Hindu Mythology

Lesson 7: Krishna

Govardhan

Once a year, the people of Vraja worshipped Indra. Indra was the God of rain, which was an essential life force. The people of Vraja believed that Indra could make or break their destiny by supplying too little or too much of rain. Krishna argued that the destiny of a person is dependant on their actions alone. A person who has performed good deeds will receive the rewards even if he does not perform the sacrifice to Indra. A true benefactor will provide for the people whether worshipped or not and only such a benefactor is worthy of worship. He suggested that they worship the Govardhan Hill that has provided grass for their cows, various kinds of trees, streams of fresh water and shelter from the winds without demanding or complaining. The people of Vraja agreed and the Govardhan Hill was worshipped with much festivity and merriment.

Indra felt insulted at being rejected and he sent a deluge on the people of Vraja while they were yet at the Govardhan Hill. The people turned to Krishna for help. “How can Govardhan protect us now”, they said. Krishna lifted the hill high with his left hand and asked everyone to take shelter below. For seven days Krishna held the mountain, for seven days the people of Vraja took shelter beneath it and for seven days Indra kept up the downpour. Finally Indra had to concede defeat.

Pagan Gods were feared. Not only the Hindu demi-Gods like Indra and Agni but Greek Gods were feared as well. One of the messages in this story is that God is a compassionate benefactor and not a feared bully who extracts a price for benefits offered. The other message is ecological. It is the environment that sustains us and hence should be worshipped, implying kept in a healthy condition. It is for this reason that rivers are considered as Goddesses in Hindu mythology.

Kanhaiyalal Munshi has in the twentieth century written about the life of Krishna with a unique perspective. Mr. Munshi was the founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan one of the leading institutes of long standing devoted to learning. He was also a member of the Constituent assembly of India, which drafted the Constitution of India and later a member of India’s first Government. In the introduction of the first volume of this work he writes:

“Wise and valorous, he [Krishna] was, loving and loved, far-seeing yet living for the moment, gifted with sage-like detachment and yet intensely human: the diplomat, the sage and man of action with a personality as luminous as that of a divinity.

The urge, therefore, came upon me, time and again, to embark upon a reconstruction of his life and adventures by weaving a romance around him.

It was an impossible venture, but like hundreds of authors in all parts of India for centuries, I could not help offering him whatever little of imagination and creative power I possessed, feeble though they were.

Time and again I have made it clear that none of these works is an English rendering of any old Purana.

In the course of this adventure, I often had to depart from the legend and the myth, for such reconstruction by a modern author must necessarily involve the exercise of whatever little imagination he has. I trust He will forgive me for the liberty I am taking, but must write of Him as I see Him in my imagination.”

The point that I want to make is that mythology is not a “dead” subject. Every time someone writes in some detail on a mythological subject he or she adds her perspective giving the subject a new and contemporary dimension. Like society, mythology evolves. What is different about Munshi’s perspective? He acknowledges that Krishna, as an incarnation of Vishnu, is divine. But as an incarnation Munshi’s Krishna is constrained to act in an as human manner as possible. Hence Munshi’s Krishna does not lift Govardhan Hill but finds a cave beneath it where he provides protection to the people of his village.

Optional Exercises

3a. Read the detailed tale from ‘Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God’ in Part One, Chapters 24 and 25 beginning on page 111.

3b. The following sites have images of Krishna lifting the Govardhan Hill. It is one of the most popular images from the life of Krishna. Note that as a demonstration of supreme strength Krishna uses the little finger of his left hand to lift the hill.
http://srimadbhagavatam.org/canto10/chap... http://kalarte.com/india/or-pc/or-pc34l.... http://www.goloka.com/docs/gallery/bhaga...

3c. While writing about Krishna’s birth Munshi “demystifies” certain events. Read the previous section and consider which events Munshi could have demystified and how.

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