Krishna—Who ? ‘Vyasa, the poet-philosopher of Anolent India ( whether one or many is immaterial for our present purpose ) has embedded the story of the life of ‘rena in the Alehabhdrate, ‘The account, in some of its details, has undergone contiderable development in the Heri- vans ond the Bhigevate, and still later in works of the Bhakti schools of the fret ard eecond halves of Medieval India, ‘That Kype was a great historical personage who lived about the time of the Mahibhirata War, is a solid historical fact which none can possibly deny, Equally obvious, however, is the other half of the truth that Vyisa, the author of the Mohidhiraia, wae not a historian or biographer in the modem sense of the word, but a post-phil- osopher who has taught philosophy ‘through poetry created out of historical facts and poetic imagination. The latter has rom riot in the early and loter mediw@val accounts of Krmna’s life, which reflect the poetic taste of the ‘age and not the life of Krsna as it was, actually lived. Revolting against what appears to be morally degrading in the accounts, Bankim Chandra Chatterji made an elaborate attempt at extricating the bistorioal nucleus of Krgna's life from ite later sooretions, His work is characterized by careful study and close reasoning, and deserves to be appreciated as a powerful reply to certain critics of the Hindu religion. His rationalistic mind, however, could not probe the deeper feelings which inspire this kind of literature, and consequently, in pruning down the life of Kyena, he throw away many valuable incidents in the story. As a result, he failed to explain the wonderful hold which for By A. B. Darvva. countless ages the Kygna legend has possessed on the Hindu mind. With a eeper insight into the realities of the situation, Sir George Grierson writes: “Gience the Soul’s devotion to the Deity is pictured by Radhi’s self- abandonment to her beloved Krana, and all the hot blood of oriental passion 4s encouraged to pour forth one mighty flood of praise and prayer to the Infinite Creator, who waits with loving, outstretched arms to receive the worshipper into bie bosom, and to convey him safely to eternal rest across the eemingly shoreless Ocean of Bxistence. Yet I am persuaded that no indecent thought entered their minds; and to those who would protest, as I have often heard the protest made, againet using the images of the iupaner im dealing with the most sacred mysteries of the Soul, I can only anewer:— “Wer dem Dichter will sorstehen ‘Muse im Diohter's tande gehen?” * —Sir Grierson, the author of “The Diterature of Hindustan”, in his Intro- duction to the “Satealya of Binavilal"’. Just as, in the interest of morality and pure religion, Bankim had tried to release the istorical nucleus from the later accretions, so earlier writers, notably those of the Obaitanya end Vallabha schools, had attempted to discover deep spiritual truthe in the love-story of Kpma and Ridha and had written learned commentaries on portions of the Bhagavata, for example, the Risa-fotchidhydy:, Such explanations, ‘though wholly satisfactory to the old generation of pandits, do not cany % Oss who wiekes w uederaid fhe post mut gO fo the poe Lana,conviction to modern scholars, who regard them as more ingenious than trae, Yet, thore can be no doubt that ancient Itihisas and Purines, while they record some historical facts, are mainly concemed with presenting religious and philosophic traths in artistic form. ‘The picture of Nafarija embodying harmony of _ terrible movement with that of perfect rect, of Saraswat seated on a white swan, Vie in hand, of Narayana resting om the ocean, with Lakemi at His fest and Brahma sitting on a lotus which has sprung from THis navel—these are all expressions in Art of those traths. Similarly, @ mass of spiritual troths ie lurking behind the poctical imagery of the Krgna legend. Let us try to bring it to light by following a new method, viz, that of utilizing connected literature for discovering the real mean- ing, instead of the old one of dissect- img words into sounds and syllables sna “attaching fanciful “mestings to them e.g Safiefarass ame orm Prdtearat | wittey ee ae gor gerfinaa Here are a few facts which aro well-known and may well be regarded a8 basic for the purpose of our inguiry:— 1. Kena is a oqoinne of Vigna, that is, to adopt the language of Ghristion divines used in regard to Josus, “the fulness of Godhead bodily expressed.” 2. He is @ friend of Arjana, 3. Ho drove Arjuna's chariot in the great battle of Kurukgetra between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, but himself took no part in the Aght, 1. That Kya is conceived as an incamation of Vignu or God is under- standablo in tho light of the Vedio religion. His peculiar physique and dress easily connect him with that ancient god. He is a full imoamation of Visnu, fhe omnipresent and immanent God (irom ‘fa, to entes), whose body Sa the blue sky (aisag:)’ with four arms repre- senting the four dixections (apys:) and clad in = beautiful yellow garment (are: ) consisting of the golden rays of the sun, 2, That he is a friend (gar) of Axjana, is the most important part of our evidence. Its genesis we can trace step by step from the i-Sdktas down to the Mshdbhdrata. ‘Vigna and Indra of the Ri-Stktas are the originals of Kygpa and Arjana respectively, and so they are also described in the Mohibhérata—where Krgna appears as an Avatira of Vigna, and Arjuna is said to have been miraculously placed in his mother's womb by Indra. ‘That Krgna is a friend of Arjuna is the counterpart of the Vedic statement ‘that Vigna is a constant companion and fiend of Indra (eq gri,qar) and helps him in his battles, In the Upantgads, the came ancient gods—Vignu and Indra—clearly appear as God and Mau (Paramiém and Joitma), Vinu signifying the omni present and immanent God who helps Inara, the human soul, who expresses himself through sonses and organs (CIndziyas), in the latter's battles with Asaras or evil passions, The following verse of the Bi-Samhite (1. 164—20), which refers to the friendship of the tyro, recurs in the lundate and Swetiseatara ‘Upanigads (Mu, Upa, IIL, i, 1 and Swe, ‘Upa. TV. 6):— waar aga wera dard aeiofeaae | sates fers areerrnaedt atrareetite | In later mythology these “constant companions”? are represented as Nara and Narayana, whe perform tapas on the28 for the good of Bhirata- s Nig meaué Man—the buman Nirdyara means the goal or de of mankind— ab TUoP aaE ARG, ge TAT cf, at Tea aTTeTe otieraTeTal oa Prerafatganfercrarer ofa arr ela fase | aamaaanet frardiseaaiet arceron fe | sion $2 Bhi on Bhagavadgitd Z. 1) Hahohivete opens the WJaya’—the tery of Good over recited after making oveisance to Nariyana and Nara, whore Avatéras ere Kygna aud Azjuna, the two main characters of the epic, Thus we have a regular, unbroken ine of connection between Krena and Anjana at one end and Vigna and Indra ‘at the other, embodying in the philoso- Dhy of Upanigads and later Hinduism the two great postulates of Philosophy, namely, God and Dian, Paramdina and Iietind. 2. That Sr rena should be roprosented as driving the chariot of Axjuna—a duty normally assigned to Doteons of the Sita olass—in not a little surprising. But i¢ ir easily underetanda- ble if wo bear in mind that m1 irene {8 the Paromiim? and Arjuna the Jrosin’, and recall the famous motapuor sm the passage “omit Cini RR, ete. (Kathe Upa, TE. il.4), Borrowing the main idea from this metaphor, the author of the Sakdshirata makes God the chariotecr of Man in the latter's fight with Evil, Moreover, it should be noted thet the reason why ‘Krona drives the chariot bat takes no active part in the battle is in accordance with the doctrine of theistic Sankhya— fhe dominant philosophy of the send. thirata and the Parinas;—which regards God as transcendental (say) and above activity ( sre), ‘The oritios of grr Krgna's character forget that Kyena in the Mohibndrate 18 God Himself and his conduct is nothing more than a description of God's ways in the Universe. To take an example, he is often criticized for misleading ‘Yudhisthira into telling a lie when Drona asked Yudhisthira whether the former's con, by name Aéwatthama, which was also the name of a certain elephant, had been killed. Now, let us ask—who tompts man? ‘This raises the whole problem of Evil. The dualism of two: independent powers, God and Satan, is philosophically unsatisfactory. Evil has, therefore, to be regarded as evanescent and only @ means for test ing the virtue of man. ‘The passage in ‘the Mendbnarate whore the incident is narrated is intended to be no more than a record of the arguments pro and con which toro the mind of Yudhisthira. ‘Thus, for example, Yudhisthira thought Yo himself whether it would not bo wrong of him to place his whole army into the jaws of Death by this single act of self-righteousness, which was really spiritual pride, He told lie; but the inexorable Jaw of Retribution was there, and he had to suffer the conso- quence in the shape of a visit to hell after death, The poet clears the ground for this lapse on the part of Yudhisthira by the plea that Drona had no right to expect trathfainess on the buttle-field after he had exchanged his Brahmana- hood for the life of a Keatriya—in which ata crisis like thie lying was excusa- ble AN these considerations swayed the mind of Yudhigthira, who honestly believ- ed that he was acting rightly, and thus mistook his inclination for the voice of Goa. Krpna's life in Gokula is separated by some modern scholars from his later Life, the former being treated as an addendum made to the story of the > Tha i « etcasm 08 rented as fale, ¢ See Dirawabpa on Makabarta o4 soem of Son Hara, whieh bos Nivea fr se Saar,Mandthivata under the influence of Obristianity. Even such an eminent and level-headed scholar like Sir R.G, Bhandarkar has supported this view. He assigne the Harivensa, in which Kygna's life in Gokula appears for the firet time, to the third century A.D. and the first settlement of the Abhtras fa tribe of cowherds, near Mathura to the first century. T think the date of the first immigration of Abhiras must be pushed back to an earlier century, when they were still looked upon asa tribe of robbers (ziqs) who had nothing to do with Hypna and had no hesitation in attacking the Yadava ladies while they were being escorted by Anjuna from Dwiraki to Kurukgetra, Tho cowherd tribe of Nanda and Yasodd in whose home Kyra was brought ap must be distinguished from that of the ‘Kbhiras, and euch identification of the two ag we find in some of the accounts must be regarded as due to confusion between the various tribes of cowherds. In any case we aro not concerned here with the date of ‘Cowherd Krmue’ ‘but with the question of the origin of the cowherd idea of Krena—which I do not think was suggested by the Curistion idea of Christ as ‘shepherd’ of his souls, but by the text of the Rgveda-Samita: of. Aor ger Pest remit sepa: oat anor ara | frei walfir cera adi aah waa ome ast wer | whore Viena, the original of rena, is described as an ‘invincible cowherd’— and later passages where Aditya (and vi ‘This doteis ed ew eaten ofthe covumeree tthe word Dinara (dona). st tbe Aigoye ia hich it overs ie eideady «Inter ston, For fe hooray lo (eetieg of 15 alokae}, aa compan (Pit the weehinoigg Abyayag aod hor" be eoureton Tih tho Adbyeyat, while on the contrary, tho lier The detasly eonaested with cach other, uu ig one of the Adityas) is said tobe acowherd (afta ara ). Similarly, the idea of Gokula on Warth and Goloka in Heaven is taken from that of the Rgvedio world of Vigna where there are ‘meny-homed and unresting cows’ apr arat afermt srare? (Bg T. 184. 6). The central idea of Risa or dance of Krma and Gopis, which we find in the Bhagmeta, is & symbolieal representation of ‘the Vedio idea of the Sun (-God) as the conter of the Universe, ‘the soul of the world animate and inanimate’ (el 9TH smrmeegvs') from whom the whole Uni- verse has burst forth like a song ( 32). What a oublime and at the same time Deautiful metaphor | Man's relation with Goa and also thet of the Cosmos With ite divine contre could not have ‘been deseribed better. [And be it remembered that all alongs ‘throughout the Adiydyz, and elsewhere, Krma is repeatediy described asretain- ing bis brahmacharye. Here again we have the old Sankhya doctrine that Purge 18 Asongs and Atartt in the midst of the senees, The same Sinkhya is preached through the parable of Kubj&— the ugly woman who has been in the service of Evil. Tt teaches that Prateti tempts Man by false decorations pré fon a body which is ‘in three parts crooked, j. ey the three principles of Saito, Rajas and Tamas. But she is made straight and beautifal by Krma who pestores her to auger, and the lesson of the whole parable is the same as that taught in the Bhagovadgt2, that it ig not in renouncing Pretréi but in using her in the service of God that Man is truly God-like, However much we may dislike the parable, there is no mistaking its underlying meaning. Tt is the Sénkhya metaphor of nartaki— the dancing girl—which has probably suggested the metaphor. ‘The parable, however, has been modified so as to fit in with the teaching of the Bhagaved- ia, which differs, as is well-known, from that of the ascetic Sénkhya.In conclusion, let us sum up tho teachings of the Pirintha of the Dasana Skaniha of the Bhigovate in the Light of the philosophical and religious significance of the life of Krana:— 1, Superstitions beliefs regarding the origin of infante’ diseases is not religion (The story of Potand). 2. Ritualiem which is divorced from charity and sympathy with the poor and the hungry Is not religion (‘The story of the priests at the sacrifice), 3, God makes no distinction of race, class or sex and appreciates Love more than learning (Gopas nd Gopis versus the Brahmanas). 4, God ie not high up in the sky, but is immanent in our daily Life (Gorsrdhana-Puja as against Indra-matha 5, God is greater than gods— Brahma, Indra, Varuna, and Kimadeva (see the respective AdhySyas in Book X. and remember that there wasaregular Kima-worship in India at one time). 6, Nothing is bidden from Him (The girls at the bathing ghat who were observing Kityayant- vrata). Compare in this conneo- tion Plato's myth of the naked soulein Gorgias in J. A. Stewart's Myths of Plato P.117, He is the centre of the ‘Universe not only as central Forea bat as central Love (‘The ‘Riea ) 8, The highest morality is not asceticism, as it is ordinarily understood, but asceticism in the midat of active life (Niort in Pravcti). ‘hese are no small contributions to science and art of religion, for really indebted to the which we are suka, How could such a Kygna be an object of our Bhatti? My anewer is: this is the only Kygna, the traditional Kiypno, that we know, and he has become ‘the object of man's deepest and intensest Bhatti, Tho Kygna that his devotee loves and worships is neither the purely humen—the historical—Krgna; for it is, impossible to worehip a lumen being, howsoever much we may admire him; nor is he purely tho transcendental Goa who is beyond human knowledge and therefore beyond human worship, ‘The God whom man can worship and oes worship is precisely the Krsna we have reverently sketched above, ‘goma, oe raft ceed ama?