 1550 001.jpg|thumb|left|[[Gita Govinda]] by [[Jayadeva]].]]
While the learned sections of the society well versed in Sanskrit could enjoy works like ''Gita Govinda'' or [[Bilvamangala]]'s ''[[Krishna-Karnamritam]]'', the masses sang the songs of the devotee-poets, who composed in the regional languages of India. These songs expressing intense personal devotion were written by devotees from all walks of life. The songs of [[Mirabai]] and [[Surdas]] became epitomes of Krishna-devotion in north India.

These devotee-poets, like the Alvars before them, were aligned to specific theological schools only loosely, if at all. But by the 11th century CE, [[Vaishnava]] Bhakti schools with elaborate theological frameworks around the worship of Krishna were established in north India. [[Nimbarka]] (11th century CE), [[Vallabhacharya]] (15th century CE) and [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]] (16th century CE) were the founders of the most influential schools. These schools, namely [[Nimbarka Sampradaya]], [[Vallabha Sampradaya]] and [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism]] respectively, see Krishna as the supreme god, rather than an avatar, as generally seen.

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]],<ref name = "vithoba"/> a local form of Krishna, from the beginning of the 13th century until the late 18th century.<ref name= "Mahony1987"/> 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 named [[Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu]].<ref name = "Klostermaier1974"/>

[[Image:Radhakrishna manor.JPG|thumb|upright|Krishna (left) with the flute with gopi-consort Radha, [[Bhaktivedanta Manor]], [[Watford]], England]]
===In the West===
Since 1966, the Krishna ''bhakti'' movement has also spread outside India.<ref name="Iskcon">{{Cite web|url=http://www.iskcon.com/worldwide/centres/index.html|title=Iskcon address listing|accessdate=2008-04-19|publisher=iskcon.com|format=html|language=engl}}</ref> This is largely due to the evangelistic ''[[Hare Krishna]]'' movement, the largest part of which is the [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness]] (ISKCON).<ref> {{citation |last = Selengut |first= Charles| title = Charisma and Religious Innovation:Prabhupada and the Founding of ISKCON| journal = ISKCON Communications Journal| volume= 4| issue = 2|year = 1996|url=http://www.iskcon.com/icj/4_2/4_2charisma.html}}</ref> The movement was founded by [[Prabhupada]], who was instructed by his [[guru]], [[Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura]], to write about Krishna in English and to share the Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy with people in the Western world.<ref>''Prabhupada - He Built a House, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1983, ISBN 0-89213-133-0'' page xv</ref>

==In the performing arts==
While discussing the origin of Indian theatre, Horwitz talks about the mention of the Krishna story in [[Patanjali]]'s [[Mahabhashya]] (c. 150 BCE), where the episodes of slaying of Kamsa (Kamsa Vadha) and "Binding of the heaven storming titan" (Bali Bandha) are described.<ref>Varadpande p.231</ref> [[Bhasa]]'s ''Balacharitam'' and ''Dutavakyam'' (c. 400 BCE) are the only [[Sanskrit]] plays centered on Krishna written by a major classical dramatist. The former dwells only on his childhood exploits and the latter is a one-act play based on a single episode from the ''Mahābhārata'' when Krishna tries to make peace between the warring cousins.<ref>Varadpande p.232-3</ref>

From the 10th century CE, with the growing Bhakti movement, Krishna became a favourite subject of the arts. The songs of the ''[[Gita Govinda]]'' became popular across India, and had many imitations. The songs composed by the Bhakti poets added to the repository of both folk and classical singing.

[[Image:Kathakali Kerala India.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Kathakali]] performer as Krishna.]]
The classical dances of India, especially [[Odissi]] and [[Manipuri dance|Manipuri]], draw heavily on the story. The '[[Rasa lila]]' dances performed in [[Vrindavana]] shares elements with [[Kathak]], and the [[Krisnattam]], with some cycles, such as Krishnattam, traditionally restricted to the [[Guruvayur temple]], the precursor of [[Kathakali]].<ref name=Zarrilli2000>{{cite book
| author = Zarrilli, P.B.
| year = 2000
| title = Kathakali Dance-Drama: Where Gods and Demons Come to Play
| publisher = Routledge
| pages = p. 246
}}</ref> The [[Sattriya]] dance, founded by the [[Assam]]ese Vaishnava saint [[Srimanta Sankardeva|Sankardeva]], extols the virtues of Krishna. Medieval [[Maharashtra]] gave birth to a form of storytelling known as the ''Hari-Katha'', that told Vaishnava tales and teachings through music, dance, and narrative sequences, and the story of Krishna one of them. This tradition spread to [[Tamil Nadu]] and other southern states, and is now popular in many places throughout India.

[[Narayana Tirtha]]'s (17th century CE) ''Krishna-Lila-Tarangini'' provided material for the musical plays of the ''Bhagavata-Mela'' by telling the tale of Krishna from birth until his marriage to [[Rukmini]]. [[Tyagaraja]] (18th century CE) wrote a similar piece about Krishna called ''Nauka-Charitam''. The narratives of Krishna from the Puranas are performed in [[Yakshagana]], a performance style native to [[Karnataka]]'s coastal districts. Many movies in all Indian languages have been made based on these stories. These are of varying quality and usually add various songs, melodrama, and special effects.

==In other religions==
===Jainism===
The most exalted figures in Jainism are the twenty-four Tirthankaras. Krishna, when he was incorporated into the [[Jain]] list of heroic figures presented a problem with his activities which are not pacifist or non-violent. The concept of Baladeva, Vasudeva and Prati-Vasudeva was used to solve it. The Jain list of sixty-three Shalakapurshas or notable figures includes amongst others, the twenty-four Tirthankaras and nine sets of this triad. One of these triads is Krishna as the Vasudeva, Balarama as the Baladeva and Jarasandha as the Prati-Vasudeva. He was a cousin of the twenty-second Tirthankara, Neminatha. The stories of these triads can be found in the ''Harivamsha'' of Jinasena (not be confused with its namesake, the addendum to ''Mahābhārata'') and the ''Trishashti-shalakapurusha-charita'' of Hemachandra.<ref name = Jer>See Jerome H. Bauer ''""Hero of Wonders, Hero in Deeds: [http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&id=0SJ73GHSCF8C&oi=fnd&pg=PA151&dq=Prati+Vasudeva&ots=i1khlTWF0z&sig=1N2BAr9x5mXAMagaZcPmiFfVLak '''Vasudeva '''Krishna in Jaina Cosmohistory] '' in {{Harvnb|Beck|2005|pp=167-169}}</ref>

In each age of the Jain cyclic time is born a Vasudeva with an elder brother termed the Baladeva. The villain is the Prati-vasudeva. Baladeva is the upholder of the Jain principle of non-violence. However, Vasudeva has to forsake this principle to kill the Prati-Vasudeva and save the world. The Vasudeva then descends to hell as a punishment for this violent act. Having undergone the punishment he is then reborn as a Tirthankara.<ref name=Jaini1993>{{cite journal
| author = Jaini, P.S.
| year = 1993
| title = Jaina Puranas: A Puranic Counter Tradition
| url = http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&id=-kZFzHCuiFAC&oi=fnd&pg=PA207&dq=Prati+Vasudeva&ots=SrTawB327V&sig=Dhq7DR07iyRfYr9gCgeoXwg0THs
| doi = 10.2307/599733
| journal = Journal of the American Oriental Society
| volume = 94
| pages = 96
}}</ref><ref name=Cort1993>{{cite journal
| author = Cort, J.E.
| year = 1993
| title = An Overview of the Jaina Puranas
| url = http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&id=-kZFzHCuiFAC&oi=fnd&pg=PA185&dq=Prati+Vasudeva&ots=SrTawB33eW&sig=egXiuHioIMmhMHNtwFS9f6stvtk
| doi = 10.2307/599733
| journal = Journal of the American Oriental Society
| volume = 94
| pages = 96
}}</ref>

===Buddhism===
[[Image:Krishna-in-Kyoto-1.jpg|thumb|upright|Depiction of Krishna playing flute in the 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]],<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.vipassana.info/ay/andhakavenhu_puttaa.htm
|title=Andhakavenhu Puttaa
|publisher=www.vipassana.info
|accessdate=2008-06-15
}}
</ref> in the Ghatapandita Jataka as a prince and legendary conqueror and king of India.<ref name=Law1941>{{cite book
| author = Law, B.C.
| year = 1941
| title = India as Described in Early Texts of Buddhism and Jainism
| publisher = Luzac
| isbn =
}}</ref> In the Buddhist version, Krishna is called ''Vasudeva'', ''Kanha'' and [[Keshava]], and [[Balarama]] is his younger brother, Baladeva. These details resemble that of the story given in the [[Bhagavata Purana]]. Vasudeva, along with his nine other brothers (each son a powerful wrestler) and one elder sister (Anjana) capture all of [[Jambudvipa]] (many consider this to be India) after beheading their evil uncle, King [[Kamsa]], and later all other kings of Jambudvipa with his [[Sudarshana Chakra]]. Much of the story involving the defeat of [[Kamsa]] follows the story given in the [[Bhagavata Purana]].<ref name=Jaiswal>{{cite journal
| author = Jaiswal, S.
| year = 1974
| title = Historical Evolution of the Ram Legend'
| journal = Social Scientist
| url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0970-0293(199303%2F04)21%3A3%2F4%3C89%3AHEOTRL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-T
| doi = 10.2307/599733
| volume = 94
| pages = 96
}}</ref>

As depicted in the [[Mahābhārata]], all of the sons are eventually killed due to a curse of sage Kanhadipayana ([[Veda Vyasa]], also known as Krishna Dwaipayana). Krishna himself is eventually speared by a hunter in the foot by mistake, leaving the sole survivor of their family being their sister, Anjanadevi of whom no further mention is made.<ref name=Hiltebeitel1990>{{cite book
| author = Hiltebeitel, A.
| year = 1990
| title = The Ritual of Battle: Krishna in the Mahabharata
| publisher = State University of New York Press
| isbn =
}}</ref>

Since Jataka tales are given from the perspective of [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]]'s previous lives (as well as the previous lives of many of Buddha's followers), Krishna appears as one of the lives of [[Sariputra]], one of Buddha's foremost disciples and the "Dhammasenapati" or "Chief General of the Dharma" and is usually shown being Buddha's "right hand man" in Buddhist art and iconography.<ref>''[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanaponika/wheel090.html#turner The Turner of the Wheel]''. The Life of Sariputta, compiled and translated from the Pali texts by Nyanaponika Thera</ref> The [[Bodhisattva]], is born in this tale as one of his youngest brothers named Ghatapandita, and saves Krishna from the grief of losing his son.<ref name=Law1941/> The 'divine boy' Krishna as an embodiment of wisdom and endearing prankster is forming a part of worshipable pantheon in Japanese Buddhism.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.jstor.org/pss/2385037
|title=Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Spring, 1987 ), pp. 1-23
|publisher=www.jstor.org
|accessdate=2008-07-02
|last=Guth
|first=C.M.E
}}
</ref>

===Bahá'í Faith===
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]], [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]], [[Zoroaster]], [[Jesus]], [[Muhammad]], the [[Báb]], and the founder of the [[Bahá'í Faith]], [[Bahá'u'lláh]].<ref>{{cite book |author= Esslemont, J.E. |authorlink=John Esslemont |year= 1980 |title= Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era |edition= 5th ed. |publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust |location=Wilmette, Illinois, USA |id= ISBN 0-87743-160-4 |url= http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/je/BNE/bne-6.html#gr5 |pages = pp. 2}}</ref>

===Ahmadiyya Islam===
Members of the [[Ahmadiyya Muslim Community]] believe Krishna to be a great prophet of God as described by their founder, [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]]:<ref>{{cite book | title = Lecture Sialkot | first = Mirza Ghulam | last = Ahmad | publisher = Islam International Publications Ltd. | location = Tilford | date = 2007 |id = ISBN 1-85372-917-5 | url = http://alislam.org/library/books/LectureSialkot.pdf}}</ref>

<blockquote>Let it be clear that Lord Krishna, according to what has been revealed to me, was such a truly great man that it is hard to find his like among the [[rishis]] and avatars of the Hindus. He was an avatar (i.e. a prophet) of his time upon whom the Holy Spirit would descend from God. He was from God, victorious and prosperous. He cleansed the land of the [[Arya]] from sin and was in fact the prophet of his age. He was full of love for God, a friend of virtue and an enemy of evil.</blockquote>

===Other===
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 mythology|Greek]], [[Buddhist]], [[Bible|Biblical]] and even historical figures.<ref> {{cite journal |last= Harvey |first= D. A. |authorlink= |year= 2003|month= |title= Beyond Enlightenment: Occultism, Politics, and Culture in France from the Old Regime to the ''Fin-de-Siècle'' |journal= [[The Historian (journal)|The Historian]] |volume= 65 |issue= 3 |pages= 665–694| publisher = [[Blackwell Publishing]] |quote=|doi= 10.1111/1540-6563.00035}}</ref> For instance, [[Édouard Schuré]], an influential figure in [[perennial philosophy]] and occult movements, considered Krishna a ''Great Initiate''; while [[Theosophist]]s regard him as one of the ''Masters'', a spiritual teacher for humanity.<ref name = Schure>{{cite book|last = Schure| first = Edouard| authorlink = Édouard Schuré |title=Great Initiates: A Study of the Secret History of Religions| publisher = Garber Communications| year = 1992|isbn = 0893452289}}</ref><ref name = Others> See for example: {{cite book|last = Hanegraaff |first = Wouter J. | authorlink = Wouter Hanegraaff |title = New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought |publisher = [[Brill Publishers]] |year= 1996|pages =p. 390 |isbn=9004106960}}, {{cite book|last = Hammer |first =Olav| authorlink = Olav Hammer |title = Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age|publisher =[[Brill Publishers]] |year=2004 |pages =p. 62, 174 |isbn = 900413638X}}, and {{cite book|last = Ellwood |first = Robert S. |title =Theosophy: A Modern Expression of the Wisdom of the Ages | publisher = Quest Books |pages= p. 139 |year =1986 |isbn=0835606074 }}</ref> Krishna was canonized by [[Aleister Crowley]] and is [[Saints of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica|recognized as a saint]] in the [[Gnostic Mass]] of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]].<ref>Crowley associated Krishna with Roman god [[Dionysus]] and [[Magick|Magickal formulae]] IAO, [[Aum|AUM]] and [[INRI]]. See {{Cite book|last = Crowley|first = Aleister| authorlink = Aleister Crowley | title = Liber Aleph| |publisher = Weiser Books| isbn=0877287295| pages = 71|url = http://sacred-texts.com/oto/aleph_3.htm}} and {{cite book | last = Crowley|first = Aleister| authorlink = Aleister Crowley| title = [[The Book of Lies (Crowley)|The Book of Lies]]| publisher = Red Wheels| year = 1980|isbn = 0877285160| pages = 24-25}}</ref><ref> {{cite book|last = Apiryon |first = Tau |coauthors = Apiryon |title = Mystery of Mystery: A Primer of Thelemic Ecclesiastical Gnosticism | publisher = Red Flame|location= Berkeley, CA|year = 1995| isbn = 0971237611}} </ref>

==Krishnology==
{{main|Krishnology}}
Vaishnava theology has been a subject of study for many devotees, philosophers and scholars within [[India]] for centuries.<ref name = "Thomson"/> In recent decades this study called ''[[Krishnology]]'', has also been taken on by a number of academic institutions in Europe, such as the [[Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies]] and [[Bhaktivedanta College]]. The Vaishnava scholars instrumental in this western discourse include [[Tamala Krishna Goswami]], [[Hridayananda dasa Goswami]], [[Graham Schweig]], [[Kenneth R. Valpey]], [[Ravindra Svarupa dasa]], [[Sivarama Swami]], [[Satyaraja Dasa]], and [[Guy Beck]], among others.<ref name = Delmonico/>

==See also==
{{Krishna|state=autocollapse}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==References==
<div class="references-small">
*{{citation
|last=Beck
|first = Guy L.
|authorlink= Guy Beck
|title=Sonic theology: Hinduism and sacred sound
|publisher=University of South Carolina Press
|location=Columbia, S.C
|year=1993
|pages=
|isbn=0-87249-855-7
}}
*{{citation
| last = Bryant
| first = Edwin H.
|title=Krishna: the beautiful legend of God;
|publisher=Penguin |year=2004 |pages= |isbn=0-14-044799-7}}
*{{citation
| last = Bryant
| first = Edwin H.
|year=2007
|title=Krishna: A Sourcebook
|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA
|pages=
|isbn=0-19-514891-6
}}
* ''The Mahabharata'' of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, translated by [[Kisari Mohan Ganguli]], published between 1883 and 1896
* ''The Vishnu-Purana'', translated by H. H. Wilson, (1840)
* ''The Srimad Bhagavatam'', translated by [[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]], (1988) copyright [[Bhaktivedanta Book Trust]]
* {{citation | last = Knott | first = Kim | year = 2000 | pages = 160 | title = Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction | publisher = Oxford University Press, USA | isbn = 0192853872 }}
* ''The Jataka or Stories of the Buddha's Former Births'', edited by E. B. Cowell, (1895)
* {{citation |first=Maria|last= Ekstrand|editor= Bryant, Edwin H. |title=The Hare Krishna movement: the postcharismatic fate of a religious transplant |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |year=2004 |pages= |isbn=0-231-12256-X }}
* {{citation | title = The Qualities of Sri Krsna | first = S.D |last=Goswami| authorlink = Satsvarupa dasa Goswami | publisher = GNPress | date = 1998 | isbn = 0911233644}}
* ''Garuda Pillar of Besnagar'', Archaeological Survey of India, Annual Report (1908-1909). Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing, 1912, 129.
*{{cite book
| author = Flood, G.D.
| year = 1996
| title = An Introduction to Hinduism
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| isbn = 0521438780
}}
*{{citation | title =Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity | last = Beck| first = Guy L. (Ed.) | authorlink = Guy Beck |url = http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=0SJ73GHSCF8C | publisher = SUNY Press | year = 2005 | isbn =0791464156}}
*{{citation | |last = Rosen |first = Steven | authorlink = Satyaraja Dasa|title=Essential Hinduism |publisher=Praeger |location=New York |year=2006 |pages= |isbn=0-275-99006-0}}
*{{citation
|last = Valpey
|first = Kenneth R.
|year=2006
|title=Attending {{IAST|Kṛṣṇa}}'s image: {{IAST|Caitanya Vaiṣṇava mūrti-sevā}} as devotional truth
|publisher=Routledge
|location=New York
|pages=
|isbn=0-415-38394-3
|url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=X_guAAAACAAJ
}}
*{{citation
| last =Sutton
| first = Nicholas
|title=Religious doctrines in the Mahābhārata
|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ., |year=2000 |pages=477 |isbn=8120817001}}
*{{citation
| last = Bryant
| first = Edwin H.
|year=2007
|title=Krishna: A Sourcebook
|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA
|pages=
|isbn=0-19-514891-6
}}
*A. L. Dallapiccola (1982), London ''Krishna the Divine Lover: Myth and Legend Through Indian Art''
* ''History of Indian Theatre'' By M. L. Varadpande. Chapter ''Theatre of Krishna'', pp.231-94. Published 1991, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 8170172780.
</div>

==External links==
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*[http://veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/historical-krsna.htm The Search for the Historical Krishna, by Prof. N.S. Rajaram] (veda.harekrsna.cz)
*[http://www.stephen-knapp.com/sri_krishna.htm Sri Krishna - Differences in Realisation & Perception of the Supreme] (stephen-knapp.com)
*[http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Dwaraka.htm Hindu Wisdom - Dwarka] (http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Dwaraka.htm)
*[http://www.gosai.com/chaitanya/saranagati/html/vedic-upanisads/vedic-archeology.html Vedic Archeology (A Vaishnava Perspective)] (gosai.com)
*[http://csr.uchicago.edu/content/1-2-fisher.html The Devious God: Mythological Roots of Krishna’s Trickery in the Mahabharata by Elaine Fisher]
*[http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/mythology/krishna/index.htm Exploits of Lord Krishna]
*[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-844211,curpg-1.cms Article on the chronology of Krishna] (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

{{VishnuAvatars|state = collapsed}}
{{Mahābhārata|state = collapsed}}
{{Hindu Culture and Epics|state = collapsed}}

[[Category:Krishna|*]]
[[Category:Forms of Vishnu]]
[[Category:Hindu gods]]
[[Category:Vaishnavism]]
[[Category:Characters in the Mahābhārata]]
[[Category:Characters in Bhagavatam]]
[[Category:Manifestations of God in the Bahá'í Faith]]
[[Category:Sanskrit words and phrases]]

[[ar:كريشنا]]
[[bn:কৃষ্ণ]]
[[br:Krishna]]
[[bg:Кришна]]
[[ca:Krixna]]
[[cs:Kršna]]
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[[ko:크리슈나]]
[[hi:श्रीकृष्ण]]
[[id:Kresna]]
[[it:Krishna]]
[[he:קרישנה]]
[[jv:Kresna]]
[[kn:ಕೃಷ್ಣ]]
[[ka:კრიშნა]]
[[la:Krishna]]
[[hu:Krisna]]
[[ml:ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണന്‍]]
[[mr:कृष्ण]]
[[ms:Dewa Krishna]]
[[nl:Krishna]]
[[ja:クリシュナ]]
[[no:Krishna]]
[[nn:Krisjna]]
[[pl:Kryszna]]
[[pt:Krishna]]
[[ro:Krishna]]
[[ru:Кришна]]
[[sa:कृष्णः]]
[[simple:Krishna]]
[[sk:Kršna]]
[[sl:Krišna]]
[[sr:Кришна]]
[[sh:Krišna]]
[[su:Kresna]]
[[fi:Krishna]]
[[sv:Krishna]]
[[ta:கிருஷ்ணர்]]
[[te:శ్రీ కృష్ణుడు]]
[[th:พระกฤษณะ]]
[[tr:Krişna]]
[[uk:Крішна]]
[[ur:کرشن]]
[[zh:黑天]]

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