g o d s - o f - i n d i a GODS OF INDIA ---- Who Is Krishna?. NO GOD HAS SPAWNED SO MANY SECTS AND CULTS THAN KRISHNA, THE POPULAR INCARNATION OF VISHNU. In the West, the Hare Krishna sect has become famous for its strange costumes and wierd behaviour -- think bare-footed devotees dancing through the city streets with painted cattle. In India there are other spiritual schools devoted to Krishna, and some of their teachings can be found on the Net. For example, krishna.com makes the claim that: "Krishna is the Supreme Person, the Godhead. Krishna is the speaker of the Bhagavad-Gita, which is recognized throughout the world as one of mankind's greatest books of wisdom. In the Gita, as it is also known, Krishna says repeatedly that He is God Himself, the source of everything. Arjuna, to whom Krishna is speaking, accepts Krishna's words as true, adding that the greatest spiritual authorities of that time also confirm that Krishna is God." Many Hindu's might consider this an exaggeration, but Krishna remains an important god for most Indians. So, who is Krishna, exactly? Krishna Avatar.com, another school of Krishna devotees, maintains that its god was born "five thousand years ago in Mathura, India to Devaki and Vasudeva in the jail cell of the tyrant Kamsa. The place of His birth is known as Sri Krishna Janmasthana. He appeared with His brother Balarama in response to the demigods' prayers for protection from the widespread influence of demonic administration on earth." It has been said by some that Krishna is a bad role model, despite his great popularity. As Nick-H in Chennai once wrote: "Krishna is a very bad role model for men. As a child he gets away with everything because he is chubby and cute (...and a god). As a man he gets away with everything, especially treating women bady, because... Well, I don't know (...and he's a god). I guess I'm forgetting about the fact that he sort-of saved the world (see Mahabarat)." Other India commentators have offered such opinions: "Krishna is indeed a very bad role model ! As a child he was a "Makhan Chor" (butter thief) and later flirted with numerous gopis !!! When the poor gopis were bathing in the river, he used to run away with their clothes!! He played a dubious role in the Mahabharata, by advising unfair tactics to the Pandavas to get rid of the Kaurava stalwarts like Bheeshma, Dronacharya, Karna, Duryodhana and Jayadrata !!" Speaking of the Holy Classics, in the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna promised: "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear milleniumm after millenium." Krishna was the hero of Mahabharat. Krishna's advice on the battlefield of the Mahabharat, is one of the major sources of supervision for the rules of daily living for many Hindus today. He is the eighth incarnation of Vishnu. He is the symbol of devotion, joy, love and music. He is usually with his companion Radha dancing and is portrayed playing a flute or surrounded by gopinis. The devotion between Krishna and Radha symbolizes the perfect relation of love between the soul and god. SO WHAT IS KRISHNA LIKE? ---- A Physical Description. The Vedas describe Krishna in this way: He is a beautiful youth with a glowing complexion the color of rain clouds. He plays a flute, attracting the hearts of all. He wears a peacock feather in His curly black hair and a flower garland around His neck. His beautiful garments are the color of lightning. His toenails resemble the light of the moon. For an animated story of Krishna's life, click here. KRISHNA'S NATURE ---- What Krishna is Really Like. Of course, Krishna is most famous for dancing in the moonlight with his swarm of captivated milkmaids (gopis. Krishna is completely independent, and we cannot comprehend him completely. He cannot be conquered by knowledge. But He can be conquered -- and seen directly -- through pure love. God has feelings: He is satisfied when someone offers Him a nice prayer. Even though He is great, He can be moved by our love. He responds to us according to how we approach Him. CROSS CULTURAL STUDIES ---- Adultery in Quaranic and Hindu Scriptures. DOUBLE AAAA FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS PROVIDES AN INTERESTING COMPARISON BETWEEN ADULTERY IN HINDU AND ISLAMIC SCRIPTURES AT TOPIX: "Quran: You shall not commit adultery; it is a gross sin, and an evil behavior (17:32) "Islam totally forbids incest and adultery and it is a major sin and crime under Islamic law. "Hindu Scriptures Encourage Incest And Adultery: "LORD KRSNA'S FOOLISH DRUNKEN WIVES ARE READY TO COMMIT INCEST WITH HIS SON (SAMBA) "Samba's mischief and that of the women combine here in one neat episode: he misbehaves with them. Thus the destruction of the race of the Yadus (Yadavas) is blamed on Krsna's wives, on Krsna's son, and on the rage of Krsna himself: For the full story click here. ISKCON ---- International Society for Krishna Consciousness. One of the foremost Krishna sects in modern times, the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), has a prominent temple complex at Raman Reti, 3 kms from Vrindavan. The society has been responsible for popularising KrishnaE˝s philosophy in the West, popularising the chant E˝hare rama, hare krishnaE˝ (which even made it on to an old George Harrison record in the 1970s!) The kadamb groves of Vrindavan, which severely depleted, are believed to be the spots where Krishna played his erotic love games. At the Seva Kunj, Krishna danced the Raaslila with the gopis. Through his divine powers, Krishna would create an optical illusion which made it seem like he was the dancing partner of every gopi (and thus providing perfect fodder for some innovative Bollywood special effects experiments!) Ganesha | Shiva | Mahalaxmi | Vishwakarma | Krishna Contact the author Rob Sullivan at bunyarra@hotmail.com. Anticopyright February 2005.