The Childhood Exploits of Kṛṣṇa
By Harivallabh Chunilal Bhayani
Summary
H. C. Bhayani's article examines pre-eleventh century Prakrit and Apabhramsha texts concerning the childhood exploits of Kṛṣṇa. The main argument is that while Sanskrit and Hindu sources have been extensively explored, the Prakrit, Apabhramsha, and Jain sources remain largely neglected by students of Indian art history. Bhayani demonstrates that Kṛṣṇa's childhood, including his love-sports with Radha and other cowherd girls, was a perennial theme for poets from the post-Gupta period onward. The article surveys various textual evidence to establish this tradition. For instance, Pravarasena’s Setubandha (10th Century A.D.) mentions Kṛṣṇa killing Arista and robbing Parijala from Indra. Vikpatiraja’s Gaudavaha (1173-1175 A.D.) praises Kṛṣṇa's dark skin and chaste bearing marked by Radha's nail-marks. Koihalaka’s Lilavatkaha (c. 800 A.D.) provides detailed descriptions of episodes like the killing of Arista and the infant Kṛṣṇa's playful attempts to cross a threshold. The article also discusses the Jain tradition, which treats Kṛṣṇa as a royal hero rather than a supreme divine being. Svayambhudeva’s Ritthagemicariya (late 9th Century A.D.), drawing from Jinasena’s Harivamsa purana (784 A.D.), narrates various childhood exploits and the Kaliya-mardana episode, noting that the depiction of Kṛṣṇa piercing Kaliya’s nose with a cord was a North Indian tradition. Puspadanta’s Mahapurana (972 A.D.) similarly describes Kṛṣṇa's exploits and sports with the Gopis. The article cites Govinda (c. 800 A.D.) for verses on Kaliya-mardana and the amorous sports of Kṛṣṇa and the Gopis, as well as Svayambhudeva’s citations of Siddhasvabhava. These texts describe themes like Kṛṣṇa and the Gopis playing Blindman's Buff and Radha’s shyness upon seeing Kṛṣṇa reflected in her necklace. Furthermore, Bhayani references verses from Hala’s Saptasataka, Vajjalagga, and Jinevara’s Gahadrayana-kosha, which deal with Kṛṣṇa's love for Radha and other Gopis, indicating a fresh development in the theme. The article concludes by mentioning Somesvara’s Manasollasa (1113 A.D.), which contains verses in post-Apabhramsha dialects praising Kṛṣṇa, and a lost dramatic work called Radha-vipralambha by Bhejjala, which freely used the Apabhramsha dialect and depicted Kṛṣṇa's childhood exploits.
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Conclusion
This study reveals a rich, largely neglected tradition of Prakrit and Apabhramsha literature concerning Kṛṣṇa’s childhood prior to the eleventh century. The key finding is that these vernacular texts, alongside Jain sources, extensively explored Kṛṣṇa’s exploits and his amorous sports with Rādhā and the gopīs long before the well-known Sanskrit works of Jayadeva or Bilvamangala. The implications are significant for the history of Indian art and religion, as these regional and sectarian texts demonstrate a widespread, early devotional focus on Kṛṣṇa’s playful, humanized persona. This evidence challenges the assumption that such themes were exclusively developed in later Sanskrit bhakti poetry, highlighting instead a diverse, pre-classical foundation for Kṛṣṇa-bhakti that was geographically and culturally varied.