Bala Krishna
Encyclopedia
Krishnaism
Krishnaism is a group of Hindu denominations within Vaishnavism, centered on devotion to Radha Krishna or other forms of Krishna, identified with Vishnu.The central text of Krishnaism is the Bhagavad Gita....
and an element of the history of Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
worship in antiquity. This tradition is considered as a part of the number of other traditions that led to amalgamation in a later stage of the historical development and culminate in worship of Radha Krishna
Radha Krishna
Radha Krishna is a Hindu deity. Krishna is often referred as svayam bhagavan in Gaudiya Vaishnavism theology and Radha is a young woman, a gopi who is Krishna's supreme beloved. With Krishna, Radha is acknowledged as the Supreme Goddess, for it is said that she controls Krishna with Her love...
as Svayam bhagavan
Svayam Bhagavan
Svayam Bhagavan , "The Lord" or Lord Himself, is a Sanskrit theological term. The term refers to the concept of absolute representation of the monotheistic God as Bhagavan within Hinduism....
. Other monotheist traditions are Bhagavatism and Cult of Gopala, that along with Cult of Krishna-Vasudeva form the basis of the current tradition of the monotheistic Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
religion. The worship of Balakrishna, the divine child, while a significant feature of the Krishna religion, often receives less attention, however it is one of the most popular deities of Krishna in many parts of India today. Early evidence of such worship can be found or as early as the 4th century BC according to evidence in Megasthenes
Megasthenes
Megasthenes was a Greek ethnographer in the Hellenistic period, author of the work Indica.He was born in Asia Minor and became an ambassador of Seleucus I of Syria possibly to Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra, India. However the exact date of his embassy is uncertain...
and in the Arthasastra of Kautilya, when Vāsudeva (as the son of Vasudeva
Vasudeva
In Hindu itihasa , Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, the son of Shoorsen, of the Yadu and Vrishni dynasties. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu. He was a partial incarnation of Rishi Kashyap....
was worshiped as supreme Deity in a strongly monotheistic format, where the supreme Being was perfect, eternal and full of grace.
Some of the miraculous acts of the form are notable. Its is believed that Putana
Putana
In Hindu mythology, Putana is a Rakshasi , who is killed by the infant-god Krishna. Putana is also considered as a foster-mother of Krishna as she breast-fed him, though it was with the motive of killing Krishna by poisoned milk...
, a huge monster, was killed when the baby Krishna sucked her life from her by taking the poisoned breast she offered him.
Bala-Krishna is often depicted as a small child crawling on his hands and knees or dancing with a piece of butter in his hand.
In the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
, it appears Krishna is teaching a universal monotheistic religion of personal God
Personal God
A personal god is a deity who can be related to as a person instead of as an "impersonal force", such as the Absolute, "the All", or the "Ground of Being"....
and reveals himself to be all-God, svayam bhagavan
Svayam Bhagavan
Svayam Bhagavan , "The Lord" or Lord Himself, is a Sanskrit theological term. The term refers to the concept of absolute representation of the monotheistic God as Bhagavan within Hinduism....
. The childhood episodes of Krishna's legend became the focus of the medieval devotional cults that started to develop in a number of movements in medieval India.
Monuments
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...
built by the ruler Krishnadevaraya
Krishnadevaraya
Śrī Kriṣhṇa Devarāya , , , and also known as Krishna Devarayulu in some inscriptions was the famed Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire who reigned from 1509–1529 CE.He is the third ruler of the Tuluva Dynasty. Presiding over the empire at its zenith, he is regarded as an icon by many Indians...
in 1513. Main altar of the temple is
dedicated to Bala Krishna and it is one of the few temples where stories of Puranas were carved on the walls of the temple and its main tower. Other notable image is murti
Murti
In Hinduism, a murti , or murthi, or vigraha or pratima typically refers to an image which expresses a Divine Spirit . Meaning literally "embodiment", a murti is a representation of a divinity, made usually of stone, wood, or metal, which serves as a means through which a divinity may be worshiped...
of Bala Krishna worshiped by Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya
Madhvācārya was the chief proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality", popularly known as the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in...
in his Sri Krishna Matha of Udupi. Its believed the form was transported by sea from Dwarka
Dwarka
Dwarka also spelled Dvarka, Dwaraka, and Dvaraka, is a city and a municipality of Jamnagar district in the Gujarat state in India. Dwarka , also known as Dwarawati in Sanskrit literature is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country...
. Legend has it that this was the very same murti
Murti
In Hinduism, a murti , or murthi, or vigraha or pratima typically refers to an image which expresses a Divine Spirit . Meaning literally "embodiment", a murti is a representation of a divinity, made usually of stone, wood, or metal, which serves as a means through which a divinity may be worshiped...
which wife of Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, Rukmini
Rukmini
In Hinduism, Rukmini is the principal wife and queen of Krishna at his city of Dwarka. Krishna heroically kidnaps her from an un-wanted marriage at her request . Of Krishna's 16,108 queens, Rukmini is the first and most prominent...
, had worshipped. Liberation from the world of matter requered grace and dependence on God and active devotion, such as worshipping the Lord in the form of an icon (murti). Madhva placed such an icon of Bala Krishna in his monastery in Udipi where it remains to be seen by pilgrims to this day. Ever since the image was installed, Udupi has been steadily gaining in importance as a centre of pilgrimage. It is believed Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya
Madhvācārya was the chief proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality", popularly known as the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in...
saved drifting ship, from which he received in gratitude two large balls of chandan clay used as a ballast. To the amazement of all in each there was confined a deity form, one of Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
and one of Balarama
Balarama
Balarama , also known as Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha, is the elder brother of the divine being, Krishna in Hinduism. Within Vaishnavism Hindu traditions Balarama is worshipped as an Avatar of Vishnu, and he is also listed as such in the Bhagavata Purana...
, the deity of Krishna with a churner in his hand was called Bala Krishna and was installed in the main Udupi shrine. The sacred lamps at this statue of Bala Krishna recovered from the sea in 14th century were lit by Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya
Madhvācārya was the chief proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality", popularly known as the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in...
himself and are being kept burning as a part of the ritual continuously, and that is for the last 700 years.
Hinduism in the West
At the very beginning of his work to establish HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
temples in the Western World Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada wanted to establish a prominent temple in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
dedicated to Bala Krishna, even before starting ISKCON he wrote to one of his supporters in India:
Currently it is a popular deity among many Hindu followers of various traditions in the West, including International Society for Krishna Consciousness
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
.
As a name
The name Balakrishna (or Balakrishnan) is held by the following individuals:- A.V. BalakrishnanA.V. BalakrishnanA.V. Balakrishnan is an American applied mathematician and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a recipient of the Richard E...
- Ajit BalakrishnanAjit BalakrishnanAjit Balakrishnan is the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Rediff.com , an internet company listed on the New York NASDAQ market . He is a graduate of IIM Calcutta where he also now serves as Chairman of the Board of Governors. He graduated with Bachelors degree in Physics from Kerala University...
- David BalakrishnanDavid BalakrishnanDavid Balakrishnan is the founder of the Turtle Island Quartet.-Life:After graduating from UCLA in 1976 with a B.A...
- K. G. BalakrishnanK. G. BalakrishnanKonakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan is presently the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India. He was formerly the Chief Justice of India....
- Kodiyeri BalakrishnanKodiyeri BalakrishnanKodiyeri Balakrishnan is one of the prominent communist leader from Kerala , India.During 2001 to 2006 United Democratic Front government, he was the deputy opposition leader of Left Democratic Front . During 2006 to 2011 LDF government, he was the home and tourism minister of Kerala state...
- Madhu BalakrishnanMadhu BalakrishnanMadhu Balakrishnan is an Indian playback singer, who sings in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada languages.-Biography:Madhu Balakrishnan is from Tripunithura, Cochin, Kerala in India. A Graded artist in All India Radio and Doordarshan, he has performed with all major playback singers in Kerala...
- P. K. BalakrishnanP. K. BalakrishnanP. K. Balakrishnan was a Malayalam novelist, critic and historian. His multifaceted interests took him through politics, journalism, public speaking and creative writing...
- S. K. BalakrishnanS. K. BalakrishnanS.K.Balakrishnan , was Mayor of Madurai, Tamil Nadu between 1980-1981. He is from Sourashtra community with Family name "SOMIN". He lost his father at his young age and his mother Late smt "S.K.Nagalammal" brought him up with her courageous efforts...
- V. Balakrishnan (Sivakasi MLA)V. Balakrishnan (Sivakasi MLA)V. Balakrishnan was an Indian politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate from Sivakasi constituency in 1980 and 1984 elections.- References :...
- V. Balakrishnan (author)V. Balakrishnan (author)V. Balakrishnan was a prolific Malayalam writer and translator of texts between Malayalam, Sanskrit and English...
- V. Balakrishnan (physicist)V. Balakrishnan (physicist)V. Balakrishnan is an Indian theoretical physicist who has worked in a number of areas, namely theoretical particle physics, many-body theory, dynamical systems, stochastic processes, quantum dynamics, and the mechanical behavior of solids. Dr. Balakrishnan received his PhD from Brandeis University...
- Vivian BalakrishnanVivian BalakrishnanVivian Balakrishnan is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources....
- G. Balakrishnan Nair
- Rasamayi BalakrishnaRasamayi BalakrishnaRasamayi Balakrishna is an Indian singer, poet and political activist. He heads the cultural troupe for the formation of separate Telangana state. He is the convenor of the Telangana Dhoom Dhaam Committee, one of the mini-cultural outfits of the statehood movement.-Career:Rasamayi Balakishan...
- Nandamuri Balakrishna
- Balakrishna Adake
It is also the name of an asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
:
- 16116 Balakrishnan16116 Balakrishnan16116 Balakrishnan is a main-belt asteroid discovered on December 6, 1999 by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team at Socorro.- External links :*...
See also
- Radha KrishnaRadha KrishnaRadha Krishna is a Hindu deity. Krishna is often referred as svayam bhagavan in Gaudiya Vaishnavism theology and Radha is a young woman, a gopi who is Krishna's supreme beloved. With Krishna, Radha is acknowledged as the Supreme Goddess, for it is said that she controls Krishna with Her love...
- ShrinathjiShrinathjiShrinathji is an anthropomorphic form of Hindu god Krishna, manifest as a seven year old child . The principal shrine of Shrinathji is situated at the temple town of Nathdwara, located 48 Kilometers North-east of Udaipur city in Rajasthan...
- Hindu scriptures
- Bhagavad GitaBhagavad GitaThe ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
- Bhagavata PuranaBhagavata puranaThe Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
- BhagavataBhagavataBhagavata signifies in the context of Hinduism. In this context bhakti has the primary meaning of 'adoration', while Bhagavat means 'the Adorable One', and Bhagavata is a worshiper of the Adorable One...
- Svayam BhagavanSvayam BhagavanSvayam Bhagavan , "The Lord" or Lord Himself, is a Sanskrit theological term. The term refers to the concept of absolute representation of the monotheistic God as Bhagavan within Hinduism....