Krishna of Puranas versus Krishna of Mahabharat

 

Krishna of Puranas versus Krishna of Mahabharat

Authored by Dr. Vivek Arya

Translated by Atul Sehgal

The famous social reformer and profound scholar of Vedas Swami Dayanand writes about Shri Krishna in his immortal text Satyarth Prakash. He states that throughout the epic of Mahabharat, you are unable to find any flaw in the character of Shri Krishna and so he is called Apta (superior or superhuman) person. Swami Dayanand regards Shri Krishna as a great scholar, person of sublime personality, accomplished politician and utterly spotless of character. Even then, in regard to Shri Krishna, to say that he was a thief, a flirt who courted Gopies, one who had sex with Kubja and a battlefield deserter amounts to his serious insult. What is the basis of such false allegations against the character of Shri Krishna? The basis of these dirty allegations is Puranas. Let us establish our viewpoint through evidences.   

False account of Krishna’s romantic dalliance with Gopies

In Vishnu Puran Section 5, Chapter 13, verses 59 to 60 state—

Those Gopies, who never stopped even at the instance of their husbands, fathers or brothers, indulged in nightly escapades with Krishna to satisfy their lust. Even Krishna, in keeping with his youthful desires, indulged in night time adventures with them.   

Puranic literature has left no stone unturned in defiling the character of Shri Krishna through account of his so called sexual escapades.

Bhagwat Puran Skand 10, chapter 33, verse 17 states—

 

Krishna sometimes touched their bodies with his hands, at other times looked at them lustfully and sometimes playfully joked with them. He indulged in escapades with the beautiful Gopies similar to the way a child, who out of fun, plays with his own shadow.  

Bhagwat Puran Skand 10, Chapter 29, verse 45-46 says—

Krishna arrived at river Jamuna’s bank full of sand glistening like camphor. That place had coolness of water streams and fragrance of Kumudini. There, Krishna embraced the Gopis by spreading arms, pressing their hands, holding their hairlocks, caressing their thighs, pulling the strings of their pants, fondling their breasts, joking with them, scratching and injuring their organs with nails, staring at them with flirtatious humour and smiling. Through these acts, he aroused them with desire and then during the night made love with them.  

Such indecent acts have been ascribed to Shri Krishna to vilify him by the author of Bhagwat in Skanda 10, Chapter 29, 33. I cannot describe in more detail these acts because of the need to observe social moderation for maintaining decency and dignity.  

Description of Radha and Krishna in Purans

Radha’s and Krishna’s names appear together. The Mahabharat gives no account at all of Radha. Radha’s most undignified and obscene account appears in Brahmvaivart Puran.

Brahmvaivart Puran Krishna Janma section, chapter 3, verse 59-62 states that in Goloka Krishna’s wife Radha caught Krishna red handed with another woman and cursed him saying –O Krishna, the beloved of Braj, go away from my sight. Why do you trouble me? O mischievous, languid debauch – I have understood you. Leave my house. You are engrossed in pleasures of the flesh like humans. May you get the birth of a human; you go away from Golok to Bharat. “O virtuous, O dignified, O Padmavati, O Madhavo! This Krishna is cunning. Drive him out. He has no business to be here.”  

Brahmvaivart Puran in Krishna Janma Khand, Chapter 72 renders a very vulgar description of Krishna’s dalliance with Radha which I am unable to describe in detail for reason of sheer modesty.  

In Brahmvaivart Puran, Krishna Janma Khand, Chapter 72, the cohabitation of Krishna with Kubja has also been depicted in the most obscene manner.  

Radha’s relationship with Krishna is also illusory. Being born out of Krishna’s left organ, she was his daughter or being spouse of Rayan was Krishna’s daughter in law. Since Rayan was born out of Krishna’s left body part, he is Krishna’s son while on the earth, Rayan was the brother of Krishna’s mother Yashodha and hence was Krishna’s maternal uncle while Radha was Krishna’s maternal aunt.   

Who were Krishna’s Gopies? 

The Padam Puran Uttar published from Khand Kolkata) Chapter 25 says that when Ramchandra ji arrived in dandak aranya van, the inhabitants of that place—rishis were turned on by his elegant and beautiful persona and desired to cohabit with him. All those rishis were born at the end of Dwapar age as Gopies and Ramchandra ji incarnated as Krishna to make love with them. This act led to the salvation of the Gopies. Otherwise, they could never be able to cross the worldly oceans for their liberation.  Can the account of birth of Gopies be accepted by the normal intellect? 

The real face of Shri Krishna

Till now, we were talking about the Krishna who is described in Puranas as the beloved of Gopies, husband of Radha and flirtatious and this description is definitely false. 

Now we will talk about Shri Krishna -– the accomplished yogi, strategist, and great tactician and will get to know the truth about him.  

The author of Anandmath and Vande Mataram, Bankim Chandra Chatterji who did research on Mahabharat for 36 years and wrote an excellent book on Shri Krishna has said that according to Mahabharat, Shri Krishna had only one wife, Rukmini. The question of his having 2 or 3 or 16000 wives does not arise. After marrying Rukmini, Shri Krishna went to Badrik Ashram alongwith Rukmini and did penance for 12 years, observing sexual continence. After that, a son was born to him whose name was Pradyumna. Associating Shri Krishna’s name with 16000 Gopies is doing grave injustice to his character. A supernatural human like the Shri Krishna of Mahabharat who did not commit any sin descends on this earth on rare occasions. Swami Dayanand writes in Satyarth Prakash the same account as given by Bankim Chandra Chatterji. When Rajasuya Yagya was performed by Pandavas, Shri Krishna was chosen as the first honoured guest at the yagya, although many great sages and seers were present there.  Look at the greatness of Shri Krishna that he washed clean the feet of all those assembled guests. Shri Krishna is called the greatest strategist also because he destroyed the entire Kaurav army without lifting a weapon and also got the righteous Pandavas victory in the battle.  

To call such a great personality thief, debased, battlefield deserter, vicious, characterless, cohabiter with Kubja is doing great injustice and nothing else. Puranas are credited with all falsities.  

Therefore, none should put any unnecessary allegation against Shri Krishna. To present the true persona of Shri Krishna to ordinary folks, it is necessary to boycott the Puranas and propagate the Vedas.  

And still, if someone doesn’t agree, then the following adage applies to him. 

When the owl cannot see during the day, where is the fault of the sun?

What Pauraniks have made of Shri Krishna. 

Thief 

Vicious 

Immoderate

Timid 

Characterless

Deceitful

Unrighteous

Immoral

Butter stealer

Paramour of Gopies

Lover of Radha

Cohabiter with Kubja

Enjoyer of sex with 16000 queens

How Arya Samajis regard Shri Krishna ji

Great

Master strategist

Self restrained

Righteous

Yogi

Learned

Valiant

Visionary

Scholar

Capable politician

Worthy of emulation

You decide who is right?