HINDU TEMPLE  OF KENTUCKY

KRISHNA, one of the avatars of Vishnu is the most glamorous and talked-of character in Indian mythology. Starting from the tales of his amorous acts with gopikas and Radha, to his story of valour and wisdom in the battles with Kamsa etc, and his great preachings to Arjuna in Bhagvad-Gita. The story of the birth of Krishna goes as follows:

Once upon a time there lived an evil, wicked and ambitious king by name of Kamsa in Mathura. He plundered the kingdom left and right and lawlessness prevailed in his state. On one of the days a heavenly prophecy from the sky came and echoed, "Kamsa! Your end is near! The eighth son of Devaki, your sister, will be the one responsible for your death." Kamsa was enraged beyond control and imprisoned Devaki, his sister and Vasudeva her husband. Then he killed every child of the couple as they were born.

But just the midnight when the eighth child was born, the skies roared and Lord Vishnu advised Vasudeva to take the child across the river Yamuna to the other side to the village of Gokul and exchange with the daughter of Yashoda in Gokul, who was born on the same day. Vasudeva accordingly put the child in a basket, and as he went out the doors of the prison parted for him as if in a magic. The river parted into two to allow for Vasudeva to cross. Vasudeva then crossed into Gokul and exchanged his son with the daughter of Yashoda who was born the same day and came back.

The baby uttered cries which awakened Kamsa, and then happily he went to the prison chamber and snatched the girl baby and as he lifted her in the air, the baby, who was an incarnation of the Devi herself, laughed in glee "Kamsa, your real enemy is still alive. The son of Devaki is alive and well and will come back to kill you", and then disappeared. Kamsa was outraged beyond wits and started a killing spree of all boys at that age in his kingdom. It was a terror outbreak.

Krishna led a very pampered and amorous life in the Gokul, along side thousands of gopikaas, the cowherdesses who were all entralled at his beauty and were thrilled whenever he played the flute. There are numerous playful instances of Krishna, playing mischief with the gopikaas including breaking their butter pots. Many a poets, literarians have described these amorous and mischievious acts as Raas-Lila of Krishna.

Among all the gopikaas, one Radha was special to Krishna. There are numerous amorous tales of Radha and Krishna together. Krishna is also known to be a very mischievious child who annoyed Yashoda a lot. A lot of dohas (poems) described by Mirabai, an ardent devotee of Krishna, are very popular which describe the naughty acts of Krishna.

As Krishna grew older he left the heavenly Gokul, and the idyllic life alongside Gopis, to go and kill Kamsa. He killed Kamsa, and then settled in Dwaraka along with his brother Balarama and learnt the traditional arts of fighting including archery. He arbitrated in the fight between the Pandavas and Kauravas in Mahabharata.