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Thread: Depictions of Krishna.

  1. #1

    Depictions of Krishna.

    Why are most depictions of Krishna and Vishnu all light blue - blue when according to scriptures he is described as being very dark?

    Also, I was watching some cartoons for children teaching them about Mahabharatha and the Ramayana and I noticed that all the heroes were white and all the villains were depicted as brown or dark....I find this to be problematic and a form of mental poison. When did this misrepresentation start and why is it accepted?

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    Re: Depictions of Krishna.

    Namaste
    Quote Originally Posted by SKR108 View Post
    Why are most depictions of Krishna and Vishnu all light blue - blue when according to scriptures he is described as being very dark?
    As far as I know Lord Krishna's complexion is described in the scriptures as a dark blue or like a swarthy blue lotus.

    regards

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    Smile Re: Depictions of Krishna.

    Quote Originally Posted by SKR108 View Post
    Why are most depictions of Krishna and Vishnu all light blue - blue when according to scriptures he is described as being very dark?
    Maybe they use less scriptural references and probably interested only in entertaining. They have no any intention to make kids interested in Dharma. All Puranas clearly says that Krishna has a Dark color. That's why his name is krishna - Dark. Krishna is blueish Dark having dark in more quantity.

    Have you ever seen a blueish dark cloud in sky ? A roaring, silent, fearfull, beautiful, all attractive ! Exactly like that he is ! Krishna has a blackish lustre which is the representation of maya by which krishna appears in form. He is always covered by Maya for Ignorants. The knowers of Brahman see him endless, formless and self of all beings. They know another krishna who is NirguNa and beyond form and unseen.


    Also, I was watching some cartoons for children teaching them about Mahabharatha and the Ramayana and I noticed that all the heroes were white and all the villains were depicted as brown or dark....I find this to be problematic and a form of mental poison. When did this misrepresentation start and why is it accepted?
    I agree with you +1.

    Your question may look ordinary. But in fact it's very important, at least for me.

    I can only say that all villains of Mahabharata or Ramayana weren't Dark. In fact most of them were white (Indian white) having kshatryiya and bramhana varna. Ravana was bramhana or Duryodhana was Kshatriya. Isn't it?

    I totally disagree with their act to make dark people as bad people. This could be very dangerous for innocent kids. It may cause social imbalance and is even hazardous for spiritual well-being of society.

    Hari Krishna Hari Hari.......
    Last edited by hinduism♥krishna; 03 April 2014 at 09:34 PM.
    Hari On!

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    Re: Depictions of Krishna.

    I suspect it might be because the lighter colour makes it easier to see His facial features. I have a picture of Krishna where He is dark blue, and in that picture His face is hard to make out.
    Jeff (a.k.a. Govinda Das)

    Hindu Quaker.
    Though I am eternal, immutable, and the Lord of all beings, yet I manifest Myself by controlling material Nature, using My own divine potential energy, the Divine Light
    (Bhagavad Gita 4:6

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    Re: Depictions of Krishna.


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    Re: Depictions of Krishna.

    Quote Originally Posted by markandeya 108 dasa View Post
    Blessings,

    Krishna means black, not blue.

    It should follow that Krishna should always be depicted black or at least as dark as possible.

    Blue has shades ranging from light to dark, not the case with black.

    The picture of Krishna in the link you provided is an example of what I feel is a huge problem.

    PEACE.

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    Re: Depictions of Krishna.

    Namaste
    Quote Originally Posted by SKR108 View Post
    Krishna means black, not blue.

    It should follow that Krishna should always be depicted black or at least as dark as possible.

    Blue has shades ranging from light to dark, not the case with black.
    From the Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary:
    kṛṣṇa

    black , dark , dark-blue
    It is also said in the scriptures that He has a swarthy body like the petals of a blue lotus.

    Blue lotus: http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v1/6...-font-font.jpg

    regards
    Last edited by brahma jijnasa; 05 May 2014 at 06:11 PM. Reason: added a link

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    Re: Depictions of Krishna.

    Pranam..

    Krishna means Blue-Black, is not a standard meaning of Sanskrit Krushna word. If its really standard then I'd like to know how krushna word is formed.

    As we can see from Purana, Krishna is mainly described as Black. Krishna has partial blue and Mainly Black color.

    Read what Bhisma said about Krishna’s color while he was near to the merging in Brahman. At that time Shrii Krushna himself was there and Bhishma was meditating on his form.

    In 1st canto of Bhagavata Purana Bhisma praises krishna at the time of death - " त्रिभवनकमनं तमालवर्णं कृष्णं "

    In Sanskrit,Tamal means - 1) Dark barked of Tamala-Indian-tree or

    2) Dark Tobacco

    Quote Originally Posted by brahma jijnasa View Post
    Namaste


    From the Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary:
    kṛṣṇa

    black , dark , dark-blue
    It is also said in the scriptures that He has a swarthy body like the petals of a blue lotus.

    Blue lotus: http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v1/6...-font-font.jpg

    regards
    Hari On!

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    Re: Depictions of Krishna.

    Namaste,

    A symbolic meaning is

    Sky though colourless appears to be blue. It represent infiniteness.

    Our shastras and the characters in them have many meanings that can be understood at different levels.

    e.g.

    Yuddhirthir means the one who is sthir (stable) in yuddha (war). Stable like whom? akash (space)

    kaurav represents negative qualities and pandavas represent positive quality (refer Abhinavagupta's commentary on BG). This does not mean that they were fictional characters. They were historic characters.

    Both literal and symbolic meanings are valid.

    Duryodhan was actually suyodhan (can you imagine any father naming their child with demonic name?

    Suyoddha means good fighter.

    Dushashan was Sushashan (good governance)

    It is said that the name Rama also has some deep meaning and they activate certain nadis. Chanting vedic mantras activate certain nadis and are considered very potent.

    OM
    Only God Is Truth, Everything Else Is Illusion - Ramakrishna
    Total Surrender of Ego to SELF is Real Bhakti - Ramana Maharshi

    Silence is the study of the scruptures. Meditation is the continuous thinking of Brahman which is to be meditated upon. The complete negation of both by knowledge is the vision of truth – sadAcAra-14 of Adi SankarAcArya

    namah SivAya vishnurUpAya viShNave SivarUpiNe, MBh, vanaparva, 3.39.76

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    Re: Depictions of Krishna.

    Namaste Amrut Ji,

    Thanks for the interpretation.Please do continue posting such valuable information.
    He dances in the golden hall of Chidambaram, Let us worship His rosy anklet girt Feet.

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