Reading Notes: Sister Nivedita's Krishna Part A

Part A begins with The Birth of Krishna and ends with The Lifting of the Mountain.

I so greatly enjoyed the descriptiveness of Sister Nivedita's writing. She is masterful, not only with helping the reader envision the surroundings and setting of the story, but also with eliciting the desired emotions in the readers regarding the characters, especially that of the new arrived earthly incarnation of Vishnu. Even in the very beginning with that brief moment when they saw their new-born as the powerful celestial being he was, the reader is caught in the same moment of breathless rapture as the parents in the story. 

I love that even from the very beginning of the history, the baby has to experience the real struggles of living on earth, but his apart-ness is ever present. He is not exempt from trials, but the way in which he faces them, and those working to help him face them, is set apart. These old stories also do a great job of incorporating the inner workings of the characters into the plot. Rather than just using them as expository facts, they are crucial in the development of the myths and the progress of the characters. 

I thought it was interesting that the beginning of the chapter The Divine Childhood is strikingly similar to what happened in the Biblical story of Jesus. A ruler feels threatened by a newborn child who is said to be the fulfillment of a prophecy and sure to be the bearer of his future destruction, so he orders new born children to be murdered. A distinction here, though, is that Kansa orders all newborns to be killed rather than just the male babies. This is not due to a cultural difference in the honorability of being threatened by and killing girls, but rather a stark expression of his blatant disregard for the morals of his country. Also in this chapter is discussed the hidden identity of the baby, though it is said his mother suspected there was something about him beyond normal mortals. This again reminded me of the Christian story of the origins of Christ, but more specifically a hymn that's sung about his mother. The first and last verses are as follows:

Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? 

This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? 

Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule all nations? 

Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb? 

That sleeping child you're holding is the great I Am.

The song also asks if she knows her baby will give sight to a blind man, calm a storm with his hand, walk with angels, etc. It says "When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God." It was fascinating to imagine being a relatively normal woman, knowing the baby you're caring for and love is a being beyond what you can truly understand. How does one reconcile the neediness of an infant with the power of a god? 

All of the stories of baby Krishna seemingly accidentally discovering his powers throughout his young childhood also reminded me a lot of Jack-Jack from the Incredibles. A little silly, but they both represent the chaotic good of children, just manifested on a grander scale because of their supernatural abilities. 

At the end of the chapter Krishna in the Forests, the love of Radha for her lord was introduced. Unlike many of the other intense loves in the myths of India, this love is described as a "frank and instant recognition, the deep understanding, and the constant vision of His glory" (p. 172). I appreciated that description, because her love for him was not blind devotion or the product of illusion. And she did not need a veil of misunderstanding like Krishna's foster mother did. She saw him as he was, and loved him in an honest way. 

The Conquest of the Snake Kaliya was the first example of Krishna choosing to rid the world of a threat that was not immediately endangering anyone. He had already revived his friends and could have walked away, but his calling to bring peace to the world began to manifest, and he completes the first of the hundreds of battles to be fought on behalf of the world.

One aspect of these myths that has continued to confuse me is the power dynamics between all of the characters, from certain animals to humans to the gods themselves. In the chapter The Dilemma of Brahma, the Creator god puts Krishna to the test to see if he is really the incarnation of Vishnu. In the end when it is discovered Krishna is in fact Vishnu, Brahma worships him. In other myths, incarnations of the gods were threats to the others, or sometimes would even be threatened by powerful humans. There seems to be an evolving pecking order that I have not yet been able to understand. Also included in the stories that seem to muddle power dynamics is that which was included in the chapter The Lifting of the Mountains. 

Citation: 

• Sister Nivedita. (n.d.). Cradle Tales of Hinduism[Online PDF]. Freebookapalooza. https://archive.org/stream/cradletalesofhin00niveiala#page/152/mode/2up
• Lyrics for Mary Did You Know: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/clayaiken/marydidyouknow.html
• Picture of Krishna lifting the mountain: http://www.folkfusion.org/krishna/