KRISHNA: God of Love

Lord Krishna is one of the more familiar Hindu deities in the West. He is considered to be both heroic and divine in the ancient scriptures and literature. According to Hindu legends, Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu (the eighth time this deity took form on earth). Krishna spent his youth in Brindhavan with his family – mother Yashoda (who is known for her patience), and his brother Balarama and sister Subhadra.

When you see statues or pictures of Krishna as a babe crawling on his hands and knees he is known as Bala Krishna. Krishna had a reputation while growing up as quite a prankster, albeit a charming one. Krishna performed some miraculous feats in his youth. During his teens and early twenties he is called Gopala (the protector of cows) or Govinda (the finder of cows) and spent his days with the cow herders and gopis (female cow herders), where he could be found playing his flute or dancing. As an adult, Krishna advised Arjuna on the nature of life and war. Krishna’s life is revealed in the “Bhagavad Gits,” the “Mahabharata,” the “Bhagavata Purna,” and the “Harivamsa.” –