Krishna undoubtedly held a position of great prominence during his era. It is worth noting that one of his many appellations was 'Mohan', which quite literally means 'alluring' and 'captivating'. Often, we remember Vishnu's eighth incarnation as the adorable butter pilferer or as Arjun's charioteer and guide in the epic of Mahabharat, who aided the warrior in locating his path amidst the chaos of battle. However, Krishna's identity extends far beyond these simple depictions.
Here are some things about the legendary mythological character that most people probably don’t know.
4. Krishna’s skin colour was dark, not blue.
The physical appearance of Lord Krishna has always been a subject of fascination, with many folk tales and legends revolving around his charming looks. Despite being commonly depicted in paintings and sculptures with a blue complexion, his actual skin tone was dark. Some spiritualists believe that the magnetic and all-embracing aura of the deity had a tinge of blue, and that's why he is often portrayed as blue in color.
5. Krishna brought his Guru Sandipani Muni’s dead son back to life.
After finishing their studies under Guru Sandipani Muni, Krishna and Balarama asked their teacher what he wanted as Guru Dakshina (a fee for imparting knowledge). Guru Sandipani Muni requested them to bring back his son who had died and disappeared in an ocean near Prabhasa. Balarama and Krishna went to the place and found out that their Guru's son had been captured by a demon living inside a conch shell named Panchajanya. They took the conch shell to Yama (the God of Death) and asked him to restore the boy. Eventually, Krishna and Balarama were able to bring back their Guru's son, fulfilling their teacher's request.
6. Krishna blowing on his conch, Panchjanya, was the war cry for the Pandavas in Kurukshetra.
Krishna's conch, named Panchajanya, had the power to create powerful reverberations all over the world when blown. During the battle of Kurukshetra, Krishna blew his conch to signal the start of the battle and again at the end to symbolize the victory of righteousness or dharma.
7. Krishna was related to the Pandavas.
In Hindu mythology, it is believed that Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, was the sister of Vasudeva, who was Krishna's father.
8. Eklavya was Krishna’s cousin, but was slain by him.
Eklavya was a skilled archer who was the son of Devsharavu, who happened to be Vasudev's brother (Vasudev was Krishna's father). When Eklavya approached Dronacharya to learn archery, he was rejected as Dronacharya only taught the royal princes. Determined to learn, Eklavya created a statue of Dronacharya and practiced archery in front of it. When Dronacharya came across Eklavya's extraordinary skills, he asked for the fee of his right thumb as guru dakshina. Eklavya, without hesitation, cut off his thumb and offered it to Dronacharya. Lord Krishna later granted him a boon to be reincarnated so as to seek revenge on Dronacharya. Eklavya is reincarnated as Dhrishtadyumna who stepped out of the yajna fire, created for the sole purpose of killing Dronacharya. It is also said that Lord Krishna killed Eklavya. His father, Devsharavu was the adopted son of the king of hunters, Nishada Vyatraja Hiranyadhanus. After Eklavya sacrificed his right thumb, his thirst to prove himself as the greatest archer grew and he taught himself to be ambidexterous. He started straying from the path of righteousness. Nishada Vyatraja Hiranyadhanus were long standing allies of Jarasandha, who was Krishna’s enemy and when Krishna was carrying away Rukmini, Eklavya joined forces with Shishupala and Jarasandha to stop him. When Eklavya challenged him, Krishna hurled a rock at Eklavya killing him. According to legend, Eklavya’s death was imminent as he would later have been a force to reckon with and would have wreaked havoc in Hastinapur.
9. There are conflicting reports about whether Radha, Krishna’s consort, was mentioned at all in ancient scriptures.
Krishna is often depicted as loving his consort, Radha, with great devotion, and many images depict him worshipping her. However, interestingly, there is no trace of Radha in any of the ancient scriptures, such as the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, or Harivansham, which are about Krishna's life. Some spiritualists argue that her name first appeared in the works of Acharya Nimbark and poet Jayadeva. Others suggest that her name has been carefully concealed in scriptures like the Rigveda and some of the Puranas.
10. Krishna’s death was the result of a number of curses and his own act of adharma against Vali.
According to legends, Krishna was cursed multiple times which led to his death. One of the curses came from Gandhari who cursed him and his clan to die in 36 years. Another curse came from the sage Durvasa, who asked Krishna to apply kheer (a type of sweet dish) all over his body. Krishna obeyed but didn't apply kheer on Durvasa's feet as they were on the ground. Durvasa got angry and cursed Krishna that he would die by his foot. as the Yadava clan brought about their own destruction due to internal conflicts and curses, Lord Krishna went into yoga samadhi under a tree. It was during this time that a hunter named Jara mistook his foot for an animal and shot an arrow into it, causing his death. Upon realizing his mistake, Jara begged for forgiveness, but Krishna revealed that in a previous incarnation as Rama in the Tretayug, he had deceived Vali, the brother of Sugreeva, by shooting him from behind. As a result, Vali was reincarnated as Jara and destined to kill Krishna, completing the cycle of karma.
Hindu mythology sure makes for an interesting read.