Bala Krishna
Bala Krishna (
Legend
The eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva, Krishna was born to fulfil the prophecy of slaying his tyrannical uncle and the king of Mathura, Kamsa. As soon as he was born in a prison with his parents, he asked his father to carry him to the region of Vraja, where he would spend his childhood among the cowherds, along with his brother, Balarama.[4] In the settlement of Gokulam, he was raised by his foster-parents, Yashoda and Nanda.[5]
As a toddler, Krishna is best recognised for his tales of mischievous antics, such as stealing butter from the families of the cowherds of Gokulam.[6] Butter is often interpreted as a metaphor for love in the traditions of Krishna-devotion, associated with its properties of non-quantifiability and abundance. The child Krishna also untethers cows, teases children, and expresses a disdain for social conventions. This is often interpreted as a part of his līlā, his divine play in which he intimately interacts with the world around him.[7]
Bala Krishna is also said to have performed a number of miraculous acts.[8] His tyrannical uncle, Kamsa, hearing of his birth, sent a number of malicious asuras and beasts to murder him, but all of their efforts were foiled. Putana, a shapeshifting demoness, was killed when the baby Krishna sucked her life from her by taking the poisoned breast she offered him.[9] Another asura named Bakasura assumed the form of a crane or a stork and attempted to swallow Krishna, but he was slain instead when the deity broke his beak.[10] When Aghasura, assuming the form of a snake, swallowed Krishna and his friends, the deity grew to a massive size within him, slaying him.[11]
Some of his legends are associated with liberation, as in the
In one of his most popular legends, Krishna's playmates are said to have accused him of eating mud to Yashoda. When Yashoda started to scold him, Krishna denied this claim, and opened his mouth wide so that she could see for herself. Yashoda witnessed a cosmic vision of all matter within his mouth, observing space, the cardinal directions, earth and its islands, oceans, and mountains, constellations, the mind, the elements, and finally also herself in his gaping mouth, leaving her bewildered.[13]
In his iconography, is often depicted as a small child crawling on his hands, and knees or dancing with a piece of butter in his hand.[14][15]
In the
Worship
The worship of Bala Krishna, the divine child, while a significant feature of the Krishna religion, often receives less attention,
The veneration of Bala Krishna is included as a part of the various forms of worship that culminated with the worship of Krishna as the
A prominent historical site dedicated to the veneration of Bala Krishna is the Balakrishna temple in
The Udupi Sri Krishna Matha is also a notable site that contains a murti of Bala Krishna. According to regional legend, it is believed to have been transported by sea from Dvaraka.[19] It is also regarded to be the same image that was venerated by the chief queen of Krishna, Rukmini. The saint Madhvacharya is regarded to have placed the image that is observed by pilgrims to this day.[20] The sacred lamps at this statue of Bala Krishna regarded to have been recovered from the sea in the 14th century were said to have been lit by Madhvacharya himself and are being always kept alight, and that is for the last 700 years.[21][22]
At the very beginning of his work to establish
I think therefore that a temple of Bala Krishna in New York may immediately be started for this purpose. And as a devotee of Lord Bala Krishna, you should execute this great and noble work. Till now there is no worshipable temple of the Hindus in New York, although in India there are so many American missionary establishments and churches.
— to S. Morarji, 1965[23]
See also
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References
- ^ Krishna-Vasudeva worship already flourished in and around Mathura several centuries before Christ. A second important element is the cult of Krishna Govinda. Still later is the worship of Bala-Krishna, the Divine Child Krishna - a quite prominent feature of modern Krishnaism. The last element seems to have been Krishna Gopijanavallabha, Krishna the lover of the Gopis, among whom Radhaoccupies a special position. In some books Krishna is presented as the founder and first teacher of the Bhagavata religion.
- ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 75.
- ISBN 978-0-470-77685-8.
- ISBN 978-1-61069-211-3.
- ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5.
- ISBN 978-1-4051-6021-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8135-4068-9.
- )
- ^ a b
Miller, Barbara Stoler; Hawley, John C. (1997). Love Song of the Dark Lord. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11097-9.
- ISBN 978-3-940381-52-1.
- ISBN 978-93-86004-23-9.
- ISBN 978-0-231-54234-0.
- ISBN 978-0-8147-9483-8.
- ^ Students' Britannica India By Dale Hoiberg, Indu Ramchandani p.251
- ISBN 0-911233-64-4.
- ^
BASHAM, A. L.; Singer, Milton; Ingalls, Daniel H. H. (May 1968). "Review:Krishna: Myths, Rites, and Attitudes.". The Journal of Asian Studies. 27 (3): 667–670. S2CID 161458918.
- ^ Hastings 2003, pp. 540–42
- ^ Also Balakrishna refers to the name of the Telugu Actor "Krishna Temple". www.hampi.in. Archived from the original on 2008-02-24. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ^ Dasa, Kundali. "Back to Godhead - How Krishna Came to Udupi". btg.krishna.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ISBN 0-19-285387-2.
- ^ "IndiaPilgrim". www.indiapilgrim.in. Archived from the original on 30 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ^ C. M. Padmanabhacharya, Life and Teachings of Sri Madhvachariarya, 1983
- ^ ISBN 0-89213-357-0. Archived from the originalon 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
External links
- ISBN 0-7661-3673-6. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
- Hein, Norvin (May 1986). "A Revolution in Kṛṣṇaism: The Cult of Gopāla: History of Religions". History of Religions. 25 (4): 296–317. S2CID 162049250.
- SINGER, Milton (1900). Krishna Myths Rites & Attitudes. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. ISBN 0-313-22822-1.
- Delmonico, N. (2004). "The History Of Indic Monotheism And Modern Chaitanya Vaishnavism". The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-12256-6. Retrieved 2008-04-12.