"Shuraseno Yadu Shreshthah Sannivasah Suyamuna!"
(Krishna, the Shoorsaini, the chief among the Yadus, dwells in a beatific abode by the blessed Yamuna!)
-Visnu Sahasranama, Verse 88 It is superfluous to write here anything about Sri Krishna because so much is already written about him. Here we just need to mention few facts about him. He was the grandson of Maharaja Shoorsen, the founder of Saini dynasty. For this reason he is described as a Shoorsaini (Skt. Surasena) throughout the Puranic canon.
Seal of Dwaraka (left) discovered from under sea excavations at Dwarka. This seal is described in Harivamsa Purana, indicating Mahbharata story of Krishna as probably historical. According to the Puranic source, each citizen of Dwaraka during Krishna's reign was requred to carry this 'mudra' or seal.
A lot of people regard Krishna as an incarnation of God. We acknowledge and respect their beliefs. But in this journal we honor him more as a beloved and revered Saini ancestor, known in the folk tradition as "Jathera", rather than as a popularly worshipped deity. The Sainis, Hindu or Sikh, do not need any other justification to honor him and to express their deep affection for him. Sainis have a long tradition of building shrines for their ancestors . Needless to say, Shoorsaini Sri Krishna is among their most revered and beloved "Jatheras".
Without affirming or discounting the claims of Krishna's divinity, which is an issue on which this journal holds no particular opinion, we are here primarily interested in discussing the human aspect of his personality.
Here we draw reader's attention to the issue of Krishna's historicity which is explored in the documentaries given below. A great credit is due to the makers of these informative documentaries.
| " Foremost among all the Shoorsainis , the powerful one, Krishna, residing at Dwaraka, will rule and protect the whole earth after vanquishing all her lords, conversant as he will be with the science of polity."
- Mahabharata, Book 13, Chapter 147
A Classical Painting of Visnu who is personified by warrior-duo Balaram and Krishna in Hindu sacred literature. Noteworthy is the "Tomara" or "Iron club" as one of the weapons of the deity. "Tomara-Dhara" is another scriptural reference to both Balaram and Krishna who are both incarnations of the identical deity. This symbolism is undoubtedly the origin of Yaduvanshi clan name of Tomaras. When Megesthenes passed through Mathura in around 300 B.C. , he noted that Shoorsainis , identified by him as "Sourasenoi" , worshipped Herakles , a Greek deity corresponding with Balarama, or the " Lord of Strength". Megesthenes' Herakles also carried a ""Tomara" . "They had their kingdom in Karauli in Rajasthan. They were called Shoorsainis. Sri Krishna's grandfather was Shoorsen because of which the region around Mathura was known as Shoorsen and Yadavas of this region were called Shoorsainis."
|
