Week 7 Storytelling: A New God in Brindaban

I was nine when I first became aware of Hari. There had been talk, sure, of a strange child in our small town of Brindaban, and I’d sometimes overhear tales of miracles as well as tricks and tomfoolery. Krishna must have been ten or so years older than me, though, so I’d mostly just paid attention to friends my own age and not observed what else was going on around me. Those older folks had a world to themselves, and I wasn’t yet part of it.

But when I was nine, I started paying more attention. Talk of Hari increased as well. People were really dissatisfied with our ruler, Kansa, a tyrant whose greed and harsh laws were destroying the kingdom of Mathura from the inside out. People wished for a major change. Times were hard, and not even our religion seemed to offer much hope anymore. Could this supernaturally strong, wise, kind Hari be the answer to everyone’s prayers?

I began following reports of Hari with interest. He was said to have defeated the Demon-Sheep that had long plagued our pastures. He rescued our cowherds and their cattle from a monster cave. He brought back to life his comrades after they were killed by Kaliya Snake. One could not help but love him; his charisma enveloped all in a sense of contentment and communion. Even our people’s leader, Radha, pined for him at the same time that she raised this simple cowherder to an intellectual and spiritual companionship with her.

Hari’s influence increased. People sought his advice, his company, his aid. We told each other we would do anything he said – and so we did. When Hari told us to cease worship of Indra and the other old gods to follow him, we did it. And when Indra, angered, sent great rains and floods upon us, we ran to Hari and he saved us. This solidified our worship of Hari. Surely someone who could accomplish such feats was a powerful god.

 Krishna holding up the mountain to protect against Indra's rains and floods

But Hari did not just want to be worshiped; he wanted to rule. He challenged Kansa and won, to our great joy. We finally had a righteous and just king! We were disappointed that he chose not to return to Brindaban, but he had many larger concerns now than our little community. We took great pride in his being from our town. We were warmly welcomed whenever we made pilgrimages to visit Hari, and that recognition was enough for us.

We watched with happiness as word of his exploits and wisdom reached across India. Much of this we spread ourselves, but the more people who learned of Hari, the more his fame spread. We cannot tell for sure what the future may bring, but it is our hope that worship of this god, incarnated on earth and raised right here in our humble hometown, will live on far beyond our own lives and region.

Author's Note: When I was reading more about Krishna's life in Sister Nivedita's book, I was struck by the time he calls for the end of worship of Indra and other older gods. It struck me that this story could be read as that of a revitalization or new religious movement, according to Anthony F.C. Wallace's five stages of revitalization movements. The first "steady state" stage is skipped, as the community is already under stress (the second stage) from Kansa's tyranny.  There's also not really a third-stage "period of cultural distortion" where the rules break down, but there is a "revitalization" period (fourth stage) where a prophet -- Krishna, known in his home region as Hari -- rises up with a new set of beliefs and practices. He gains power and his influence spreads, leading to the fifth stage of routinization and a new steady state.

So when I was retelling Krishna's life for this week, I tried to focus on his story as seen by an early follower if Hari is viewed as a prophet who revitalizes his culture. The prophet's fame rises through his works and words, and he makes major religious changes. These then spread beyond just the initial impact area. The details of my story, such as names, places, miracles, and other events, as well as the visit of Brindabandans to Hari once he has defeated Kansa, are all drawn directly from Sister Nivedita's book of tales.

Bibliography: 

Sister Nivedita, Cradle Tales of Hinduism (1907). 

Mola Ram, attr., Krishna Holding Mount Govardhan, c1790 (Wikipedia).