Again, as I read this week I'm primarily noting similarities between these stories and others from mythology and folklore. There's the theme of major characters fighting against tyrants or ultimately being their downfalls, with the attendant motif of the king killing rivals (particularly through the method of simply murdering all newborn children/boys) so that the prophecy can't be fulfilled.
Of course, this never works -- divine plans will always win out in the end!
Krishna with his foster mother Yashoda
Tamil Nadu, early 12th cent. (Wikipedia)
Other common motifs I picked up on were the drinking of poisoned or enchanted water, particularly from a lake controlled by some kind of supernatural being. This happened to the Pandava brothers in The Mahabharata and also to Krishna's companions in one story this week. It seems a popular way to test characters or otherwise set up obstacles they must overcome. The description of the lake area in this week's reading also reminded me of the Waste Land theme again.
I find the idea of Krishna as a deity interesting as well. He seems like a mixture of hero and god; his earthly exploits are the primary focus of these stories, and they read much like Odysseus's adventures and those of other culture heroes worldwide. Yet at the same time, he is a deity (or at least the incarnation of one) to be worshiped. Sister Nivedita presents a very idealized version of him, where the Gopis are completely enamored of him as a person. I'm wondering how this portrayal plays into trends and changes in Hindu religion, especially when Krishna tries to end the worship of Indra and other older gods! This last part reminds me of how dynamic religion is, where even such seemingly codified religions and mythologies can change to privilege certain beliefs and practices over others.
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