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Krishna, a Fancy King of Management?

1

WELL. . .
Hari
Was Krishna a King? A king of management? Was he good at it? What sources do we have?

A. There are historical records that he existed, and they have been substantiated somewhat after his capital Dwarka was found about two decades or so ago under water. Underwater excavations and dated findings have been compared with what the old epic poem Mahabharata spells out about the sea-port Dwarka, that is written of as Krishna's old capital.

B. There are also mentions of a Krishna in the instructive, old Upanishads. They are religio-philosophical works mainly. Three of them spend some lines on Krishna, and the rest do not mention him. The three mentions are:
      (1) Ghora Angirasa has explained it to Krishna, the son of Devaki" ... he was free from thirst [commonly understood as desire] - Chandogya Upanishad 7.6 [Cf. Paul Deussen, tr: Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, vol 1- 2. Banarsidass. Varanasi, 1980, p. 115]
      (2) So pious was Devaki's son ... [he perceived] him who dwell in all beings ... - Narayana Upanishad 5. [Ibid, p. 805] - it is a minor upanishad.
      (3) A repeat only: The Narayana Upanishad's fifth verse makes use of the older Atmabodha Upanishad passage. [Ibid, p. 803, 807-8]

In the book Classical Hindu Mythology [Clh] professors J.A.B. van Buitenen and Cornelia Dimmitt think he COULD have existed, because the medieval Harivamsa tales seem to speak about him so well - but those tales are not exactly history works. They are religious tales that have enculturated Hindu children a lot till this day. The two translators give Krishna the benefit of doubt. Poul Tuxen, a Danish professor who translated the Bhagavad Gita into Danish, also considers that we cannot rule out that there was a historical Krishna.

Visions of Krishna

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Many stories can form malleable cultures.
Paramahansa Yogananda teaches that Krishna and Jesus are behind him: he had visions of them both. A little scepticism may be fit. So, are visions of a fairy-tale troll the fit proof you need that it existed? Follow the link to a page on Yogananda and visions: [LINK]
      If your own visions of Krishna or visions you have been told of are your "divine" proofs that he exists, he is into SRF, then you have to function quite differently from scientists, and may not walk very well in step with men of science that Sri Yukteswar wanted to reach.
      How sure is it that it is a real Krishna that is seen in a vision? [cf Yoga Sutras 3;36-37 for a starter.]
      The Krishna we learn of though books that extol him, is also in part a poet-invented one, where earlier myths of Indra are applied to Krishna, for example. Much riduculed you may not be able to fit in any longer.

2

The Mahabharata is about the marring war that Krishna is involved in, partly as an originator - and his bowsman Arjuna is there too. There is evidence that:
  1. The Mahabharata grew considerably in time.
  2. Words in the Bhagavad Gita that appear in it, were added in the course of time - over many centuries.
Accordingly, this ancient source of Krishna information was added to over centuries. And the underwater site of Dwarka makes it seasonable to admit that Krishna seems to have existed.
      How he really was is not for me to say. Both Mahabharata additions and later works on the glory of Krishna are productions of bards and poets - some are just that. Many wonder tales about God Krishna seem to be fancy products.
      Ancient Hindu scriptures tell how Krishna was deadly wounded by a poison arrow, and how his kin, capital Dwarka and fortunes were drowned in the sea. He did not find it fit to avoid it all.
      Majesty can cause pain and havoc. Kingship that is due to antagonism, can be hurtful to subordinates.
      More documentation on this page: [LINK]

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Literature SECTION First Page E-MAIL

      Ak: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Man's Eternal Quest. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1975.
      Ap: Mieder, Wolfgang (main editor), Stewart A. Kingsbury, and Kelsie E. Harder: A Dictionary of American Proverbs. (Paperback) New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
      Ay: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 1st ed. New York: Theosophical, 1946. Online. [oaks.nvg.org/pv6bk12.html]
      Clh: Dimmit, Cornelia and van Buitenen, J. A. B. trs: Classical Hindu Mythology. Temple University. Philadelphia, 1978.
       Ebu: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006.
      Op: Simpson, John, and Jennifer Speake. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
      Pa: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 11th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1971.
      Pan: Rajan, Chandra, tr: Visnu Sarma: The Panchatantra. Penguin Classics. London, 1995.
       Say: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Sayings of Yogananda. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1958.
      So: Deussen, Paul, tr. Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Vols 1-2. Varanasi: Banarsidass, 1980.
     
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