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A Krishna murti playing the flute in a Vrindavan temple, with a peacock-feather crown, yellow silk and a pot of butter in frontImage: made with AI
Deity

Lord Krishna

Vāsudeva • Govinda • Gopala • Madhava • Keshava • Muralidhara • Dwarkadhish

Lord Krishna is the son of Vasudeva and Devaki; he was born in Kamsa’s prison in Mathura and raised in Gokul by Nanda and Yashoda. He is regarded as the eighth avatar of Vishnu, and many Vaishnava traditions consider him the Supreme Lord himself. His teaching to Arjuna at Kurukshetra is the Bhagavad Gita.

Aartis and chalisasSee the relations
Edited by the SanatanBodh editorial teamLast updated: 5 sourcesDrafted with AI, checked against sourcesReport a mistake

Krishna at a glance

Parents
Devaki, Vasudeva
Foster parents
Yashoda, Nanda
Siblings
Balarama, Subhadra
Chief queen
Rukmini (others: Satyabhama, Jambavati and more)
Birth
Mathura, at midnight on Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami
Abodes
Gokul, Vrindavan, Mathura, Dwarka
Major festival
Janmashtami
Mantra
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय (Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya)
Key texts
Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavata Purana (Skandha 10)

Krishna: relations

Family, scriptures, tirthas and festivals

43 relations of Krishna, each with its source in the texts or the tradition. Tap a name to open its own page, or its relations in the Sanatan tree.

See the whole knowledge graph
Sources: Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 10; Bhagavata Purana 10.52–54; Bhagavata Purana 9.24.46; 9.24.53–55; 10.2.8–13; Bhagavad Gita; Bhagavata Purana 10.3; Tradition (Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami)
All 43 relations, with sources

Family

DevakiMother
VasudevaFather
YashodaFoster mother
KrishnaRukminiWifeSatyabhamaWifeJambavatiWifeKalindiWifeMitravindaWifeNagnajiti (Satya)WifeBhadraWifeLakshmana (princess of Madra)Wife
PradyumnaSon
SambaSon
BalaramaBrotherSubhadraSister
Source: Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 10; Bhagavata Purana 10.52–54; Bhagavata Purana 10.56.43–44; Bhagavata Purana 10.56.32; Bhagavata Purana 10.58.29; Bhagavata Purana 10.58.30–31; Bhagavata Purana 10.58.32–47; Bhagavata Purana 10.58.56; Bhagavata Purana 10.58.57; Bhagavata Purana 10.55.2; 10.61.8–9; Bhagavata Purana 10.61.10–12; Bhagavata Purana 9.24.46; 9.24.53–55; 10.2.8–13; Mahabharata, Adi Parva, chapter 221 (Ganguli); Bhagavata Purana 9.24.55

Deities, figures and sages 18

  • Vishnu · Source of avatarsBhagavata Purana 1.3
  • Arjuna · Friend and discipleMahabharata
  • Narakasura · Asura he slewBhagavata Purana 10.59
  • Indra · King of the devas, whose pride he brokeBhagavata Purana 10.25–10.27
  • Khatu Shyam · Barbarika, worshipped by the name ‘Shyam’Folk tradition
  • Parikshit · Whom he saved in the womb and revivedMahabharata, Adi Parva, chapter 95 (Ganguli); Bhagavata Purana 1.12.1
  • Abhimanyu · Nephew (sister’s son)Mahabharata, Virata Parva, chapter 72 (Ganguli)
  • Sandipani · GuruBhagavata Purana 10.45.30–36
  • Arjuna · Whose charioteer he becameMahabharata, Udyoga Parva, chapter 7 (Ganguli)
  • Shishupala · Whom he slewMahabharata, Sabha Parva, chapter 44 (Ganguli)
  • Ekalavya · Whom he slewMahabharata, Drona Parva, chapter 181 (Ganguli)
  • Kamsa · Whom he slewBhagavata Purana 10.44.37–38; Mahabharata, Sabha Parva, chapter 14 (Ganguli)
  • Nanda · Foster fatherBhagavata Purana 10.5.1–2; 10.8.36; 10.8.46–51
  • Ugrasena · Whom he made king again after Kamsa’s deathBhagavata Purana 10.45.12
  • Banasura · Whose arms he cut off in battleBhagavata Purana 10.63.32–49
  • Uddhava · Dear friend and counsellorBhagavata Purana 10.46.1–2
  • Akrura · Uncle (a term of respect), who took him to MathuraBhagavata Purana 10.36.27–29; 10.39.4–7
  • Sudama · Friend (fellow student)Bhagavata Purana 10.80.6; 10.80.27–40

Scriptures and mantras 2

Tirths and places 4

  • Mathura · BirthplaceBhagavata Purana 10.3
  • Vrindavan · Childhood lilasBhagavata Purana, Skandha 10
  • Dwarka · CapitalBhagavata Purana 10.50
  • Mount Govardhan · Hill he held upBhagavata Purana 10.25.19

Festivals 4

  • Janmashtami · Festival (birth anniversary)Tradition (Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami)
  • Sharad Purnima · Festival (remembering the Maha-raas)Bhagavata Purana 10.29–10.33; Braj tradition
  • Naraka Chaturdashi · Festival (slaying of Narakasura)Tradition; story in Bhagavata Purana 10.59
  • Govardhan Puja · Festival (remembering the Govardhan lila)Bhagavata Purana 10.24–10.25

Key stages of his life

  1. Birth

    It was prophesied that Devaki’s eighth son would kill Kamsa, so Kamsa threw Devaki and Vasudeva into prison. Krishna was born at midnight, and Vasudeva carried him across the Yamuna and left him at Nanda’s home in Gokul.

    Bhagavata Purana 10.1–10.3

  2. Gokul and Vrindavan

    The slaying of Putana, the butter leela, subduing the serpent Kaliya, and lifting Mount Govardhan to shelter the people of Braj from Indra’s wrath.

    Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 10

  3. Mathura

    Returning to Mathura as a youth, he killed Kamsa and made Ugrasena king once more.

    Bhagavata Purana 10.44

  4. Dwarka

    To protect the Yadavas from Jarasandha’s repeated attacks, he founded the city of Dwarka in the middle of the sea.

    Bhagavata Purana 10.50

  5. Mahabharata

    Friend and adviser to the Pandavas. Promising not to take up arms in the war, he became Arjuna’s charioteer, while Duryodhana chose his Narayani army.

    Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva

  6. Teaching of the Gita

    As the war was about to begin, he gave Arjuna the teaching of 18 chapters at Kurukshetra.

    Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva
    Kurukshetra at dawn: Shri Krishna as charioteer speaks to Arjuna, who sits with his bow lowered, between the two armies

Form and symbols

  • A bamboo flute on a wooden ledge by the misty Yamuna at dawn

    Flute

    Linked with his leelas in Vrindavan; in the "Venu Gita" of the Bhagavata, the gopis describe its music.

    Bhagavata Purana 10.21
  • A peacock feather close up, its blue-green eye ringed with golden-green barbs

    Peacock feather

    A peacock feather in his crown: "बर्हापीडं नटवरवपुः", a crown of peacock feathers and a form as graceful as the finest dancer.

    Bhagavata Purana 10.21.5
  • Folded yellow silk with a zari border on a wooden stand in a temple, with marigolds and lamps

    Pitambara

    Yellow silk garments.

  • Dark monsoon clouds over the Yamuna at dusk, a symbol of his dark complexion

    Dark complexion

    A dark hue like a rain cloud, hence the name "Ghanashyam".

Images: symbolic pictures made with AI

Krishna in the scriptures

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥
O Bharata, whenever there is a decline of dharma and a rise of adharma, I manifest myself.Bhagavad Gita 4.7
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
Your right is to action alone, never to its fruits.Bhagavad Gita 2.47
कृष्णस्तु भगवान् स्वयम्
But Krishna is the Lord himself.Bhagavata Purana 1.3.28
  • Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 10
  • Bhagavata Purana 1.3.28
  • Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva
  • Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva
  • Bhagavad Gita 2.47, 4.7

Festivals of Krishna

Worship of Krishna

Krishna: Aarti, Chalisa, Mantra and Namavali, each on its own page

Vrat kathas

Frequently asked questions

Who were Lord Krishna’s parents?

His birth parents were Devaki and Vasudeva, and the parents who raised him were Yashoda and Nanda (Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 10).

Where and when was Krishna born?

In Kamsa’s prison in Mathura, at midnight on Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami (Bhagavata Purana 10.3). Janmashtami is celebrated in its memory.

To whom and where did Krishna teach the Gita?

To Arjuna, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, just before the war began (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva).

Which avatar of Vishnu is Krishna?

The eighth in the popular list of the Dashavatara. The Bhagavata Purana (1.3.28), with the words "कृष्णस्तु भगवान् स्वयम्", calls him the Lord himself, and many Vaishnava traditions hold the same view.

Sources

Checked against sources
  1. Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 10
  2. Bhagavata Purana 1.3.28
  3. Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva
  4. Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva
  5. Bhagavad Gita 2.47, 4.7

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