Keshava
Encyclopedia
Keshava is a name of Krishna
from within Hindu
tradition.
The name appears as the 23rd and 648th names in the Vishnu sahasranama
.
Lord Keshava is venerated by those persons wanting to avert bad luck, or ill omens. His consort is Keerti.
, Keshava has three meanings:
It also means
According to the Padma Purana
the name refers to Krishna's long, beautiful looking unshorn hair.
In the Bhagavad Gita
Arjuna uses the name Keshava for Krishna a number of times, referring to him as the 'Killer of the Keshi
demon' : I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I see only causes of misfortune, O Kesava, killer of the Keśī demon. (Bhagavad Gita 1.30). The demon Keshi, in the form of a horse, was sent by Kamsa to kill Krishna but was overpowered and slain (Vishnu Purana 5.15-16).
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...
from within Hindu
Hindu
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...
tradition.
The name appears as the 23rd and 648th names in the Vishnu sahasranama
Vishnu sahasranama
The Vishnu sahasranama is a list of 1,000 names of Vishnu, one of the main forms of God in Hinduism and the personal supreme God for Vaishnavas . It is also one of the most sacred and commonly chanted stotras in Hinduism...
.
Lord Keshava is venerated by those persons wanting to avert bad luck, or ill omens. His consort is Keerti.
Vishnu Sahasranama
According to Adi Sankara' s commentary on the Vishnu sahasranamaVishnu sahasranama
The Vishnu sahasranama is a list of 1,000 names of Vishnu, one of the main forms of God in Hinduism and the personal supreme God for Vaishnavas . It is also one of the most sacred and commonly chanted stotras in Hinduism...
, Keshava has three meanings:
- one whose Kesa or hair is long, uncut and beautiful
- The lord of creation, preservation, and dissolution.
- one who destroyed the asuraAsura-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...
or demon Kesi in the Krishna avatar.
It also means
- one who is endowed with the rays of light spreading within the orbit of the sun
- one who is endowed with divine powers of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and who can make the lord of Generation , i.e. Brahma and lord of Distruction Shiva both happy. An operator who is perfect Generator and Distructor.
Padma Purana
- The one with beautiful long (unshorn) hair
According to the Padma Purana
Padma Purana
Padma Purana , one of the major eighteen Puranas, a Hindu religious text, is divided into five parts.In the first part of the text, sage Pulastya explains to Bhishma about religion and the essence of the religion. The second part describes in detail Prithvi...
the name refers to Krishna's long, beautiful looking unshorn hair.
Bhagavad Gita
- Killer of the Keśī demon
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...
Arjuna uses the name Keshava for Krishna a number of times, referring to him as the 'Killer of the Keshi
Keshi (demon)
In Hindu mythology, Keshi is the horse-demon, killed by Krishna, an Avatar of god Vishnu...
demon' : I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I see only causes of misfortune, O Kesava, killer of the Keśī demon. (Bhagavad Gita 1.30). The demon Keshi, in the form of a horse, was sent by Kamsa to kill Krishna but was overpowered and slain (Vishnu Purana 5.15-16).
See also
- KrishnaKrishnaKrishna 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...
- GovindaGovinda' and ' are names of Krishna, referring to his youthful occupation as a cowherd. He is regarded as the Supreme Godhead in the Vaishnava tradition and also by much of the pan-Hindu tradition...
- MadhavaMadhavaMādhava may be*a Sanskrit patronymic, "descendant of Madhu ".** especially of Krishna or Parashurama as incarnations of Vishnu, see Madhava *** an icon of Krishna...
- Gopala
- Chaitanya
- AgrahayanaAgrahayanaAgrahayana or Margashirsha, is a month of the Hindu calendar and Tamil calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Agrahayana is the ninth month of the year, beginning on 22 November and ending on 21 December. Since Vedic times, this month is known as Maargashirsha after the Nakshatra ...