Krishna

Krishna (meaning black) is a Hindu god, and is considered one of the avatars of Vishnu. According to the Mahabharata, Krishna is the narrator of the Bhagavad Gita: he narrates the Gita to Arjuna in the beginning of the great Mahabharata battle. Parthasarathy is a name of Krishna that refers to his being the charioteer (sarathy) of Arjuna when he narrates the Gita.

Stories surrounding Krishna depict him as mischievous and clever, and suggest an ends-justify-the-means philosophy. This is a counterpoint to another avatar of Vishnu: Rama, he of the straight and narrow path.

In one such story, Vishnu told Krishna to kill Kamsa, a tyrant and a son of a demon. Krishna and his brother, Balarama, were threated by Kamsa, who had been told a son of his half-sister, Devaki, would kill him. He therefore murdered her first six children. Krishna and Balarama, twins, were moved to Rohini's womb to protect them. Krishna was then given to Nanda and Yasoda to hide him from Kamsa. While growing up, Krishna led a mischievious life, playing pranks and seducing varioes women; his favorite of up-to sixteen-thousand wives was Radha, daughter of Nanda. Upon reaching adulthood, Krishna killed Kamsa.