The Krishna Key Read Free

was me on the floor and kicked the sleeping figure. Muchukunda opened his eyes and instantly turned Kal Yavan into ashes.
    Saini and Priya were inside the car, finishing their sandwiches and coffee. In between mouthfuls, Priya decided to play the devil’s advocate. ‘Is there any proof that Krishna actually existed? Isn’t it possible that Krishna was just a character in a fictional story, a product of a great writer’s imagination?’ she asked,
    Saini scoffed. ‘Let’s forget the Mahabharata for a moment. The earliest reference to Krishna is found in the Chandogya Upanishad. The passage that refers to Krishna says: Ghora of the Angirasas spoke to Krishna, the son of Devaki. My thirst has been quenched, he said. And till the very end of his life he upheld the three key principles: Krishna is aksita — indestructible; Krishna is acyuta — eternal; God is praana samhita — the very flow and essence of life! Priya, you may hold the view that the Mahabharata is just a story, but how do you explain Krishna’s name appearing in the Upanishads, works of the highest spiritual magnitude? Krishna is even mentioned in the Rigveda as the seer of Vedic hymn. He is once again mentioned in the Atharvaveda as the slayer of the Keshi demon. No, it would be impossiblefor Krishna to figure in these ancient works if a historical personality by that name did not exist,’ said Saini indignantly.
    ‘But the Krishna of the Vedas is a scholar, not a playful cowherd,’ argued Priya. ‘It seems almost impossible to reconcile the two characters. The Krishna of the Mahabharata war was almost ruthless whereas Krishna the cowherd was a combination of innocence and fun.’
    ‘Again, Priya, the answer is to be found in the River Sarasvati. We know that the river was still flowing during the time of the Mahabharata. We are specifically told that Krishna’s brother, Balarama, refused to participate in the war and decided to leave for a pilgrimage to various sacred spots along the river for the duration of the battle,’ explained Saini. ‘When the Sarasvati dried up, it resulted in the great river civilization decaying. The inhabitants were forced to move away towards new sources of water—either east towards the Ganges basin or west towards the Indus basin or even further towards the Tigris-Euphrates valley. The drying of the Sarasvati would have erased pasturelands entirely. Cattle populations would have dwindled, with entire herds getting wiped out.’
    ‘What does cattle depletion have to do with the distinction between Krishna the cowherd and Krishna the statesman?’ asked Priya.
    ‘Everything!’ exclaimed Saini. ‘When the easterners reached the Ganges basin, they needed to revive their cattle populations. The easiest way of doing this wa,’ replied Sir Khan that Gopala. The word emerges from gow —meaning cow—and pala —meaning the preserver or protector. It will surprise you to note that the same tradition carried into the west too. The Egyptians sacrificed most animals with the exception of the cow. The cow was considered sacred to Goddess Hathor. Hesat —the divine cow—was an earthly manifestation of Hathor!’
    ‘So Krishna was given the status of a cowherd to preserve cattle numbers?’ asked Priya.
    ‘Not just cattle but the entire agricultural way of life,’ said Saini. ‘The name Krishna is derived from Krishi —the Sanskrit word for agriculture. The new migrants to the Ganges basin needed milk, ghee, and butter. They also relied on cow dung for fertiliser and fuel. By making Krishna into a cowherd, they ensured that their way of life could be preserved and their depleted cattle counts could be revived. But the cow eventually transformed all parts of society. Even today, when a Hindu performs prayers, the Brahmin will usually ask him for his gothra —his lineage. But the word gothra actually means a herd—or line—of cows! Why, even the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha had a name that had a link to