krishna charitra
Krishna Charitra is a quintessential literary classic. It is a shortened English version of the original book written in Bengali. Krishna, who is worshiped as a god by Hindus, has been a huge Indian icon for over 3,000 years and represents compassion, care and wisdom. The author has distilled, from various sources, the human component in Krishna’s character and not his piety. The materials for the book were, in a way, drawn from clippings he had published for mounted press criticisms of Hinduism in the early 1880s by a Scottish missionary, the Reverend Hastie.
Bankim Chandra wondered how Hindus in Bengal and other parts of India could accept the hurled suggestion that their god was a butter thief as a child, a womanizer in his youth, and a deceiver of eminent men like Dronacharya as an adult. . To get acquainted with the true nature of Krishna, he studied Puranas and Itihas.
The interpolations and distortions in the Mahabharata have been seen from the historical point of view. Chapters on Krishna’s birth, childhood, adolescence, the Vraja gopis, Vrindavan lila, the Kansa massacre, life in Dwarka, his consorts, Draupadi’s swayamvara, the fire in Khandwa, the exile of Pandavas, the Sanjay’s mission, his visit to Hastinapur, his encounter with Karna, Bhishma in battle, the fall of Drona, Karna, Duryodhana, the last days of war, the last meeting of Pandavas, the annihilation of Yadus and the sermons on desire They make interesting and absorbing reading.
Two separate chapters, adding great literary value to this volume, have been devoted to Rabindranath Tagore’s critique of Krishna Charitra and Bankim Chandra’s defense against Tagore’s critique.
The book is first a lucid commentary where the author tries to justify why Krishna’s character is unparalleled in history. The other is why the author rates Krishna as the greatest of all Indian personalities.
krishna charitra
Format: HB
Author: Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya
Translator (into English): Alo Shome
ISBN: 9788122310351
Page: 207
Price: INR195
Publisher: Hindiology Books
Edition: November 2008
