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Krishna is one of the full avatars of the supreme Hindu god Vishnu. Conscious of his divine nature since birth, Krishna embodied his divinity with love, wisdom, and pure fun. Hindus today do not contest Krishna’s level of consciousness. Even Christian theologians thought at first that the story surrounding Krishna’s birth were stolen from the biblical passages surrounding King Herod and Jesus, until they discovered that Krishna’s story was centuries older. At the time of Krishna’s birth, a demon named Kansa believed that a son of one of his female relatives would cause his demise. Kansa ordered all of her children killed. However, two of her eight children were saved–Balarama and Krishna, who went to reside with foster parents who raised them humbly among milkmaids and cowherds. Throughout his life, Krishna managed to thwart any of Kansa’s plans to kill him. He destroyed a snake demon through dancing, eating a fire demon, and through athletic competitions. Known specifically to be a playful and strong character, Krishna eventually fulfilled the prophecy and killed Kansa himself when the demon gave up plotting to kill him and appeared directly to the young Krishna.
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The story of Krishna mirrors the story of many young superheroes: at times he was a lovable infant while at other times his superhuman strength showed. One particular myth describes Krishna sucking from the breast of an evil demon, Putna, whose milk was poisonous. Unharmed by her poison, Krishna as a young child eventually sucked all of the life out from Putna. The most well known teachings about Krishna appear in the Bhagavad Gita. These sacred texts reveal much about the symbolic nature of Krishna, such as the emergence of an individual having a personal god. This personal relationship, in which an individual cares for a god that cares as much in return, has gained popularity over the centuries. |
Traditional statues of Krishna often show him with a dark black skin, though modern depictions of Krishna will alternatively color his skin blue. Sculptures of Krishna have him clothed in a yellow or gold silk garment (dhoti), and Krishna’s statue may be topped with a peacock-feather crown. Some statues of Krishna depict him as a youth, in which he is relaxed and playful, sometimes making music with a flute. When playing the instrument, sculptures of Krishna may position him with one leg bent in front of the other. On occasion, a Krishna statue is accompanied by the cows and milkmaids which serve an integral part of Krishna’s childhood stories.
When depicted as a man, statues of Krishna take on a different ambiance. Traditional characteristics of Hindu god statues will tend to present themselves on manly statues of the Hindu god Krishna. Some of these characteristics include multiple arms or heads, or show him leading horses as a charioteer. As a man, statues of Krishna take an upright, confident pose. Some sculptures of Krishna are actually of Radha Krishna, dual depictions of both the god and his female consort, or Shakti, Radha. When shown together, sculptures of Krishna and his goddess emulate the highest form of unconditional love for God.
