When we think of Lord Krishna, the first thing that comes to our mind are his gopis. He was quite the charmer and ladies’ man of his times. In fact, even today when we tease a guy for having many female friends we immediately give him the nickname Kanha. Apart from this, Lord Krishna is known for being the source of knowledge and wisdom as well. Anyone with even a little knowledge about Hindu religion and mythology knows the pivotal role that Lord Krishna played right before the battle of Kurukshetra in the Indian epic Mahabharata.
But these are just about the few widely known things about Lord Krishna. There is so much more about this ‘Blue God’ that many people aren’t aware of. Today, let’s get to know one of the most popular deities of the Hindu religion, a little better.
1. What’s in the name?
Probably not a thing you’d like to say about Lord Krishna! Can you guess how many names he has? Be ready for your eyes to pop out. Because, it’s a whopping 108! The most popular ones are Gopal, Govind, Devakinandan, Mohan, Shyam, Ghanshyam, Hari, and Girdhari.
2. Multi-religion presence
Lord Krishna is also a part of another religion besides Hinduism, which is the Jain religion. He is represented as one the Triads, named Vasudeva. Even in Buddhism, he is a part of the Jataka tales where he is mentioned and described as a prince who beheads his evil uncle Kansa.
3. Not a great love story
Though the story of Radha-Krishna is considered one of the greatest love tales, there were married to different people. In fact, none of Hindu scriptures including the Mahabharata and the Shrimad Bhagavatam mention Radha at all. Harivansham, a book based on the life of Lord Krishna, also does not have any record of Radha.
4. Not blue, but dark
While most of Lord Krishna idols across India and all over the world depict the deity in blue colored skin, his actual skin color is believed to have been dark.
5. He blew the conch that marked the beginning of Kurukshetra
The conch of Lord Krishna, named Panchjanya, was used by him to mark the start of the epic battle of Kurukshetra. The same was also used at the end of the war to indicate the victory of dharma (meaning righteousness).
6. He was related to Eklavya and Draupadi
Draupadi is believed to be the incarnation of Goddess Parvati and Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who is the brother of Goddess Parvati. Thus making them both brother and sister. Eklavya was son of Devashrava, Vasudev brother. Thus, making Lord Krishna and Eklavya cousins.
7. Gandhari’s curse
In a fit of rage, upon Krishna’s revelation to her about her son’s impending demise, Gandhari cursed that Krishna, along with everyone else from Yadu dynasty, would perish after 36 years.
A Rustic Mind 