Reading Notes: Epified, Krishna, Part B
There seem to be numerous similarities with the story of Krishna and the story of Jesus, which is impressive considering the serious contrast of Hindu faith with Christianity / Judaism. However, just as many great epic stories have roots in cultures around the world, this is perhaps not as surprising after all.
Beginning with events prior to their births, both King Herod and King Kans were warned of the birth of a boy child who would destroy them. No virgin birth happens in the Hindu Krishna tale, but the killings of thousands of baby boys following or preceding the birth of baby occurs. They are both reared among the common people, and multiple tales of miracles accompany each throughout their journey to adulthood. The story of the elderly and disabled woman of faith is very nearly identical to both, as her healing occurs as a byproduct of her faith in their power.
Neither marry, as Krishna's realization of his true nature (and responsibilities to the people of this age) prevents him from accepting the life of a commoner. It would be fascinating to research precisely when each of these heroes stories became prevalent in their respective cultures, and to compare them to other, similar, messiah-type tales. This, this, and this page are all filled with vehement denials or similarities compared (mostly coming from a biblical Christianity viewpoint), and the last link actually delves deep into the timeline for the linkage between the two faiths, using art, books, and other materials which indicate a 5-6th century AD onset of Christian evangelicals in India. However, pieces of the Krishna story appeared far earlier than the supposed birth of Christ, and this is a source of GREAT contention to this day. Suns of God (seen below), by D.M. Murdock (pen name Acharya S), approaches the idea that each of the most iconic god-messiah-saviors, including Buddha, Krishna, and Jesus, are actually just allegorical fabrications deliberately propagated and combined. There's probably enough material existing on this subject for a graduate degree's worth of research, and so I am leaving it be for today.
The other piece that stood out to me was during the Brahma event. Krishna, rather than pursuing his missing friends and cows, chooses to recreate exact copies of them, possibly doing so to show off to Brahma, the world-creator. This is one of the stranger aspects to the story, as he would surely know the difference between a copy and an original. I'm picturing a whole world filled with nothing but him and things he made, and it seems lonely and sad. Sure, this is a power to be reckoned with, but why wouldn't he simply retrieve his friends from Brahma? I'd feel a little disconcerted should I find that I've been replaced by someone I considered to be a friend. Also, the picture of D.M. Murdock reminds me of the
Bibliography
Epified - The Krishna Story, Youtube
Beginning with events prior to their births, both King Herod and King Kans were warned of the birth of a boy child who would destroy them. No virgin birth happens in the Hindu Krishna tale, but the killings of thousands of baby boys following or preceding the birth of baby occurs. They are both reared among the common people, and multiple tales of miracles accompany each throughout their journey to adulthood. The story of the elderly and disabled woman of faith is very nearly identical to both, as her healing occurs as a byproduct of her faith in their power.
Neither marry, as Krishna's realization of his true nature (and responsibilities to the people of this age) prevents him from accepting the life of a commoner. It would be fascinating to research precisely when each of these heroes stories became prevalent in their respective cultures, and to compare them to other, similar, messiah-type tales. This, this, and this page are all filled with vehement denials or similarities compared (mostly coming from a biblical Christianity viewpoint), and the last link actually delves deep into the timeline for the linkage between the two faiths, using art, books, and other materials which indicate a 5-6th century AD onset of Christian evangelicals in India. However, pieces of the Krishna story appeared far earlier than the supposed birth of Christ, and this is a source of GREAT contention to this day. Suns of God (seen below), by D.M. Murdock (pen name Acharya S), approaches the idea that each of the most iconic god-messiah-saviors, including Buddha, Krishna, and Jesus, are actually just allegorical fabrications deliberately propagated and combined. There's probably enough material existing on this subject for a graduate degree's worth of research, and so I am leaving it be for today.
The other piece that stood out to me was during the Brahma event. Krishna, rather than pursuing his missing friends and cows, chooses to recreate exact copies of them, possibly doing so to show off to Brahma, the world-creator. This is one of the stranger aspects to the story, as he would surely know the difference between a copy and an original. I'm picturing a whole world filled with nothing but him and things he made, and it seems lonely and sad. Sure, this is a power to be reckoned with, but why wouldn't he simply retrieve his friends from Brahma? I'd feel a little disconcerted should I find that I've been replaced by someone I considered to be a friend. Also, the picture of D.M. Murdock reminds me of the
D.M. Murdock, a.k.a. Acharya S
Image Source: MythicistMilwaukee
Giorgio A. Tsukalos
Image Source: KnowYourMeme
Cover Image: Suns of God
Image Source: Goodreads
Bibliography
Epified - The Krishna Story, Youtube
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