Krishna in the Mahabharata
In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Krishna is the son of the Yaduvamsha chief Vasudeva and his wife Devaki.
For this assistance, Krishna in turn helped the Pandavas to win the Kurukshetra War against the Kurus headed by Duryodhana.
Thus the rule of the Pandava Yudhishthira was re-established by Krishna at Indraprastha, regarded to be modern-day Delhi.
This resulted in the absolute destruction of the Yadava kingdom in Dvaraka, with Balarama and Krishna also departing due to grief.
Thus the royal lineage of the Yadavas continued through Aniruddha's son, Prince Vajra, great-grandson of Krishna and grandson of Pradyumna.
(Mahabharata, Book 5, Chapter 5) As we are desirous of adopting a political course, this is, no doubt, our first duty; a man acting otherwise would be a great fool.
If that chief of the Kuru race should make peace on equitable terms, then the brotherly feelings between the Kuras and the Pandus will sustain no injury.
The holder of Gandiva then will be fired with wrath and the dull-headed and wicked Duryodhana, with his partisans and friends that will meet his fate.
(Mahabharata, Book 5, Chapter 7) There is a large body of cowherds numbering ten lakhs, rivalling me in strength and known as the Narayanas, all of whom are able to fight in the thick of battle.
(Mahabharata, Book 5, Chapter 83) I will go to King Dhritarashtra, desirous of accomplishing what is consistent with righteousness, which may be beneficial to us, and what also is for the good of the Kurus.
(Mahabharata, Book 12, Chapter 80) I never behave with slavish obsequiousness towards my kinsmen by flattering speeches about their prosperity.
Might reside in Sankarshana (Balarama); mildness in Gada; and as regards Pradyumna, he surpasses even me in the beauty of a person.
He also conquered Bana or Vana of Shonitapura (Regarded to be Shonitpur of Assam), to the east of Pragjyotisha.
In (Mahabharata, Book 5, Chapter 62), Krishna is described as the slayer of Vana and Bhumi's son (Naraka) (Mahabharata, Book 5, Chapter 130) He hath slain Jarasandha, and Vakra, and Shishupala of mighty energy, and Vana in battle and numerous other kings also have been slain by him.
(Mahabharata, Book 5, Chapter 48)...that Vāsudeva (Krishna), viz., who had mowed down in battle by main force all the royal warriors of the Bhoja race, had carried off on a single car Rukmini (princess of vidarbha) of great fame for making her his wife.
(Mahabharata, Book 7, Chapter 23) The Pandya King Sarangadhwaja's country having been invaded and his kinsmen having fled, his father had been slain by Krishna in battle.
Krishna's philosophical conversation with his friend and cousin Arjuna during the Kurukshetra War later became known as the famous Bhagavad Gita, the holy book of Hindus.
The Brahmana said, "That which you asked me, O Krishna, connected with the religion of Moksha (Emancipation), led by your compassion for all creatures and not for your own good,--that indeed, which destroys all delusion, O you that art possessed of supreme puissance I shall now tell you duly.
(Mahabharata, Book 6, Chapter 27) In this world, two kinds of devotion; that of the Sankhyas through knowledge and that of the yogins through work.
[1][2] Some early scholars would equate it with Bhagavatism,[3] and the founder of this religious tradition is believed to be Krishna, who is the son of Vasudeva, thus his name is Vāsudeva, and according to them his followers called themselves Bhagavatas and this religion had formed by the 2nd century BC (the time of Patanjali), or as early as the 4th century BC according to evidence of Pāṇini and that of Megasthenes and in the Arthashastra of Kautilya, when Vāsudeva was worshiped as supreme Deity in a strongly monotheistic format, where the Supreme Being was perfect, eternal and full of grace.
