Who is Krishna?

The cousin from Dwaraka

In the Mahabharata, Krishna is a prince of the Yadava clan who rules from the sea city of Dwaraka. He is the son of Kunti’s brother, which makes him cousin to the Pandavas. Hindus revere him as an avatar of Vishnu, and the epic shows him as both: a clever, warm, very human friend, and something much greater.

His childhood among the cowherds of Vrindavan is told in other books, such as the Bhagavata Purana. In our telling we first meet him at Draupadi’s bride contest, where he recognises the Pandavas in disguise.

Friend of the Pandavas

From then on Krishna is at the centre of the story. He helps Arjuna marry his sister Subhadra. He saves Draupadi in the dice hall. He goes to Hastinapura himself to try to make peace, and when Duryodhana tries to seize him, he shows the court his cosmic form.

Before the war, both sides came to ask for his help. He offered a choice: his whole army, or himself, unarmed. Duryodhana took the army. Arjuna chose Krishna.

The Bhagavad Gita

On the first morning of the war, Arjuna’s courage failed. Krishna, driving his chariot, answered his despair with the Bhagavad Gita, the teaching on duty, the soul and devotion that many people consider the heart of Hindu thought.

How Krishna’s story ends (spoilers)

Krishna guided the Pandavas through the war, sometimes bending its rules. Afterwards, Gandhari cursed his clan to destroy itself, and he accepted it. Thirty-six years later the Yadavas killed one another in a drunken quarrel. Krishna, resting in the forest, was struck in the foot by a hunter’s arrow, and left the world. Soon after, the sea swallowed Dwaraka.