Krishna
The Divine Statesman
The 8th avatar of Vishnu. Speaker of the Bhagavad Gita, butter thief of Gokulam, divine lover, and master strategist of the Mahabharatam.
- Sanskrit/Telugu name: కృష్ణుడు
- Also known as: Govinda, Vennela Nanda, Parthasarathi, Ranchod
- Weapons: Sudarshana Chakram
- Symbols: Murali (flute), Nemalikanthi (peacock feather), Dark skin, Venna (butter)
Story
Krishna Bhagavan is the most multi-faceted deity. As a baby, he survived his mama Kamsa. As a child in Gokulam, he stole venna (butter), played pranks, and danced with the gopikas. He lifted Govardhana Giri to protect his village. As an adult, he became the key strategist of the Kurukshetra war and delivered the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna - the most important philosophical text in Hinduism. In Telugu culture, Krishna Janmashtami (Krishna Jayanthi) is celebrated with dahi handi, pujas, and dramatic reenactments. Temples like Dwaraka Tirumala in West Godavari are packed. The ISKCON temples in Hyderabad and Tirupati draw huge crowds. Annamacharya's keertanas to Venkateswara (a form of Krishna/Vishnu) are the soul of Telugu devotional music.
Fun fact
Krishna's name means "dark/black" in Sanskrit. Dwaraka Tirumala in Andhra is called "Chinna Tirupati" - legend says the idol here was worshipped by Krishna himself!