Krishna's Flute in MB - Page 2

Originally posted by: metacrisis

This route of the story would've definitely been fascinating to read! In this version, Krishna probably wouldn't drift away from Nand-Yashoda as seen in most popular retellings (although, I guess some scriptures do make them reunite later-ish?).

This hand-holding iconography has a nice callback value to Puri-Jagannath idols. Also, I read that some traditions identify (Nap)Pinnai with Radha, so maybe that might be a contributing factor to the lover/sister confusion?

Here, I am just going on Pinnai/Nappinnai name similarity, I don't actually know Tamil well enough to decide if this counts.

In Indian traditions also do we count tithi by midnight?

Kamsa just keeps getting worse with each new story I hear, the guy clearly needs to chill out a bit.

However, in this version, Satyabhama would be his aunt right? I would say that's icky, but Krishna clearly has a history with aunties, throughout folklore.

Bhāgavata-purāṇa narrates that on the occasion of a solar eclipse, the Yādavas went to Prabhāsa and the gopas also happened to be there.

I think that the Jagannātha-Purī triad is Ekānaṃśā between her brothers.

Lover imagery for Piṉṉai in Cilappadhikāram and Nappiṉṉai in Maṇimekhalai is much older than the Rādhā tradition. Poetic and devotional traditions have given Kṛṣṇa several girlfriends: Kubjā (Trivakrā), Nīlā, Pālī, Dhanyā, Cārukeśī, Candrāvalī, Lalitā ... In one verse, Kṛṣṇa says, "How are you, Rādhā?" to Pālī, and she retorts, "How are you, Kaṃsa?" "Where do you see Kaṃsa?" "Well, where do you see Rādhā?" In another verse, Rādhā accuses Kṛṣṇa of kissing Cārukeśī and he pretends not to know anyone by that name.

Tithi can change at any time of day.

In stories where Satyabhāmā is Kaṃsa's sister, Kaṃsa is not related to Devakī.

Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour

In Harivaṃśa, both Saṃkarṣaṇa and Kṛṣṇa are described as gopa-veṇu-pravādakau - players of the cowherd's flute. As far as I'm aware, there isn't any place in Mahābhārata (Harivaṃśa included) where the flute is mentioned as a distinctive feature of Kṛṣṇa. The peacock feather is mentioned once as kaṇṭha-sūtr'āvalambinā - drooping from his neck-string, not tucked into his hair or crown. Peacock-feather ornaments are used by cowherds in general for themselves and their cows, and by the Goddess Kauśikī (Yaśodā's daughter, incarnation of Viṣṇu's helper Nidrā).

I can think of only two places in Mahābhārata, outside Harivaṃśa, where Kṛṣṇa's childhood adventures are mentioned. One is Śiśupāla saying "so what, he destroyed an inanimate cart, the female Pūtanā etc." in rebuttal to Bhīṣma. Interestingly, Bhīṣma's narration of Kṛṣṇa's childhood and adult life (mostly mirroring the Harivaṃśa text) is not included in the critical text of Sabhāparvan, and so this part of Śiśupāla's speech may not belong to an old tradition. The other place is in Udyogaparvan, on the subject of enemies who have tried to capture Kṛṣṇa and failed.

Yaśodā and Nanda-gopa (never simply "Nanda" in Harivaṃśa) are mentioned nowhere else in Mahābhārata outside Harivaṃśa, as far as I know.

The long narration of Kṛṣṇa's childhood adventures in Harivaṃśa is very different in style from the speeches and tell-me-a-story dialogues that pervade Mahābhārata. It looks like the writing of a single author with a clear narrative focus and very few deletions, rearrangements, or insertions by later authors. Thus, this section is likely more recently composed than other parts of the text that are damaged and obscure. It is interesting to contrast its details with the incidents from Kṛṣṇa's childhood that Nārada narrates in Harivaṃśa chapter 97.

Found this in BORI Critical Edition

CHAPTER 987(10)

‘Dhritarashtra said, “O Sanjaya! Hear about Vasudeva’s divine deeds. Govinda performed them and no other man can ever replicate them. O Sanjaya! When the great-souled one was brought up as a child in a family of cowherds, he made the strength of his arms known to the three worlds. When he dwelt in the forests along the Yamuna, he killed the king of horses,56 who was like the wind in speed and Uchchaishrava’s equal in strength. There was a terrible danava in the form of a bull.57 He arose among the cows, like death. Though still a child, he killed him with his arms. The one with lotus eyes also killed great asuras like Pralamba, Naraka, Jamba, Pitha and Muru, who was like a mountain.

Yes, that is Droṇaparvan chapter 10. It's interesting how the names of Kṛṣṇa's enemies are different from those that we expect today.