''Krishnavatara'' ( hi, कृष्णावतार) is a series of seven novels written by

K.M. Munshi Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi (; 30 December 1887 – 8 February 1971), popularly known by his pen name Ghanshyam Vyas, was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educationist from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, ...

. A projected eighth novel was not completed. The series is based on life of Lord

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

and the epic

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

series.

Books

* Krishnavatara I: ''The Magic Flute'' * Krishnavatara II: ''The Wrath of an Emperor'' * Krishnavatara III: '' The Five Brothers'' * Krishnavatara IV: ''The Book of

Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The '' Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. ...

'' * Krishnavatara V: ''The Book of

Satyabhama Satyabhama, also known as Satrajiti, is a Hindu goddess and the third queen-consort of the Hindu god Krishna. Satyabhama is described as the incarnation of Bhudevi, the goddess and the personification of the earth. She aided Krishna in defeat ...

'' * Krishnavatara VI: ''The Book of Vedavyaasa The Master'' * Krishnavatara VII: ''The Book of

Yudhishthira ''Yudhishthira'' (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his first ...

'' * Krishnavatara VIII: ''The Book of

Kurukshetra Kurukshetra (, ) is a city and administrative headquarter of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty ") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Pur ...

(incomplete)''

Synopsis

''Krishnavatara I: The Magic Flute'' opens with the marriage of Vasudava and

Devaki Devaki (Sanskrit: देवकी, IAST: ''Devakī'') is a character in Hindu literature, most noted for being the mother of the god Krishna. She is one of the seven daughters of Devapa or Devaka, a king of the Yadu dynasty, and has four br ...

, sister of

Kamsa Kamsa ( sa, कंस, Kaṃsa, translit-std=IAST) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura. He is variously described in Hindu literature as either a human or an asura; The Puranas describe him as an asura, w ...

and daughter of

Ugrasena Ugrasena ( sa, उग्रसेन) is a character mentioned in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. He is the King of Mathura, a kingdom that was established by the powerful fearless Abhira tribes from the Yaduvamsha clan. His son was Kamsa, and ...

. Sage Narada prophesied to Kamsa that eighth the child of Devaki would kill him. He imprisons Devaki and Vasudava. Kamsa kill killed six children of

. Gargacharya and

Akrura Akrura () is a Yadava prince in Hinduism, best known for being the uncle of the deity Krishna. The son of Śvaphalka and Gandini, a daughter of the king of Kashi,Garg, pp. 305-306. he is instructed by Kamsa to drive his nephews, Krishna and Balaram ...

rescue the last two children,

Balarama Balarama ( Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Ba ...

and

, from Kamsa and gives them to

Nanda Nanda may refer to: Indian history and religion * Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE ** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire ** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), la ...

. Warned by the gods, Kamsa sends

Putana In Hinduism, Pūtanā () is a rakshasi (demoness), who was killed by the infant-god Krishna. Putana disguises as a young, beautiful woman and tries to kill the god by breast-feeding poisoned milk; however Krishna sucks her milk as well as her ...

to kill Krishna but Putana fails. Krishna kills Trinavarta and uproots Arjuna trees. Krishna survives an encounter with

Kaliya Kaliya ( IAST: Kāliya, Devanagari: कालिय), in Hindu traditions, was a venomous Nāga living in the Yamunā river, in Vṛndāvana. The water of the Yamunā for four leagues all around him boiled and bubbled with poison. No bird o ...

and holds Gowardhan to save Vrindavana. When Kamsa learns about Krishna's miracles, he sends Akrura to take Krishna to

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the to ...

. Krishna and

go to mathura and kill Kamsa. ''Krishnavatara II: The Wrath of an Emperor'' is based on

Harivamsa The ''Harivamsa'' ( , literally "the genealogy of Hari") is an important work of Sanskrit literature, containing 16,374 shlokas, mostly in the '' anustubh'' metre. The text is also known as the ''Harivamsa Purana.'' This text is believed ...

. The book opens with the coronation of Ugrasena. Krishna and Balarama travel to

Sandipani Sandipani (), sometimes rendered Sāndīpana, is the guru of Krishna and Balarama in Hinduism. He is regarded to have educated them regarding all the Vedas, the art of drawing, astronomy, gandharva veda, medicine, training elephants and horses, a ...

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Udhhava kill Punyajava to support Punardatt. Punardatt was in Vaivastapuri (land of death), but Krishna saves him. After they complete their education Krishna and Balarama return to Mathura. Soon

Yadavas The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and ...

get news that Kamsa's father-in-law

Jarasandha Jarasandha was a powerful king of Magadha, a minor antagonist in Mahabharata. He was the son of king Brihadratha, the founder of the Barhadratha dynasty of Magadha. According to popular lore, the descendants of Brihadratha ruled Magadha for 260 ...

will attack Mathura. Krishna escapes with Balarama to save Yadavas. They come to Mount Gomantaka, but Jarasandha arrives there and set Gomantaka on fire. Krishna and Balarama fight and defeat Jarasandha. Krishna also kills Shrigalava and defeats Karavirapura. Jarasandha adopts a new strategy to marry

Rukmini Rukmini ( sa, रुक्मिणी, , ) is a Hindu goddess and the first queen and chief wife of Krishna. In Vaishnava tradition, she is described as Krishna's principal queen in Dvaraka, as well as the chief of his wives. She is an in ...

to Shisupala by arranging false

Swayamvara Svayamvara ( sa, स्वयंवर, svayaṃvara, translit-std=IAST), in ancient India, was a method of marriage in which a woman chose a man as her husband from a group of suitors. In this context, in Sanskrit means 'self' and means 'g ...

. Krishna and his army of Yadavas travel to Kundinpura claiming to pay homage to Rukmini's grandfather Kaisika. Jarasandha postpones Swayamvara because of Krishna. Krishna learns that

Kalayavana Kalayavana ( sa, कालयवन, lit=Death Greek, translit=Kālayavana) is a king in Hinduism. He is stated to have invaded Mathura with an army of 30 million ''yavanas'' (barbarians) against Krishna. Legend The ''Brahmanda Purana'' 14.46 ...

plans to attack Mathura. Krishna and the Yadavas leave Mathura for Dwarka. Krishna meets Kalayavana and misleads him, Mmuchukunda then burns Kalayavana. Krishna returns to Kundinpura and abducts and marries Rukmini. ''Krishnavatara III: The Five Brothers'' is based on the Mahabharata story of

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowl ...

who escapes from Varanavata and the evil plan of Duryodhana.

Satyavati Satyavati ( sa, सत्यवती, ; also spelled Satyawati) was the queen of the Kuru. She is the wife of king Shantanu of Hastinapura, and the great-grandmother of the Pandava and Kaurava princes (The principal characters of the Hin ...

asks Krishna to find her great grandson

. Krishna finds him in Rakshavarta with the help of Udhhava and Nagas. Pandavas marries

Draupadi Draupadi ( sa, द्रौपदी, draupadī, Daughter of Drupada), also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali, and Yagyaseni, is the main female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata,'' and the common consort of the five Pandava brother ...

. ''Krishnavatara IV: The Book of Bhima'' deals with Bhima who falls in love with Jaladhara, sister of Duryodhana's wife Bhanumati, who died delivering a son. Yudhisthira shares his Kingdom with Duryodhana, angering Bhima. Krishna convinces Bhima to leave

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts ...

. Pandavas with help of Krishna and other Yadavas builds a new city

Indraprastha Indraprastha (lit. "Plain of Indra" or "City of Indra") is mentioned in ancient Indian literature as a city of the Kuru Kingdom. It was the capital of the kingdom led by the Pandavas mentioned in ''Mahabharata'' . Under the Pali form of its nam ...

. ''Krishnavatara V: The Book of Satyabhama'' narrates the story of

Syamantaka Syamantaka (Sanskrit: श्यामन्तक) is perhaps the most famous jewel featured in the Hindu scriptures, supposed to be blessed with magical powers. It is described to be a ruby. The jewel is described to protect its owner if they we ...

, jewel of Satrajit. Satrajit Yadava was against Krishna so he gives up Syamantaka to Prasanajita and claims Krishna tried to steal it. Krishna with the help of

and

Satyaki Yuyudhana ( sa, युयुधान, '), better known as Satyaki ( sa, सात्यकि, ), was a powerful Yadava chieftain of Narayani Sena, belonging to the Vrishni clan to which Krishna also belonged. According to the Puranas, he was th ...

find Syamantaka in bear-world. Krishna marries

Jambavati Jambavati () is chronologically the second ''Ashtabharya'' of the Hindu god Krishna. She is the only daughter of the bear-king Jambavan. Krishna marries her when he defeats her father, Jambavan, in his quest to retrieve the stolen Syamantaka j ...

and escapes from bear-world.

gives Syamantaka to Prasanajita and marries Krishna. ''Krishnavatara VI: Book of vedavyaasa the master'' starts when sage Parashara takes his son Krishna (

Vyasa Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...

) by fishergirl Matsyagandha. Parashara wants to rebuild Dharmakshetra ashram, but Parashara is killed by wolves. When Krishna ( Dwaipayana) wants to re-establish ashram, Rakshasas attack on him but save by Jabali. Krishna went to Hastinapur to meet king

Shantanu Shantanu (Sanskrit: शंतनु) is a character in the Mahabharata, described as the ruler of the Kuru Kingdom with his capital at Hastinapura. He was a descendant of the Bharata race, a forebear of the lineage of the Lunar dynasty, and the ...

to re-establish the glory of Dharmakshetra. In Hastinapur, Krishna discovers his mother as queen

. Krishna convinces

Vibhuti In Hinduism, ''vibhuti'' ( sa, विभूति, vibhūti), also called ''bhasma'' or ''thiruneeru'', is sacred ash made of burnt dried wood, burnt cow dung and/or cremated bodies used in Agamic rituals. Hindu devotees apply ''vibhuti'' tradit ...

, Shotriya of Hastinapur to join Vajapeya Yagna. Dharmakshetra is re-established. Many years later Vyasa and wife Vatika, daughter of Jabali, have son Suka. Suka is caught by Mocca, but Vyasa frees him. Vyasa also performs

Niyoga Niyoga ( sa, नियोग) was an ancient Hindu practice. According to the Agni Purana, it referred to a system or custom that permitted either the husband or the wife who had no child by their spouse to procreate a child with another man or a ...

to save Kuru lineage. ''Krishnavatara VII: Book of Yudhisthira'' deals with Yudhisthira who wants to perform Rajayusa Yagna. He asks Krishna for help. Krishna, Arjuna and Bhima go to Magadha. Bhima kills

and establishes Sahdeva as king. During Rajasuya, Bhishma suggests Agrapooja to Krishna. Shisupala cannot bear it and tries to kill Krishna, but Krishna beheads him. Vyasa tells

Yudhisthira ''Yudhishthira'' (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his first ...

that he has become the centre of the great war, so Yudhisthira becomes worried and accepts Duryodhana's invitation to play dice. In the game he loses his wealth, brother, wife and himself. Dushasana tries to unwrap Draupadi, but is saved by Krishna. In the last game Yudhisthira loses again and is exiled for 12 years. ''Krishnavatara VIII: Book of kurukshetra'' starts with the news that Krishna's father vasudava has been taken by Salwa of Saubha, so he sent his son Pradhyumna to deal with Salwa. Salwa's minister Vajranabhi imprisoned Pradhyumna by order of Salwa and Vajranabhi married his daughter Prabhavati to Pradhyumna. At the time Mayavati came to help him escape Salwa.

Preface

References

{{Works based on the Mahabharata , state=collapsed 20th-century Indian novels Novel series Novels based on the Mahabharata