KNOW YOUR KRISHNA

KNOW YOUR KRISHNA - J.K. SIVAN

Krishna bakthi movements became prominent in the 7th to 9th centuries AD particularly in South India. It is because of the Tamil Vaishnavites known as Azhwars. Their excellent works in Tamil included Bhakthi and places of worship of Vishnu in His Avatharas, in chaste simple Tamil.

The collection of works of all the twelve Azhwars is known as the Divya Prabandham. The Alvar Andal's popular collection of songs Tiruppavai, in which she conceives of herself as a gopi, is the most famous of the oldest works in this genre. Kulasekaraazhvaar's Mukundamala was another notable work of this early stage.

In South India, Vaishnavas usually belong to the Sri Sampradaya. The acharyas of the Sri Sampradaya have written reverentially about Krishna in most of their works like the Thiruppavai by Andal and Gopala Vimshati by Vedanta Desika.

The Vaishnavite Acharyas of the Sri Sampradaya like Manavala Mamunigal, Vedanta Desika strongly advocated surrender to Vishnu as the aim of the Vedas. Out of 108 Divya Desams there are 97 Divya Desams in South India.

In Maharashtra, saint poets of the Varkari sect such as Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Janabai, Eknath and Tukaram promoted the worship of Vitoba, Pandurang, a local form of Krishna, from the beginning of the 13th century until the late 18th century. Purandara Dasa and Kanakadasa of Karnataka composed songs devoted to the Krishna image of Udupi. Rupa Goswami of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, has compiled a comprehensive summary of bhakti named Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu. Krishna thus has been known all over through many centuries.