Tricksters. Krishna, The Beautiful Legend of God

Finishing up this week of Krishna stories, here's a truly comprehensive account of Krishna, taken from the Bhagavata Purana, which is an account of the incarnations of the god Vishna, including Krishna. The book is Krishna, The Beautiful Legend of God, translated by Edwin Bryant.

Edwin Bryant is a scholar of the religions of India at Rutgers University, and one of his main areas of interest is the story of Krishna. You can learn more about Bryant at his Rutgers webpage.

If you are interested in the larger Bhagavata Purana, there is a translation of the whole Purana at the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. The story of Krishna begins in Book 10:

So, if you are looking to immerse yourself in the life of Krishna and his adventures, this book is the place to go... all 600 pages of it! I'll be back next week more about trickster-heroes... and I think it's time for another Africa week. But which of the many African tricksters to feature...? There are so many to choose from, so I'll figure that out tomorrow!

Krishna, The Beautiful Legend of God
Edwin Bryant

Tricksters. Visions of the Life of Krishna

I'm really excited by today's addition to the week of Krishna stories at the Internet Archive; it's a wide-ranging account of Krishna, not just his youthful adventures but the arc of his life story by Vanamali: The Play of God: Visions of the Life of Krishna.

The "play" in the title refers to the Sanskrit idea of lila which is central to Krishna's religious identity, and which is also a great vantage point from which to approach his affiliation with other trickster traditions of the world, especially the tricksters who are divine creators. You can read more about the idea of lila at Wikipedia. 

Mataji Devi Vanamali has written other books about the gods and goddesses of Hinduism, and the Internet Archive also has her book on Shiva: Shiva: Stories and Teachings from the Shiva Mahapurana.

You can find out more about Vanamali here: Mata Devi Vanamali ~ Mataji. I am a fan of her books, and I hope that more of them will appear at the Archive. 

Meanwhile, enjoy this book about Krishna; it is a wonderful way to start to learn about Krishna's more cosmic dimensions and spiritual depths.

The Play of God: Visions of the Life of Krishna

by Vanamali

Tricksters. Young Krishna

For today's addition to the week of Krishna, it's a translation of the ancient Sanskrit Harivamsa, which is sometimes called the Harivamsa Purana, and which is also considered to be part of the Mahabharata. You can read more about the Harivamsa at Wikipedia, and here is an English translation: Young Krishna by Francis G. Hutchins. 

Hutchins also provides a detailed introduction to put the story in context, and the translation is a great way to get a sense of the Sanskrit style which is full of both dramatic action and vivid description.

The book is illustrated with wonderful Indian art from the Harivamsa manuscript tradition. Here, for example, Krishna's mother ponders the strange events that keep befalling the young Krishna, like the incident of the mortar and the two trees (that's the illustrations on the cover, if you were curious!):

This book is the last of the "young Krishna" books for this week, and tomorrow and the day after I'll be sharing some bigger books which embrace the whole scope of Krishna's adventures. Meanwhile, enjoy this lively English translation of the Harivamsa... and the art too!

Young Krishna

by Francis G. Hutchins

Tricksters. Adventures of Young Krishna

Today's book for Krishna week carried on the theme of Krishna's childhood, and it tells the stories of Krishna's youth in more detail than the children's books I've shared so far: The Adventures of Young Krishna: The Blue God of India by Diksha Dalal-Clayton.

A note at the front of the book explains that the author died of cancer in 1991, and her family and friends worked to make sure this book made it into print to honor her memory; the book was published by Oxford University Press in 1992.

The illustrations are by Marilyn Heeger. Here is her depiction of Krishna and the trick he played on the gopis:

The stories go up to the defeat of King Kansa and also two other important stories from Krishna's later life: the story of Krishna and his friend Sudama, and also a story about Krishna and Draupadi from the Mahabharata. I'll have more to say about the larger story of Krishna's life in other posts this week. Meanwhile, enjoy this beautiful book which is inspired by the author's lifelong love of Krishna stories.

The Adventures of Young Krishna:
The Blue God of India
by Diksha Dalal-Clayton

Tricksters. Fantastic Adventures of Krishna

For this second day in the week of Krishna stories, I selected this book by Demi, also known as Charlotte Dumaresq Hunt; you can read more about her prolific career at Wikipedia. I learned there that she did her master's degree at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in India, and she has had a lifelong interest in the storytelling traditions of India. So, here is her Krishna book: The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna, which Demi both wrote and illustrated.

Of course the book includes the story of Krishna the butter thief:

The book is focused on the youthful adventures of Krishna, and it ends with the restoration of King Ugrasena, Krishna's uncle, to the throne. There are many other adventures in Krishna's life that come later, and those will be told in other books later this week.

You can also find many other books by Demi at the Archive, including other books with Indian themes: The Hallowed Horse and Gandhi. And I hope you will enjoy her Krishna book, and its lovely illustrations:

The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna

by Demi

Tricksters. Stories of Krishna.

I'm starting a new week of tricksters this week, and I'll be focusing on Krishna, a central figure in the stories of India. Krishna plays many roles in these ancient stories, and one of those roles is as a trickster-hero-savior, much like the Algonquian trickster-hero Glooscap that was the focus of last week's posts.

I'll start with a collection of comic books from Amar Chitra Katha, the Indian comic book publication founded by Anant Pai in order to bring the ancient stories to life for young reader in India. You can read more about Anant Pai at Wikipedia, and here is a compendium of five different Krishna comic books in one volume: Stories of Krishna.

For example of Krishna's heroic adventures, while still a young boy he was able to rescue the people in his village from the anger of the storm-god Indra, lifting up a mountain so they could take shelter:

One of the most famous "trickster" incidents in the life of Krishna is the story of his stealing the butter, and that story is this focus of this book: The Butter Thief by Chris Murray.

The lovely illustrations are by Kim Waters Murray.

Krishna's life story is full of fabulous adventures from the moment of his birth until the moment of his death. I'll be back with more Krishna books every day for this coming week. If you are new to the ancient stories of India, learning about Krishna is a great place to start.

Stories of Krishna

Amar Chitra Katha Comic Books

The Butter Thief

by Chris Murray