Was Krishna a reality or a myth?
There is a huge body of evidence of the existence of Lord Krishna.
Was he really the 8th Avatar of Lord Vishnu?
It depends on what one chooses to believe, but 1.2 billion Hindus do believe it.
So what do we know about Krishna ji?
Krishna was born 5252 years ago
Date of Birth : 18th July,3228 B.C.E.
Month of Birth : Shravan
Day : Ashtami
Nakshatra (astrological sign) : Rohini
Day of Birth : Wednesday
Time of Birth : Midnight
Shri Krishna lived for over 125 years.
Date of Death : 18th February 3102 B.C.E.
When Krishna was 89 years old ; the mega war (Kurukshetra war) took place.
He died 36 years after the Kurukshetra war.
Kurukshetra War was started on Mrigashira Shukla Ekadashi, 8th December 3139 B.C.E. and ended on 25th December, 3139 B.C.E.
There was a Solar eclipse between 3pm to 5pm on 21st December, 3139 B.C.E. and the cause of Jayadrath's death.
Bhishma died on 2nd February, (First Ekadasi of the Uttarayana), in 3138 B.C.E.
Krishna is worshipped as:
Krishna Kanhaiyya : Mathura
Jagannath:- In Odisha
Vithoba:- In Maharashtra
Srinath: In Rajasthan
Dwarakadheesh: In Gujarat
Ranchhod: In Gujarat
Krishna : Udupi in Karnataka
Guruvayurappan in Kerala
Bilological Father: Vasudeva
Biological Mother: Devaki
Adopted Father:- Nanda
Adopted Mother: Yashoda
Elder Brother: Balaram
Sister: Subhadra
Birth Place: Mathura
Wives: Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti, Bhadra, Lakshmana
Krishna is reported to have Killed only 4 people in his life time.
Chanoora ; the Wrestler
Kansa ; his maternal uncle
Shishupaala his cousin
Dantavakra ; his cousin
Life was unfair to Shri Krishna
His mother was from Ugra clan, and Father from Yadava clan, inter-racial marriage.
He was born dark skinned. He was not named at all throughout his life. The whole village of Gokul started calling him the black one ; Kanha. He was ridiculed and teased for being black, short and adopted too. His childhood was wrought with life threatening situations.
'Drought' and "threat of wild wolves" made the family shift from 'Gokul' to 'Vrindavan' at the age 9.
He stayed in Vrindavan till 10 years and 8 months.
He killed his own uncle at the age of 10 years and 8 months at Mathura. He then set free his biological mother and father who had been imprisoned by his evil uncle Kansa.
He never returned to Vrindavan ever again.
He had to migrate to Dwaraka from Mathura due to threat of a Sindhu King called Kala Yaavana.
He defeated 'Jarasandha' with the help of 'Vainatheya' Tribes on Gomantaka hill (now Goa).
He rebuilt Dwaraka.
He then left for the Sage Sandipani's Ashram in Ujjain to start his schooling at age 16 and studied there for 2 years.
He fought with and rescued from African pirates his teacher's son Punardatta, who had been kidnapped near Prabhasa, a sea port in Gujarat.
After his education, he came to know about the fate of his cousins who had been sent into exile (Vanvas). He saved them from perishing in the trap set for them by way of the palace built from Waxy material. Later his cousins married Draupadi. His role was immense in this saga.
Then, he helped his cousins establish their own Kingdom at Indraprastha.
He protected Draupadi from dishonour.
He stood by his cousins during their exile.
He stood by them and ensured their victory in the Kurukshetra war without himself picking up any weapons.
He witnessed the magnificent city he built, Dwaraka being submerged by the ravages of a rising and violent sea.
Krishna while sitting to meditate in a forest was killed by a hunter called Jara who mistook Krishna's subtle movements as a deer behind the bushes.
Krishna ji never performed any miracles. There was not a single moment when problems did not pursue Krishna. At every turn, in his life he faced challenges. Yet he remained calm and at peace throughout his life.
He faced everything and everyone with a sense of responsibility and yet remained unattached.
He is the only person, who knew the past and future, yet he always lived in the present moment.
Krishna and his life are an inspiring example for every human being on how one should live their life.
Note: Hindu belief views all creation as a balance between the male and the female. All things in nature generally being feminine in nature (the provider) and all states of mind which spur thought and action are masculine ( the doer).
The masculine mind has three states of existence, the Creator (Brahma), the Sustainer (Vishnu) the provider and the Destroyer (Shiva).
The Sustainer Vishnu also known by numerous names but mainly by the name 'Narayan'. Narayan in Hindu belief system comes to Earth in Human form (Avatar) to guide and protect Existence and from the perspective of ordinary people all of Humanity. This being achieved by restoring 'Dharma' (the way of existence) and righteousness.
There have been 9 Avatars so far and Lord Krishna is the 8th Avatar and Gautam Buddha the 9th. In a sense the Avatars provide in the form of human existence become role models of how to live a virtuous life.
Lord Krishna is said to have gifted the Gita (song of life). It is a profound lesson on Dharma considered the greatest work of philosophical truth delivered as a poem, on the eve of the great battle known as 'Maha Bharat'.