Śrī Kṛshṇa in the Mahābhārata

Śrī Kṛshṇa is also known as Vāsudeva, Govinda, Keśava, Mādhava and by many other sacred names. He is Svayam Bhagavān Kṛshṇa, the Supreme Being himself. He came down to earth in the Dvāparayuga as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī and was raised by Nanda and Yaśodā of Gokula.

He is the eighth and supreme avatāra of Bhagavān Vishṇu. He spoke the Bhagavad Gītā to Arjuna, and he is the central divine presence of the Mahābhārata. In the Vana Parva, Kṛshṇa visits the Pāṇḍavas in the forest, gives them comfort and support, and tells the Saubhavadha Upākhyāna (the account of the slaying of Saubha).

Who he is

In the Vaishṇava tradition Kṛshṇa is Svayam Bhagavān Kṛshṇa. He is not only one avatāra among many but the full descent of the Supreme Being himself. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa, the Mahābhārata and the Harivaṃśa tell of his birth at Mathurā, his childhood at Gokula and Vṛndāvana, his acts of freeing the world (the slaying of Kaṃsa and of Jarāsandha, and many others), his kingship at Dvārakā and his part in the Mahābhārata. All of this is līlā, the divine play of the Supreme Being. He came down to restore dharma, to take from the earth the burden of unrighteous kings, and to lead the age to its appointed end.

His identity in the Mahābhārata as Vāsudeva-Kṛshṇa is part of the whole frame of the text. The Mahābhārata shows the war of Kurukshetra as the means by which Bhagavān Kṛshṇa fulfils his purpose on earth.

Vana Parva: the visit to the forest

Kṛshṇa visited the Pāṇḍavas at their forest camp at Kāmyakavana in the early years of their exile. He came to give support, to stand with them and to advise them. His presence was a great comfort to the brothers. They had lost their kingdom and were living in the forest in very hard conditions.

During this visit Kṛshṇa told the Saubhavadha Upākhyāna. This is the full account of how he destroyed Śālva and the Saubha vimāna (flying city) in answer to the death of Śiśupāla. The account explained events that the Pāṇḍavas had not seen. It also showed that a power set against dharma, however strong it seemed, was helpless before Bhagavān Kṛshṇa. The hidden message for the Pāṇḍavas was hope for their own future.

Kṛshṇa and Arjuna: Nara and Nārāyaṇa

The Mahābhārata shows Kṛshṇa (Nārāyaṇa) and Arjuna (Nara) again and again as an eternal pair. They are the divine and the human side of one cosmic reality, born together in each age to fulfil dharma.

Lomaśa saw Arjuna seated at the side of Indra on half of the divine throne. He was amazed at the honour given to a mortal. Indra explained that Arjuna was not only a man. He was Nara, the eternal Nara of the pair Nara-Nārāyaṇa, as inseparable from Kṛshṇa as the sun is from its light.

Other appearances in the Vana Parva

Throughout the exile, Kṛshṇa’s tie with the Pāṇḍavas runs as a steady background, though it is not always told chapter by chapter. His part in the Sabha Parva (the slaying of Jarāsandha, the Rājasūya and the slaying of Śiśupāla) led to the events that brought on the exile in the forest. The death of Śiśupāla was followed by the attack of Śālva, and Kṛshṇa was busy at Dvārakā at the time of the game of dice. The Saubhavadha in the Vana Parva fills in that part of the story.

Aśvamedhika Parva: the summary of the war, the satya-kriyā and the permission for the yajña

After the war, at Dvārakā, Kṛshṇa told his father Vasudeva the whole course of the war of Kurukshetra (Chapter 60). The death of Abhimanyu was made known and Subhadrā and Vasudeva grieved. Kṛshṇa told his father that the boy had died with his body unmarked and had reached svarga (heaven) (Chapter 61).

Later the child of Uttarā was born lifeless, struck by the Brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā. Kṛshṇa drew back the weapon and spoke a satya-kriyā (an act of truth). It brought the infant back to life, and Kṛshṇa named him Parīkshit (Chapters 66–70).

Kṛshṇa then formally gave his permission, at his request, to the Aśvamedha yajña of Yudhishṭhira (Chapter 71). (Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapters 60–61, 66–71)

Āśramavāsika Parva: shown as Nārāyaṇa (Chapter 31)

At the Gaṅgā, Vyāsa showed Gāndhārī and the whole Kuru household that Śrī Kṛshṇa was Nārāyaṇa himself. Of all the identities that were made known in that roll-call, this was the plainest and most direct.

Kṛshṇa rose from the sacred waters among the host of the fallen. He was joined with the Pāṇḍavas for one joyful night, and then the company went their ways to their own lokas (worlds). (Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 31)

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 14–16
• Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapters 60–61, 66–71
• Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 31
• Bhāgavata Purāṇa
• Harivaṃśa