Wishesh June 2015 Online E-Magazine

Story for KIDS
LORD KRISHNA
THE SUPREME DEITY
Krishna also spelt
is considered the
supreme deity,
worshipped
across many traditions
of Hinduism in a variety
of different perspectives.
Krishna is recognized as
the eighth incarnation
(avatar) of Lord Vishnu, and
one and the same as Lord
Vishnu one of the trimurti
and as the supreme god in
his own right. Krishna is the
principal protagonist with
Arjuna in the Bhagavad
Gita also known as the Song
of God, which depicts the
conversation between the
Royal Prince Arjuna and
Krishna during the great
battle of Kureksetra 5000
years ago where Arjuna
discovers that Krishna is
God and then comprehends
his nature and will for him
and for mankind. In present
age Krishna is one of the
most widely revered and
most popular of all Indian
divinities.
Krishna is often described
and portrayed as an infant
eating butter, a young boy
playing a flute as in the
Bhagavata Purana, or as an
elder giving direction and
guidance as in the Bhagavad
Gita.
The stories of Krishna
appear across a broad
spectrum of Hindu
philosophical
and
theological traditions.
They portray him in
various perspectives: a
god-child, a prankster, a
model lover, a divine hero,
and the Supreme Being.
The principal scriptures
discussing Krishna’s story
are the Mahabharata, the
Harivamsa, the Bhagavata
Purana, and the Vishnu
Purana.
Krishna’s disappearance
marks the end of Dvapara
Yuga and the start of Kali
Yuga (present age), which
is dated to February 17/18,
3102 BCE. Worship of
the deity Krishna, either
in the form of deity
Krishna or in the form of
Vasudeva, Bala Krishna
or Gopala can be traced
to as early as 4th century
BC. Worship of Krishna as
Svayam Bhagavan, or the
Supreme Being, known as
Krishnaism, arose in the
middle Ages in the context
of the Bhakti movement.
From the 10th century AD,
Krishna became a favorite
subject in performing arts
and regional traditions of
devotion developed for
forms of Krishna such as
Jagannatha in Odisha,
Vithoba in Maharashtra
and Shrinathji in Rajasthan.
Since the 1960s the
worship of Krishna has
also spread in the Western
world, largely due to the
International Society for
Krishna Consciousness.
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