Krishna (IAST kṛṣṇa, the Sanskrit for "dark" or "black") (see below), is according to common Hindu tradition the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism he is seen as the Supreme God. IAST, or International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is the academic standard for writing the Sanskrit language with the Latin alphabet and very similar to National Library at Calcutta romanization standard being used with many Indic scripts. ... Sanskrit ( संस्कृतम्) is a classical language of India and a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. ... Krishna (IAST , the Sanskrit for dark or black), is according to common Hindu tradition the eighth avatar of Vishnu. ... A Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural systems of Bharat (India) and Nepal. ... The 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu In Hinduism, an avatar or avatara (Sanskrit अवतार), is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. ... For other uses of the name Vishnu, see Vishnu (disambiguation). ... Gaudiya Vaishnavism, (Bengal) Vaishnavism, is a sect of Hinduism founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. ... God is the term used to denote the Supreme Being believed by monotheistic religions to exist and to be the creator and ruler of the Universe. ...

Lord Krishna revealing his Universal form to Arjuna Artwork © courtesy of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

Image File history File links UniversalForm. ... Image File history File links UniversalForm. ... In Hindu mythology, Arjuna is one of the heroes of the epic Mahabharata. ...

Major aspects

Krishna appears under many names, in a multiplicity of stories, among different cultures, and in different traditions. Sometimes these contradict each other, though there is a common core story that is central to most people's knowledge of Krishna.

Among his important or celebrated aspects are:

• Govinda Krishna, the lord of the cow-herders. He is contrasted in this to his brother Balarama representing the cultivators, who is sometimes called Halayudha - 'armed with a plough'.

• Krishna the focus of devotion (the lover, the attractive one, the flute player). He is frequently shown playing the flute, attracting and bewildering the gopis of Vrindavana.

• Krishna the child (Bala Krishna). Stories of his upbringing in Gokula and Vrindavan are a staple of children's tales in India.

• The incarnation of the Supreme Being, and the divine Guru, who teaches Arjuna how to take the right action in the Bhagavad Gita.

Balarama (left) with his brother Krishna Krishna-Balarama Mandir, Vrindavan, India // Introduction In mainstream Hindu tradition, Balarama (phonetically Balarāma - his other names include Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha) is the name of the elder brother of Sri Krishna. ... In Hinduism a gopi (somtimes gopika) is one of the several cow herding girls who had pure devotion (bhakti) to Krishna. ... Vrindavana is the name of a mythic forest or forested region in Northern India, in which the Hindu deity Krishna spent his childhood. ... References This section needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... In Hindu mythology, Arjuna is one of the heroes of the epic Mahabharata. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ...

Texts, stories, and literature

Krishna (left) with Radha
Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, England

A number of local traditions and regional deities may have been subsumed into the stories and person of Krishna. Accounts of or ballads about Krishna occur in a large number of works. These include the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda. Roughly one quarter of the Bhagavata Purana (mostly in the tenth book) is spent extolling his life and philosophy. Radha and Krishna deities at Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, England File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Radha and Krishna deities at Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, England File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Radha refers to either one of two figures in Hindu religion. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... The Bhagavata Purana (sometimes rendered as Bhagavatha Purana), also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam, written c. ... The Gita Govinda or the Song of the Shri Krishna is a work composed in the 12th century by Jayadeva Goswami. ... The Bhagavata Purana (sometimes rendered as Bhagavatha Purana), also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam, written c. ...

The best known, or the most important stories of Krishna, include these:

• Krishna the butter-thief (Maakhanchor). One of the most popular children's stories is that of the butter-thief, the child stealing freshly made butter from his mother.

• The killer of Putana. She was a demoness who was sent to kill him by getting him to suckle her poisoned breasts.

• Krishna Giridhari. As a boy, he raised Govardhana hill to protect villagers from rain and flood sent by Indra.

• Govinda Krishna, the beloved of the gopis. The original stories of Krishna as a boy included his adolescent play with the Gopis or cowgirls of the village of Vrindavana. These were developed to form the basis of the Gita Govinda, and numerous other later works.

• Krishna Vaasudeva the prince, of the Yadavas at Mathura and later at Dwaraka. As a prince he was also the husband of Rukmini.

• Krishna, together with Arjuna, was responsible for the burning of the Khandava forest.

• He plays a major role in the events leading up to the Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata, helping the Pandavas who accept him as their counsel and guide. He protects the dignity of Draupadi when Dushasana tries to strip her in the court.

• Paartha-sarathi – the charioteer of Arjuna (Paartha) during the great battle where, he instructs Arjuna in dharma and yoga in the Bhagavad Gita.

This article contains information that has not been verified. ... In Hinduism a gopi (somtimes gopika) is one of the several cow herding girls who had pure devotion (bhakti) to Krishna. ... In Hinduism a gopi (somtimes gopika) is one of the several cow herding girls who had pure devotion (bhakti) to Krishna. ... Vrindavana is the name of a mythic forest or forested region in Northern India, in which the Hindu deity Krishna spent his childhood. ... The Gita Govinda or the Song of the Shri Krishna is a work composed in the 12th century by Jayadeva Goswami. ... The Yadava Dynasty ruled a kingdom in what is now Maharashtra, India from the 12th century to the 14th century. ... Mathura (मथुरा) is a city in India, located approximately 50 km north of Agra, and south of Delhi. ... Dwarka is a city in Gujarat, India. ... In Hinduism, Rukmini is the first wife and queen of Krishna, the 8th avatar of Vishnu. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Draupadi is the daughter of King Drupada, and becomes the wife of the five Pandavas. ... (Also spelt Duhshasana. ... In Hindu mythology, Arjuna is one of the heroes of the epic Mahabharata. ... Dharma (Sanskrit, roughly law or way) is the way of the higher Truths. ... Yoga (from Sanskrit yuj, meaning yoke) is a family of ancient spiritual practices that originated in India and have been absorbed into Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ...

Summary of the story of Krishna

This summary is derived from the Mahabharata, and the Harivamsaparva, an addendum to it. The Harivamsa (Skt. ...

Krishna and his mother Yasoda Artwork © courtesy of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

Image File history File links YoungKrishna. ... Image File history File links YoungKrishna. ... In Hinduism, Yasoda is a peasant woman and foster-mother of Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu. ...

Birth and childhood

Krishna was of the royal family of Mathura, and was the eighth son born to the princess Devaki, and her husband Vasudeva, a noble of the court. He was born in a prison cell in Mathura, and the place of his birth is now known as Krishnajanmabhoomi, where a temple is raised in his memory. As his life was in danger from his uncle Kamsa the king, he was smuggled out to be raised by his foster parents Yashoda and Nanda in the forest at Vrindavana. Two of his siblings also survived, Balarama and Subhadra. Mathura (मथुरा) is a city in India, located approximately 50 km north of Agra, and south of Delhi. ... In Hinduism, Devaki is the wife of Vasudeva and mother of Krishna and Balarama. ... In Hinduism, Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. ... Krishnajanmabhoomi is the temple is built on the birthplace of the Hindu deity Krishna in Mathura, India. ... In Hinduism, Kamsa is the son of a demon and half-brother of Devaki. ... In Hinduism, Yasoda is a peasant woman and foster-mother of Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu. ... Vrindavana is the name of a mythic forest or forested region in Northern India, in which the Hindu deity Krishna spent his childhood. ... Balarama (left) with his brother Krishna Krishna-Balarama Mandir, Vrindavan, India // Introduction In mainstream Hindu tradition, Balarama (phonetically Balarāma - his other names include Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha) is the name of the elder brother of Sri Krishna. ... Jagannath(far right) with his brother Balarama(far left) and sister Subadra (center) in Radhadesh, Belgium Subhadra is the sister of Krishna. ...

Boyhood and youth

He reached adulthood at Vrindavana. The original corpus of stories of his youth here include that of his life with, and his protection of, the local people. They included those of his play with the gopis of the village, including Radha, which later became known as the rasa lila. Radha refers to either one of two figures in Hindu religion. ...

Krishna the prince

Krishna as a young man returned to Mathura, overthrew his uncle Kamsa, and became ruler of the Yadavas at Mathura. In this period he became a friend of Arjuna and the other Pandava princes of the Kuru kingdom on the other side of the Yamuna. Later, he takes his Yadava subjects to Dwaraka (in modern Gujarat). He married Rukmini, daughter of King Bhishmaka of Vidarbha. In Hinduism, Kamsa is the son of a demon and half-brother of Devaki. ... Kuru can mean: Kuru, a disease, related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), affecting cannibals. ... Yamuna is a major river of northern India, with a total length of around 1370 km. ... Gujarat (ગુજરાત in Gujarati) is the most industrialized state in India after Maharashtra and is located in western India, bordered by Pakistan to the northwest and Rajasthan to the north. ... Vidarbha is the north-eastern region of Maharashtra state, now forming two divisions (Nagpur and Amravati). ...

The Kurukshetra War

In the Mahabharata, Krishna is cousin to both sides in the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. He asks the sides to choose between his army and himself. The Kauravas pick his army and he sides with the Pandavas. He agrees to be the chariot driver for Arjuna in the great battle. The Bhagavad Gita is the advice given to Arjuna by Krishna before the start of the battle. The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu, by his two wives Kunti and Madri. ... The term Kaurava is a Sanskrit term, that means the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahabharata. ... In Hindu mythology, Arjuna is one of the heroes of the epic Mahabharata. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ...

The last days

Krishna rules the Yadavas at Dwaraka with his wife Rukmini. Later, the Yadavas kill themselves in infighting. Krishna dwells for a time in the forest, is shot in the foot when asleep by a hunter, and dies there.

The Bhakti traditions

Indian-standard silver drachm of the Greco-Bactrian king Agathocles (190 BC-180 BC)
Obv: Indian god Balarama-Samkarshana, wearing an ornate headress, earrings, sword in sheath, holding a mace in his right hand and a plow-symbol in the left. Greek legend: BASILEOS AGATOKLEOUS "King Agathocles".
Rev: Indian god Vasudeva-Krishna, with ornate headdress, earrings, sword in sheath, holding sankha (pear-shaped vase) and chakra (wheel). Brahmi legend: RAJANE AGATHUKLAYASA "King Agathocles".

Bhakti, meaning devotion, is not confined to any one deity of Hinduism. However Krishna has become the most important and popular focus of the devotional and ecstatic aspects of Hindu religion. Coin of Agathocles of Bactria. ... Coin of Agathocles of Bactria. ... Approximate extent of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom circa 220 BCE. The Greco-Bactrians were a dynasty of Greek kings who controlled Bactria and Sogdiana, an area comprising todays northern Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia, the easternmost area of the Hellenistic world, from 250 to 125 BCE. Their expansion... Silver coin of king Agathocles r. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC 200s BC - 190s BC - 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC Years: 195 BC 194 BC 193 BC 192 BC 191 BC - 190 BC - 189 BC 188 BC... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC - 180s BC - 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC Years: 185 BC 184 BC 183 BC 182 BC 181 BC - 180 BC - 179 BC 178 BC... Balarama (left) with his brother Krishna Krishna-Balarama Mandir, Vrindavan, India // Introduction In mainstream Hindu tradition, Balarama (phonetically Balarāma - his other names include Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha) is the name of the elder brother of Sri Krishna. ... In Hinduism, Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. ... // Introduction In Hinduism and its spiritual systems of yoga and in some related eastern cultures, as well as in some segments of the New Age movement -- and to some degree the distinctly different New Thought movement -- a chakra is thought to be an energy node in the human body. ... Brāhmī refers to the pre-modern members of the Brahmic family of scripts, attested from the 3rd century BC. The best known and earliest dated inscriptions in Brahmi are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka. ... Basic beliefs What can be said to be common to all Hindus is the belief in Dharma (duties and obligations), Reincarnation (rebirth), Karma (actions, leading to a cause and effect relationship), and Moksha (salvation) of every soul through a variety of paths, such as Bhakti (devotion), Karma (action) and Jnana... Devotional songs are hymns that accompany religious rituals. ...

Devotees of Krishna subscribe to the concept of lila, or divine play as the central principle of the universe. This is counterpoint to another avatar of Vishnu: Rama, "He of the straight and narrow path of maryada, or rules and regulations." Lila is a concept from Hinduism that explains the universe as a cosmic puppet theater or playground for the gods. ... Lord Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. ...

Earlier traditions

Those bhakti movements devoted to Krishna first became prominent in southern India in the late 1st millennium. Earlier works included those of the Alvar saints of the Tamil country. A major collection of their works is the Divya Prabandham. (1st millennium BC – 1st millennium – 2nd millennium – other millennia) // Events If we had to caracterize the 1st millenium AD, it may be called The era of division. ... This article is about the landform. ... Tamil is a classical language and one of the major languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. ... The Naalayira Divyap Prabhandham is one of the most sacred texts in Hinduism, especially in South India. ...

Gita Govinda - the song of the cowherd

Certain literary works were important to later development of the bhakti traditions, including especially the Gita Govinda. This work was composed by Jayadeva in eastern India, in the 12th century. It elaborated part of the story of Krishna, and of one particular gopi, called Radha who had been a minor character in the Mahabharata. According to one interpretation of this work, Radha represented humanity, and Krishna represented divinity. The desire of Radha for Krishna can be seen as allegory of the desire of humanity for union with the godhead. The Gita Govinda or the Song of the Shri Krishna is a work composed in the 12th century by Jayadeva Goswami. ... Jayadeva Goswami was a composer of Hindu hymns and poetic works, including especially the Sanskrit work, the Gita Govinda, a now-famous work on the divine love of the Hindu god Krishna. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Radha refers to either one of two figures in Hindu religion. ...

Recent Krishna bhakti movements

Later bhakti traditions include those promoted by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (16th century in Bengal). Followers of Chaitanya maintain that he is an incarnation of Krishna. A number of modern movements belong in this tradition, including ISKCON, sometimes called the Hare Krishna movement. ISKCON has recently been participating in bringing the academic study of Krishna into western academia in the theological discourse on Krishnology. Deities of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (right) and Sri Nityananda (left) at Radha-Krishna temple in Radhadesh, Belgium Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (also transliterated Caitanya) (Bangla:চৈতন্য মহাপ্রভূ) (1486 - 1534), was an ascetic Hindu monk and social reformer in 16th century Bengal, India (present-day West Bengal and Bangladesh). ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla (Bengali), is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is a new religious movement based on Bengali, or more specifically Gaudiya, Vaishnavism founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, referred to by followers as His Divine Grace, in New York in 1966. ... Krishnology (also spelled Krishnaology) is an academic neo-logism for Krishna Theology. ...

The name

Icon of Lord Krishna in Udupi.

The Sanskrit name and word is written kṛṣṇa in IAST transliteration (the equivalent of Devanagari कृष्ण; see Sanskrit for pronunciation.) Udupi Balakrishna Source: http://www. ... Udupi Balakrishna Source: http://www. ... This article is about Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. ... Udupi is a district and temple town located in Karnataka state near the city of Mangalore on the south west coast of India. ... IAST, or International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is the academic standard for writing the Sanskrit language with the Latin alphabet and very similar to National Library at Calcutta romanization standard being used with many Indic scripts. ... Rigveda manuscript in Devanagari (early 19th century) DevanāgarÄ« (देवनागरी — in English pronounced ) (ISCII – IS13194:1991) [1] is an abugida alphabet used to write several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Konkani, Bhojpuri and Nepali from Nepal. ... Sanskrit ( संस्कृतम्) is a classical language of India and a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. ...

Krishna the Dark One

The term Krishna in Sanskrit means "black" or "dark". It is related to similar words in other Indo-European languages meaning black. The name is often translated as 'the dark one' or as 'the black one'. Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies Indo-European is originally a linguistic term, referring to the Indo-European language family. ...

In depictions, Krishna often appears as a black or dark-skinned figure, for instance in the modern murtis (statues) and pictorial representations of Lord Jaganatha at Puri (Krishna as Lord of the World). In the same representations, his brother and sister are shown with a distinctly lighter complexion. Early pictorial representations also generally show him as dark or black-skinned. Rajasthani miniature paintings of the 16th century are often of a brown or black-skinned figure. However, by the 19th century, he is almost always shown as blue skinned. The Nataraja is one of the most famous images of Lord Siva Murtis are deities or images used by Hindus and also by some Mahayana Buddhists during worship as points of devotional and meditational focus. ... Jaganatha, which means Lord of the Universe, is a name of Krishna, and specifically refers to the image of the deity at the Jaganatha temple in Puri, Orissa, India. ... Puri can mean: Puri, a city in the Indian state of Orissa, which is famous for the Jagannath temple and the serene beaches located there . ... Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the geographically largest state in northwestern India. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other meanings of the name

The name is sometimes said to mean dark blue, rather than black. This may be connected to the common modern practice of representing many Hindu deities with blue skin. The blue is meant to represent the deities' holy aura.

• Mahabharata, Udyogaparva 71.4, gives this analysis of the word 'Krishna':

krishir bhu-vacakah sabdo nas ca nirvriti-vacakah

tayor aikyam param brahma krishna ity abhidhiyate

• "The word 'krish' is the attractive feature of the Lord's existence, and 'na' means 'spiritual pleasure.' When the verb krish is added to na, it becomes krishna, which indicates the Absolute Truth."

• According to the Vishnu sahasranama, Krishna is the 57th name of Vishnu, and also means the "Existence of Knowledge and Bliss".

• There are 108 Names of Krishna

Gopala, the protector of cows.

The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... Vishnu The Vishnu sahasranāma (literally: thousand names of Vishnu) is a list of 1,000 names for Vishnu, one of the main forms of God in Hinduism and the only Ultimate Reality for Vaishnavites (followers of Vishnu). ... For other uses of the name Vishnu, see Vishnu (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (640x850, 93 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (640x850, 93 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Draft Zebus in Mumbai, India The cow is considered sacred and its protection is a recurrent theme in Hinduism where she is symbolic of abundance, of the sanctity of all life, and also of the earth that gives much while asking nothing in return. ...

Other names of Krishna

He is known by numerous other names or titles. The most commonly used of these include: . Krishna has been given many names and titles by his devotees. ...

• Acyutah
• Gopala - cowherd; protector of cows
• Govinda - protector of cows
• Hari - the fawn (or yellow or gold) coloured one
• Hrshikesha - master of the senses
• Jaganatha - lord of the universe (see also Juggernaut).
• Keshava – long haired; in some accounts, the killer of Kesi
• Madhava - bringer of springtime
• Panduranga
• Vaasudeva, Krishna Vaasudeva - son of Vasudeva

Acyutah is another name of Vishnu or God and appears as the 100th and 318th names in the Vishnu sahasranama. ... Gopala was an Indian mathematician, who studied the so-called Fibonacci numbers in 1135. ... Krsnas name is Govinda. ... Hari is another name of Vishnu or God and appears as the 650th name in the Vishnu sahasranama. ... Jaganatha, which means Lord of the Universe, is a name of Krishna, and specifically refers to the image of the deity at the Jaganatha temple in Puri, Orissa, India. ... The Car of Juggernaut, as depicted in the 1851 Illustrated London Reading Book The term juggernaut is used to describe any literal or metaphorical force regarded as unstoppable; that will crush all in its path. ... Keshava and Keshav (केशव) are alternate names for the Hindu Lord Krishna. ... Madhava is another name for Vishnu and appears as the 72nd, 167th and 735th names in the Vishnu sahasranama. ... This article is about Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. ... In Hinduism, Vasudeva is the father of Krishna and Balarama by Devaki. ... In Hinduism, Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. ...

Chronology

A paper presented recently^{Citation needed} at a convention in Prabhas Patan near Somnath, speculates that Krishna "died" at the age of 125 on February 18, 3102 BC at 14:27:30 hours on the banks of river Hiran in Prabhas Patan. As the report goes, he was 125 years, 7 months and 6 days old when he left the earth for his divine abode Goloka. Prabhas Patan The place Prabhas Patan, is situated in Gujarat(Saurashtra) and is a pilgrim place or thirtha where Lord Krishna is supposed to have left his mortal body at the end of Krishna avatar (Avatars), being killed by a hunter by mistaking him for a deer. ... The Somnath Temple in the Prabhas Kshetra in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India is one of the twelve Jyotirlings (golden lingas) symbols of the God Shiva. ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... (33rd century BC - 32nd century BC - 31st century BC - other centuries) (5th millennium BC - 4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC) Events Ancient Egypt: Earliest known Egyptian hieroglyphs, beginning of the Early Dynastic Period. ... The concept of the divine or of The Divine, meaning matters relating to a god, forms an important ingredient in many religious faiths (but compare Buddhism, for example, or Scientology). ...

The finding was based on clues in the Vedic literatures. Certain dates were fed into special software which was used to prepare a kundli (astrological horoscope charts). The Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita say that Krishna "left" Dwarka 36 years after the Battle of the Mahabharata. The Matsya Purana says that Krishna was 89 years old when the battle was fought. There after Pandavas ruled for a period of 36 years, their rule was in the beginning of Kali yuga. It further says that the Kali Yuga began on the day Duryodhana was felled to ground by Bhima. Some Hindus believe that the year 2005 is the year 5106 of the Kali Yuga (which began with a year 0). The Rig Veda ऋग्वेद (Sanskrit ṛc praise + veda knowledge) is the earliest of the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas. ... The Bhagavata Purana (sometimes rendered as Bhagavatha Purana), also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam, written c. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... Dwarka is a city in Gujarat, India. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... It’s the sixteenth Purana. ... The Pandavas were the five sons of the king Pandu. ... Kali Yuga is also the title of a book by Roland Charles Wagner. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year zero is a name used by some scholars when working with calendar systems. ...

See also

• Balarama
• Bhagavad Gita
• Vishnu
• Hindu deities
• List of Hindu deities
• International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Balarama (left) with his brother Krishna Krishna-Balarama Mandir, Vrindavan, India // Introduction In mainstream Hindu tradition, Balarama (phonetically Balarāma - his other names include Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha) is the name of the elder brother of Sri Krishna. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... For other uses of the name Vishnu, see Vishnu (disambiguation). ... Within Smarta Hinduism, a variety of forms of God are seen as aspects of the one impersonal divine ground, Brahman (not Brahma). ... This is a List of Hindu deities. ... The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), popularly called Hare Krishna, is a new religious movement founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, referred to by followers as Srila Prabhupada, in New York in 1966. ...

External links

• Lord Krishna and His Teachings, by Swami Sivananda
• International Society for Krishna Consciousness
• Hare Krishna
• Krishna's Life Story
• Lord Krishna's Biography
• Gita and strong monotheism.
• Questions From A Muslim With Answers From Khan
• Krishna.com All about Krishna. Includes information, books, MP3s, images, and radio.
• Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math An extensive site on the bhakti tradition and Gaudiya Vaishnavism
• Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat The homepage of the Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, which propagates Raganuga Bhakti
• Stephen Knapp's site about Krishna.
• Vedic Encyclopedia information on Krishna.
• Iconographic Perception of Krishna's Image, by Dr. P. C. Jain.
• Search for the Historical Krishna, by Prof. N.S. Rajaram
• World Vaishnava Association An Umbrella Organisation of the Vaishnava faith
• Sri Narasingha Chaitanya Matha An extensive site on Gaudiya Vaishnavism
• Krishna Archeology, by Nanditha Krishna
• Devotion and Knowledge of God's Greatness (only one God in Hinduism, #56 and see Shri Krishna is the supreme God; #57.)
• Ashe Journal Special Issue on Krishna Consciousness
• Pro-Krishna site
• VINA - Vaishnava Internet News Agency The Official News Site of the World Vaishnava Association
• Three Aspects of Krishna’s Teaching

Basic beliefs What can be said to be common to all Hindus is the belief in Dharma (duties and obligations), Reincarnation (rebirth), Karma (actions, leading to a cause and effect relationship), and Moksha (salvation) of every soul through a variety of paths, such as Bhakti (devotion), Karma (action) and Jnana... Shruti (Sanskrit श्रुति, what is heard) is a canon of Hindu scriptures. ... The Vedas (Sanskrit:- वेद), collectively refers to a corpus of ancient Indo Aryan religious literature that are considered by adherents of Hinduism to be revealed knowledge. ... The Upanishad (उपनिषद्, Upaniá¹£ad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... Itihasa (Sanskrit: इतिहास - itihāsa in IAST notation, literally meaning that which happened) is the word for History. ... The Ramayana (Sanskrit: march or journey (ayana) of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... The Agamas are sectarian and monotheistic texts dedicated to worship of Vishnu, Shiva or Devi. ... Smriti (Sanskrit स्मॄति, what is fit/deserves to be remembered) refers to a specific canon of Hindu religious scripture. ... The Tantra (Looms or Weavings), refer to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. ... Sutra (सूत्र) in Sanskrit is derived from the verb siv-, meaning to sew (these words, including English to sew and Latinate suture, all derive from PIE *syÅ«-). It literally means a rope or thread, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms... The Puranas (Sanskrit पुराण, purāṇá ancient, since they focus on ancient history of the universe) are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss varied topics like devotion to God in his various aspects, traditional sciences like Ayurveda, Jyotish, cosmology, concepts like dharma, karma, reincarnation and many others. ... The Brahma sutra is the nyaya prasthana, the logical text that sets forth the philosophy systematically (nyaya - logic/order). ... The most fundamental text of Hatha Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a Sanskrit classic written by Swami Swatamarama, a disciple of Swami Goraknath. ... Smriti (what is fit/deserves to be remembered) refers to a canon of Hindu religious scripture. ... Tiruvalluvar statue at Kanyakumari Tirukural (திருக்குறள் in Tamil) is an important work of Tamil literature by Tiruvalluvar written in the form of couplets expounding various aspects of life. ... This article is in need of attention. ... The 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu In Hinduism, an avatar or avatara (Sanskrit अवतार), is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. ... Here the underlined vowels carry the Vedic Sanskrit udātta pitch accent. ... Kosas are five sheaths which covers the Atman. ... Dharma (Sanskrit, roughly law or way) is the way of the higher Truths. ... Karma is a concept within Hinduism based on the Vedas and Upanishads, and was later adopted by other religions like Buddhism and Jainism. ... Moksha (Sanskrit: मोक्ष, liberation) or Mukti (Sanskrit: विमुक्ति, release) refers, in general, to liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. ... Maya, in Hinduism, is many things. ... Ishta-Deva, or Ishta Devata is a term from Hinduism that means chosen Deity or revered aspect of God by a devotee and is a widely held concept in Smartism. ... The Nataraja is one of the most famous images of Lord Siva Murtis are deities or images used by Hindus and also by some Mahayana Buddhists during worship as points of devotional and meditational focus. ... Past Lives redirects here. ... In Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and other related religions, samsara or saṃsāra refers to the concept of reincarnation or rebirth in Indian philosophical traditions. ... In Hinduism, the Trimurti (also called the Hindu trinity) are three aspects of God in His forms as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. ... In early Hindu philosophy, turiya (also called caturtha) is a state of pure consciousness, or the experience of ultimate reality and truth. ... The guru-shishya tradition (also guru-shishya parampara or lineage) is a spiritual relationship found within traditional Hinduism which is centered around the transmission of teachings from a guru (teacher, ) to a Å›iá¹£ya (disciple, ) . The term shishya roughly equates to the western term disciple, and in some parts of... Hindu philosophy (one of the main divisions of Indian philosophy) is traditionally seen through the prism of six different systems (called darshanas in Sanskrit) that are listed here and make up the main belief systems of Hinduism. ... Hinduism (Vedic dharma or Sanatana dharma) encompasses many movements and traditions (sampradaya). ... Early Hinduism is a term used to designate the religious development of India before the historical period. ... Samkhya, also Sankhya, (Sanskrit: सांख्य) is a school of Indian philosophy, and is one of the six astika or Hindu philosophical schools of India. ... Nyaya is the name given to one of the six orthodox or astika schools of Hindu philosophy - specifically the school of logic. ... Vaisheshika, also Vaisesika, (Sanskrit: वैशॆषिक)is one of the six Hindu schools of philosophy (orthodox Vedic systems) of India. ... Yoga (from Sanskrit yuj, meaning yoke) is a family of ancient spiritual practices that originated in India and have been absorbed into Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. ... The main objective of the Purva (earlier) Mimamsa school was to establish the authority of the Vedas. ... Vedanta (Vedānta, वेदान्त, pronounced as ) is a principle branch of Hindu philosophy and is a form of Jnana Yoga (one of the four basic yoga practices in Hinduism; the others are: Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga), a form of yoga which involves an individual seeking the path of intellectual... Tantra (Sanskrit: Tam (= darkness) + Tra (= to set free)). Tantra: that which liberates from crudity, that which liberates through expansion. Tantric yoga or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the spirituality & religions originating from India. ... Bhakti yoga is the Hindu term for the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti. ... ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Ayurveda (आयुर्वेद Sanskrit: ayu—life; veda—knowledge of) or ayurvedic medicine is a comprehensive system of medicine, more than 5,000 years old and based on a holistic approach rooted in Vedic culture. ... A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. ... Aarti, ãrti, arathi, or ãrati is a Hindu ritual in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. ... A bhajan or kirtan is a Hindu devotional song, often but not necessarily of ancient origin. ... Darshan is a Sanskrit and Hindu (also used to some extent in Urdu) term meaning sight (in the sense of an instance of seeing something or somebody), vision, apparition, or a glimpse. ... In Hinduism, diksha is the ritual of initiation into the worship of some deity by a guru (diksha guru) who bestows mantra(s) and takes the karma of the initiate - at least in case of Vaishnava diksha, as per Hari Bhakti Vilasa 1. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... PÅ«jā (alternative transliteration pooja, Sanskrit: reverence or worship, loosely) is a religious ritual which most Hindus perform every morning after bathing and dressing but prior to taking any food or drink. ... The company of the highest knowledge and Truth; the company of a Guru; contact with a person or an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the Truth. ... Stotras are Hindu prayers that praise aspects of God, such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. ... Hindu wedding ceremonies are traditionally conducted in Sanskrit, the language in which most holy Hindu ceremonies are conducted. ... In Hinduism, Yajna or Yagya यज्ञं (Sanskrit yajñá worship, prayer, praise; offering, oblation, sacrifice) is a Vedic ritual of sacrifice performed to please the Devas, or sometimes to the Supreme Spirit Brahman. ... References This section needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... General definition of saint In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ... Adi Shankara (Åšaá¹…kara, Shri Shankaracharya, Adhi Shankaracharya, Ä€di Åšaá¹…karācārya; the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord) (very approximately 788–820 C.E., but see below) was the most famous advaita philosopher, who had a profound influence... Sri Ramanuja Acharya (1017 - 1137 AD) was an Indian philosopher and is recognized as the most important saint of Sri Vaishnavism. ... Shri Madhvacharya,(1238-1317), was the chief propounder of the Dvaita or dualistic school of Hindu philosophy, one of the three influential Vedanta philosophies. ... ... Sri Thakur Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Bangla: শ্রীরামকৄষ্ঞ পরমহংস) (February 18, 1836 - August 16, 1886) was a Bengali saint. ... Swami Vivekananda (Bangla: স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ, Hindi: स्वामी विवेकानन्द) (whose pre-monastic name was Narendranath Dutta Bangla: নরেন্দ্রনাথ দত্ত, Hindi: नरेन्द्रनाथ दत्त) (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902) is considered one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the Hindu religion. ... Narayana Guru Narayana Guru (नारायण गुरु) (1856 - 1928) was a great sage and social reformer of India. ... Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo (Bangla: শ্রী অরবিন্দ) (August 15, 1872–December 5, 1950) was an Indian nationalist, scholar, poet, Hindu mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru. ... Ramana Mahrishi as portrayed in a loving oil painting by Jayalakshmi Satyendra Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi (December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950) was a great Hindu mystic of the Advaita Vedanta stream and is regarded by some as one of the greatest saints of Hinduism in the 20th century. ... Swami Sivananda Saraswati (1887-1963), as he is known under his monastic name, was born Kuppuswamy in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, India. ... Swami Chinmayananda (स्‍वामी चिन्‍मयानन्‍द) (1916 - August 3, 1993) was born Balakrishna Menon (Balan) in Ernakulam, Kerala in a very devout Hindu family. ... Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927 - 2001), affectionately known as Gurudeva, was born in Oakland, California on January 5th, 1927. ... Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan Swaminarayan (April 2, 1781 - 1830) was born Ghanshyam Maharaj to a brahmin family in the village of Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India. ... A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (September 1, 1896–November 14, 1977) was born Abhay Charan De, in Kolkata, West Bengal. ... Hinduism encompasses many movements and schools fairly organized within Hindu denominations. ... Vaishnavism is one of the principal divisions of Hinduism. ... Åšaivism, also transliterated Shaivism and Saivism, is a branch of Hinduism that worships Siva as the Supreme God. ... Shaktism is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Shakti, or Devi -- the Hindu name for the Great Mother -- in all of her forms whilst not rejecting the importance of masculine and neuter divinity. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Smartha Sect. ... Agama Hindu Dharma is the formal name of Hinduism in Indonesia. ... Hinduism is going through a phase of regeneration and reform through the vehicle of several contemporary movements. ... Scope The article presents a comparative overview of the leading Hindu organisations of India. ... Within Smarta Hinduism, a variety of forms of God are seen as aspects of the one impersonal divine ground, Brahman (not Brahma). ... This is a List of Hindu deities. ... The term Hindu mythology refers collectively to a large body of Indian literature (essentially, the mythology of Hinduism) that detail the lives and times of legendary personalities, deities and divine incarnations on earth interspersed with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse. ... In Hindu philosophy (and in the teachings of Surat Shabd Yoga) the cycle of creation is divided into four yugas (ages or eras): Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga Treta Yuga Dwapara Yuga Kali Yuga // The spiritual states of civilization in each yuga In Hindu tradition, the world goes through a... The Satya Yuga, also called Sat Yuga, Krta Yuga and Krita Yuga in Hinduism, is the Yuga (Age or Era) of Truth, when humankind is governed by gods, and every manifestation or work is close to the purest ideal and mankind will allow intrinsic goodness to rule supreme. ... The Treta Yuga is the second Yuga in the four yugas. ... Dwapar Yuga is the third out of four yugas, or ages, in the religion of Hinduism. ... Kali Yuga is also the title of a book by Roland Charles Wagner. ... This article is in need of attention. ... A Brahmin (pronunciation is Brahmann) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. ... According to the code of Manu, a Kshatriya is a member of the military or reigning order, one of four varna within the Vedic caste system. ... In the Hindu caste system, a Vaishya (Sanskrit वैश्य vaiÅ›ya, female वैश्या vaiÅ›yā) is a member of the third of the four major castes of the varna system of traditional Indian society, comprising farmers, herders, merchants,artisans. ... Shudra or Sudra is the fourth caste or varna in the traditional four-caste division in Indian society. ...

Hinduism | Dashavatara of Vishnu
Matsya | Kurma | Varaha | Narasimha | Vamana | Parashurama | Rama | Krishna | Balarama/Buddha | Kalki

Basic beliefs What can be said to be common to all Hindus is the belief in Dharma (duties and obligations), Reincarnation (rebirth), Karma (actions, leading to a cause and effect relationship), and Moksha (salvation) of every soul through a variety of paths, such as Bhakti (devotion), Karma (action) and Jnana... The 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu In Hinduism, an avatar or avatara (Sanskrit अवतार), is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. ... For other uses of the name Vishnu, see Vishnu (disambiguation). ... File links The following pages link to this file: Swastika Wikipedia:Todays featured article/May 2005 Wikipedia:Todays featured article/May 1, 2005 ... Matsya or Machcha (Sanskrit for fish) was the name of a tribe and the state of the Vedic civilization of India. ... In Hinduism, Kurma was the second avatar of Vishnu. ... Varaha retrieves the Earth In Hinduism, Varaha is the third avatar of Vishnu, a boar sent to defeat Hiranyaksha, a horrible demon who had taken the Earth (prthivi) and carried it to the bottom of the ocean. ... A monolithic statue of Narasimha at Hampi. ... In Hinduism, Vamana is the fifth avatar of Vishnu, a dwarf. ... In Hinduism, Parashurama (axe-wielding Rama) is the sixth avatar of Vishnu, and a son of Jamadagni. ... Lord Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. ... Balarama (left) with his brother Krishna Krishna-Balarama Mandir, Vrindavan, India // Introduction In mainstream Hindu tradition, Balarama (phonetically Balarāma - his other names include Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha) is the name of the elder brother of Sri Krishna. ... A stone image of the Buddha. ... A Kalki Avatara statue In Hindu traditions, Kalki (also rendered by some as Kalkin and Kalaki) is the name of the tenth and final Maha Avatara (Great Avatar) of Vishnu the Preserver, who will come to end the current Kali Yuga, (The Age of Darkness and Destruction). ...

Hinduism | Hindu mythology | Itihasa
Male Deities: Brahma | Vishnu | Shiva | Rama | Krishna | Ganesha | Indra | Lakshman | Hanuman
Female Deities: Gayatri | Lakshmi | Saraswati | Durga | Devi | Sita | Radha | Kali | Parvati | Shakti
Texts: Vedas | Upanishads | Puranas | Ramayana | Mahabharata