Playful cowherd, supreme intellectual, the ultimate romantic Krishna, one of the most loved gods of Indian mythology has a myriad forms with which he reaches out to his devotees. Here are five enthralling stories that tell of this invincible deity. Stories of him as a child, mischievous, bubbling with enthusiasm and plunging from one escapade into another, as a lover who woos and elopes with the beautiful Princess Rukmini, as a man defending his honor after being wrongly accused of stealing the Syamantaka gem, as a friend of the Pandavas who tells them how to defeat the powerful Emperor Jarasandha and as the vanquisher of the demon Narakasura who symbolizes all the forces of evil.
Playful cowherd, supreme intellectual, the ultimate romantic Krishna, one of the most loved gods of Indian mythology has a myriad forms with which he reaches out to his devotees. Here are five enthralling stories that tell of this invincible deity. Stories of him as a child, mischievous, bubbling with enthusiasm and plunging from one escapade into another, as a lover who woos and elopes with the beautiful Princess Rukmini, as a man defending his honor after being wrongly accused of stealing the Syamantaka gem, as a friend of the Pandavas who tells them how to defeat the powerful Emperor Jarasandha and as the vanquisher of the demon Narakasura who symbolizes all the forces of evil.
Throwing his aged father into prison, Kamsa occupied the throne of Mathura. Commanding a formidable army he thought he was unstoppable. The threat to his power came from an unexpected quarter, from a cowherd boy who was rumored to be his cousin Devaki's eighth child, Krishna. Moreover, there was a divine prophecy that Kamsa would meet his end at the hands of the eighth child of Devaki.
Throwing his aged father into prison, Kamsa occupied the throne of Mathura. Commanding a formidable army he thought he was unstoppable. The threat to his power came from an unexpected quarter, from a cowherd boy who was rumored to be his cousin Devaki's eighth child, Krishna. Moreover, there was a divine prophecy that Kamsa would meet his end at the hands of the eighth child of Devaki.
The beautiful Princess Rukmini, they said, was the goddess of wealth herself. No wonder kings and emperors wanted her as a wife. Her brother Rukma wanted her to marry Shishupala for political expediency. But Rukmini had set her heart on the valiant Krishna, the prince who was Lord Vishnu himself. Now, Krishna had to whisk her away from under the noses of his enemies. Would his prowess be equal to his love and would Rukmini win the happiness for which she had prayed?
The beautiful Princess Rukmini, they said, was the goddess of wealth herself. No wonder kings and emperors wanted her as a wife. Her brother Rukma wanted her to marry Shishupala for political expediency. But Rukmini had set her heart on the valiant Krishna, the prince who was Lord Vishnu himself. Now, Krishna had to whisk her away from under the noses of his enemies. Would his prowess be equal to his love and would Rukmini win the happiness for which she had prayed?