Dictionary of all Scriptures & Myths

Understanding Biblical Symbolism


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KRISHNA, GOSVĀMIN-LORD OF COWS

A symbol of the Higher Self, supreme over the buddhic emotions (cows).

“Krishna, the ‘dark god’—the most popular of all the later deities of India. This incarnation of Vishnu, at the end of the Dvapara or third age of the world, as the eighth son of Vasu‑deva and Devaki of the Lunar race, was for the destruction of Kansa the representative of the principle of evil, corresponding to Ravana in the previous incarnation." - Mon. Williams, Indian Wisdom, p. 334.

The “dark god” signifies the latency at first of the indwelling Self who proceeds from the Divine Archetype (Vasudeva) and Mother‑matter (Devaki) in order to overcome the lower principle or desire‑nature (Kansa) in the human soul. The Archetypal Man is perfected at the end of the period of involution (third age). The “eighth son” indicates preparatory states of soul completed (seven) prior to the birth of the Self. The “lunar race” refers to the growth of the astral mechanism of the desires on the globes of the lunar chain.

“Among the Pancarâtras Krishna was the supreme Atman; his brother Balarama was the jiva, the individual soul; his son, Pradyumna, represented the manas perceptive sense; and Aniruddha his grandson, the ahamkâra, self‑consciousness. In like manner, the amours of Krishna and the shepherdesses become, among the Vishnuites, the allegorical expression of the relations of the soul with God.” - A. Barth, Rel. of India, p. 218.

The Higher Self (Krishna or Atman), the Individuality or Spiritual ego (Balarama or jiva), the lower Self (Pradyumna), and the Personality (Aniruddha or the ahamkâra), with its sense of separateness and self‑conscious feeling, constitute the leading aspects of the Soul. The “shepherdesses” signify the higher emotions on the buddhic plane, which harmonise with, and surround, the central ideal of Love and Truth.

 

See Also

ARCHETYPAL MAN
ARJUNA
Balarama
BIRTH OF KRISHNA
Cow
DANCE (circle)
DEVAKI
GOLDEN AGE
GOLOKA
GOPIS
INCARNATION (Souls)
INCARNATION (Spirit)
MOTHER (divine)
RAVANA
VISHNU