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Krishna Avatar - The Eighth Avatar Of Lord Vishnu

Krishna Avatar – The Eighth Avatar Of Lord Vishnu

Krishna Avatar, for many people, is the eighth avatar whereas, some accounts suggest that it is the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu. Some accounts consider Krishna’s brother Balaram as the eighth incarnation.

Whereas there are a lot of writings that also suggest that Krishna is the supreme god and it is his ten incarnations. In those writings, Buddha takes the ninth avatar’s position and enlightens the world of his teachings.

Bhagwan Shri Krishna, a charismatic lord has a life filled with engrossing and captivating stories. He was born in the most divine way and the world knew of his birth. He was born to Devaki and Vasudev when they were jailed by evil king Kans. King Kans had been informed of his death by the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudev through a celestial announcement. The residents of Mathura were overjoyed to know this and waited patiently for the son to be born. King Kans made sure that no kid of his sister survived but he had to meet his fate.

When Krishna avatar was about to be born, the world halted and it was as if everyone fell into an intoxicating sleep. Vasudev carried baby Krishna on his head in a basket across the Yamuna river. It was raining exceptionally heavy that night but Shesh Naag made sure that they crossed the river safely. Vasudev handed over the baby to his friend Nanda in Vrindavan and returned back to Mathura.

There began the life of Krishna as a cow herder. He was living a very simple life in Vrindavan. King Kans had sent many demons to kill Krishna but they were all defeated by Krishna. At a very young age, he had shown maa Yashoda his divinity. He had given her a glimpse of the entire universe in his mouth.

He grew up to be notorious and a favourite of everyone at Vrindavan. To fight the Kaliya Naag, he devised a plan to play with his friends on the shore of Yamuna and threw the ball inside the river. He then jumped into the river, found the snake and warned him to leave the river. He danced on the head of this snake and gave birth to the sound “ta thai tat” – popularly used in the classical dance form – Kathak. He was known as Natwar.

When it was his time to leave Vrindavan and head towards Mathura, the residents of Vrindavan were heartbroken completely. He had to go to Mathura and fulfil the divine prediction. People of Mathura celebrated his arrival and waited for him to kill his uncle Kans. When Kans challenged him to wrestle, he defeated the best wrestler of Kans and then Kans himself. He freed his parents – Devaki and Vasudev and started to rule Mathura with his brother Balaram.

He was the guide and preacher to the Pandavas especially Arjuna. He was a dear friend of Arjuna as well and guided him on many occasions in their lives. He had eloped with Rukmini on her wishes and married her. Arjun had helped him with this task. Their marriage is known as Gandharva Vivah (love marriage).

Krishna was best friends with Draupadi and loved her dearly. He referred to her as Sakhi and she referred to him as her Sakha (friend). He had helped her take many important decisions of her life and convinced her that the Mahabharata war was of utmost importance. He had also made sure that Draupadi’s image and respect were maintained and restored during the Draupadi Vastraharan episode.

Krishna had a crucial role in the Mahabharata. He was the charioteer to Parth’s (Arjun) chariot. This is a classic symbolism of him being not only the charioteer to his chariot but also to his mind. With the recitation of Bhagavad Gita, Krishna made sure that Arjun fulfilled his duties and did what was necessary.

Krishna avatar is filled with teachings. If one has to read the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, he has to agree to consider Krishna as the supreme lord and keep an open mind to absorb all his teachings.

Click here to read about Rama – The Seventh Avatar Of Lord Vishnu.