Krishna: A Weaponless Warrior Wins the War

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Vishnu is the Supreme form of God in the Hindu sect known as Vaishnavism. This means that, while there are other gods and demigods, Vishnu reigns supreme above all. He, in the minds of the Vaishnavites, is the lord of all creation. Vishnu has taken many forms throughout the eons, known as his avatars, whenever the dharmic balance on the earthly plains requires direct intervention in order to be set right. The ten most recognizable of these avatars are called the Daśāvatāra, among them such heroes and wise men as Rama (the hero of the Ramayana, said to be the ideal man) and the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. But by far the most recognizable of these names is Krishna. Krishna was the eighth incarnation of Vishnu and is one of the most worshipped figures in all of Hinduism. He is perhaps most well-known for his appearance in the Mahabharata as Arjunas charioteer. But even more than that, through manipulations Krishna was able to destroy the three greatest foes of the Pandavas without ever raising a weapon. Thus it can be said that Krishna was the most important figure in the Mahabharata – even discounting his role in the Bhagavad Gita – as without him the Pandavas would have certainly lost the war.
Krishna is thought to have been born around 3220 BCE and to have lived for 126 years, dying in the year 3102 BCE (Knott). Krishna, the son of the Princess Devaki, was born (according to the Bhagavata Purana) from the mind of Vasudeva entering the womb of his mother directly . Sent away from his kingdom because of his mother’s fear for his life, Krishna grew up as a shepherd of cows, and there are many stories of his exploits as a youth. He killed the Demon Putana, who was disguised as a wet nurse, and defeated the Naga Kāliyā by dancing on i...

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.... Without the intervention of Krishna, the Pandavas would have faced three foes they would have had no chance to slay on the battlefield, and would have inevitably lost. Thus it can be said that Krishna was the most important figure in the Mahabharata.

Works Cited

Buck, William. Mahabharata. Motilal Banarsidass, 2000. Google Books Preview.
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Krishna. 2014. Web. 13 4 2014. .
Gandhi, Indira. The Bhaktirasāmṛtasindhu of Rūpa Gosvāmin. Delhi: National Centre for the Arts and Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 2003.
Knott, Kim. Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2000. Book.
Miller, Barbara Stoler. The Bhagavad-Gita: Krishna's Counsel in Time of War. New York: Bantam Books, 2004. Kindle eBook.
Smith, John D. The Mahabharata. New York: Penguin Classics, 2009. Book.

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