Interesting facts about Lord Krishna

The story of Krishna is spread across two epics: the BHAGVATA and the MAHABHARATA.

Bhagavata refers to Krishna as the flute-playing playful, lovable, mischievous, romantic cowherd who loves butter.

Mahabharata refers to Krishna as the conch-blowing city-builder, warrior, leader, philosopher, statesman...

Together these two create Krishna's wholesome manifestation of God.

But Krishna is an unusual god he challenges all conventional notions of divinity and appropriate social conduct. His name literally translates as black challenging the traditional Indian discomfort with the dark complexion, he is visualized as either cowherd or charioteer never as priest or king.

His mother is not his real mother, his beloved is not his wife and the women he rescues are neither his subjects nor members of his family, his lovemaking is really not his lovemaking, his war is not really war there is always more that meets the eye and only Krishna of all the Avatars of Vishnu does sports a smile a mischievous meaningful smile. There is more always that meets the eye when Krishna is around.

While Ram is called MARYADA PURUSHOTTAM, he who upholds the society at any cost, Krishna is called LEELA PURUSHOTTAM he who enjoys the game of life.

Unlike Ram who is serious and serene and evokes respect, Krishna is adorable and rakish and evokes affection. 

Ram's story takes place in the second quarter of the world, the Treta Yuga when the bull of Dharma stands on three legs. Krishna's story takes place in the third quarter of the world, the Dvapara yuga when the bull of Dharma stands on two legs.

Krishna's world is thus close to the world we live in, the Kali Yuga or the final quarter, and shares the murky morality and ethics we deal toady. In this world, the concept of dharma becomes even more difficult to express and institute. And this is most evident in the story of Yayati.

Yayati an ancestor of Krishna, is cursed by his father-in-law to become old and impotent when he is discovered having a mistress. Yayati begs his sons to suffer the curse on his behalf so that he can retain his youth. Yadu the eldest son refuses to do so because he feels his father should respect the course of time and not feed on the youth of his children. Puru, the youngest son, however, agrees to accept his father's old age. Puru's sacrifice makes Yayati so happy that, years later, when he has had his fill of youth, he declares that the younger Puru will be his heir and not the older Yadu. Further, he curses Yadu that none of his children or his children's children will be entitled to wear the crown. Krishna being Yadu's descendant, is therefore never the King. Kingship passes on to Puru's descendants, the Pandava's and the Kaurava's, even though time and again they demonstrate their unworthiness to wear the crown.

What seems a GOOD thing in Ram's Yuga becomes a BAD thing in Krishna's Yuga. Ram's unquestioning obedience of his father TRANSFORMS him into GOD. But Puru's unquestioning obedience results in COLLAPSE of SOCIETY. 

Dashratha REQUESTS Ram's obedience so that he can uphold his word. Yayati, however, DEMANDS obedience of his children for his own pleasure.

Yayati EXPLOITS the rule for his own benefit whereas Dashratha ENFORCES the rule so that the Royal integrity is never questioned. The rule (obey the father) resonates dharma in Dashratha's case, but not so in Yayati's.

Unlike Rama who submits to Dashratha and Puru who submits to Yayati, Krishna refuses to submit to Kamsa. This tale marks a shift in thinking where the younger generation refuses to suffer the tyranny of the older generation. This makes Krishna a radical Hero in Hinduism.

Caste System in Hinduism

Casteism in India

Human beings have different kinds of social structures. The immediate being the family and then the community. Now, this community can be either a tribe or people following a single religious code or it could be a vocation. In India, it was Vocation that defined group of people so-called the Jatis. And there were thousands and thousands of Jatis. And what we know from sub Genetic Information that before 2000 years there was fairly a lot of intermingling between these Jatis. But somewhere 2000 years ago Endogamy (the custom of marrying only within the limits of a local community, clan, or tribe) came it means that a member of jati would not share roti or food with other jatis and would not share their daughters with other jatis. 

                             Chaturvarna System

     The problem starts around 1000 years ago where these jatis started organizing themselves along the hierarchy of 'purity'. The unique thing about the caste system is the hierarchy of purity. Some jatis considered themselves to be pure and some being considered, from birth, to be impure and dirty. And this is conceivably the darkest aspect of Hinduism. In Temple structures, we see the purest members stayed close to the Temple and the least pure people stayed away from the Temple. And this creates a bunch of economic and political turbulence in society. 

     And this is what the French and Portuguese saw when they came to India 400 years ago and they applied the word, Casta. The word caste is really not an Indian word it comes from the Portuguese Casta which means clan. People formed a particular group according to their vocation. They tried to bundle them in what is the CHATURVARNA SYSTEM. The word Chaturvarna acknowledges the human society is always hierarchical. But people have mapped these jatis in these four Varna systems which is an artificial construct. Except for the first Varna Brahmin where you can put all the Brahmin jati in the Brahmin Varna for the rest it is a big problem.

Decoding Vegetarianism In Hinduism

Vegetarianism

One of the fundamentals principles of Hinduism is diversity therefore we have diverse meals in Hinduism. Hinduism is a polytheistic faith there are different gods, different kinds of food habits and there is no such thing as an ideal Hindu Meal. There would be vegetarians, non-vegetarians, egalitarians, all kinds of meals all kinds of plants and fruits. The unique way of eating Indian food is where all food is served in a thali and you mix and match in different proportions depending on what you want to eat.

Vegetarianism is neither a virtue nor a non-virtue. The Tapasvi and Yogi traditions (monastic) of India there was a desire to keep away from all things worldly. They equated vegetarianism at one level with good health at another level with not doing cruelty towards animals. It is from the monastic tradition that vegetarianism comes and it is adopted gradually by the upper castes in India and this became a kind of Sankritization process which basically means to associate yourself with the upper caste and elite in the society you shun non-vegetarian food. But if you look at India as a whole all the communities, all the sects, across the country most people do eat non-vegetarian food. So we can't equate Vegetarianism with Hinduism. Rituals have been changing in Hinduism from the past 2000 years. The goddess in Hinduism is offered blood sacrifice, and that's part of her ritual. She is called Raktavilasini. Fish offered to the goddess especially in the shakto tradition and the shakti across India, so buffalo are slaughtered, goats are slaughtered roosters are given to her, and fish is given to her.

If someone asks why beef is not consumed by Hindus, every community defines itself through certain ritual practices. There are taboo foods in every religion. In the same way not eating beef is a way of defining Hinduism. But it is not really the word beef, it is not eating cow meat. It doesn't mean bull meat, buffalo meat, or buff meat. There are lots of Ayurvedic texts in which non-vegetarian food is consumed.

Eating vegetarian or non-vegetarian food doesn't make you superior or inferior it is all part of the Indian tradition.

LGBT Themes in Hindu Mythology

Indian Mythology can come out as a breakthrough to break down the discrimination against the LGBT Community.

* Iravan (Son of Arjun), a God for the Transgender Community

Iravan, son of Arjuna, and Naga princess Uloopi was selected to sacrificed for the Pandava's victory in the Kurukshetra's war. Iravan had one last request that he didn't want to die unmarried. But no woman comes forward to marry him, to fulfill his last wish Lord Krishna in the avatar of Mohini marries Iravan. Iravan is also considered a Principal deity of the Transgender community in some parts of the country.


* Lord Ayyappa

Many of you may know Lord Ayyappa, but only some might know how he was born. He is the son of Harihara (Lord Vishnu in the form of Mohini and Lord Shiva). The most prominent shrine of Ayyapan Swamy is at the Sabarimala in Kerala. He was born with the power of Shiva and Vishnu to defeat the evil buffalo demoness Mahishi.


* Agni Dev, Consort of the Soma (Moon God) 

Agni, Lord of Fire, Wealth, and Energy. Although being married to Goddess Svaha, Agni dev is shown to be involved in a same-sex sexual encounter with Soma (God of Moon) where Agni having a receptive role in the relationship. 


* Shikhandi - born as a daughter, raised as a son

Shikhandi, daughter of King Drupad of Kingdom Panchaal was born as Shikhandini. Said to be reborn as Amba to take her revenge on Bhishma. She is raised by Drupada as a son.
She performs Austerities and is transformed into a man named Shikhandi.

* There is a story in Ramayana where they say, when Ram returned to Ayodhya he found the hijras (queer) sitting outside the country gate and they were very upset. Ram asked why were they sitting outside the city and not inside the city. They said when you were leaving the city you said all the men and women should return and you did not talk of the queer gender, Ram felt very bad and he said that in Ram Rajya they will always be welcomed with respect.


Comment some stories that you know.


****We should respect the LGBT community as they are part of our society ****

Most egoistic Characters in Hindu Mythology

1. Raavan - Son of sage Vishrava and Demon Princess Kaikesi. Despite being the symbol of evil, Raavan was One most prominent scholar of his time, maestro of the Veena, he mastered the knowledge of all the six Shastras and four Vedas, but The Trilokpati (conqueror of the Universe) grew so egoistic that he sacrificed all his sons and family members just to prove himself right.

2. Hiranyakashap - His deep abhorrence towards Lord Vishnu, made him so furious that he eventually tried to kill his son Prahlad, who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. His every attempt to kill Prahlad failed and Ultimately Lord Vishnu had to appear in the avatar of Narasimha (half lion and half Human) to save his devotee.

3. Duryodhan - The next stands out to be Duryodhana, we know his obsession with the throne that pulled off the entire Arya Varta into a great war.

4. Prajapati Daksha - Son of Lord Brahma and Father-in-law of Lord Shiva, but he was unhappy with his Daughter Sati Being married to Shiva. Once Daksha created a massive Yagna, where everyone was invited except Sati and Lord Shiva. Sati arrived, nevertheless, but after witnessing the humiliation of her husband by Daksha in his absence- Sati committed suicide.

5. Indra - Yes, the King of Swarg and the god of thunder. Every one of us knows how obsessed Indra was with the throne of Devalok. His insecurities towards the throne led him to create many blunders and the outcomes had detrimental effects.