Sri Krishna's Color?

01-11-2004, 10:22 PM

Why are Sri Krishna and Sri Rama Avatars of Vishnu depicted with blue or dark skin while some others are not?

Is there any particular reason for this?

01-11-2004, 10:44 PM

because that was their color.

suppose it were some other color x,
then you would ask why x.
so such questions do not end
and do not help much.

01-11-2004, 10:49 PM

the only reason is that god is free to do anything he wants

Sandhya · 11-23-2005, 03:33 AM

Black colour includes all the other colours.
Krishna includes everything--the whole existence in Him.
May be that is the reason why Lord Krishna born in black complexion.

sadhaka · 11-23-2005, 06:33 AM

Dear Sandya,

I have found this description of Krishna's colour:

"The colour of the Original Personality of Godhead viz. Krishna/Shyamasundara is described as follows:

Sri Brahma-Samhita 5.30

In reply to:
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I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.

PURPORT

The matchless beauty of Krishna, the Supreme Lord of Goloka, is being described. Krishna, the all-pervading cognition, has a spiritual form of His own. The form of Krishna is not a fanciful creation of imagination formed after visualizing the beautiful things of the world. What Brahma saw in his ecstatic trance of pure devotion, is being described. Krishna is engaged in playing upon His flute. That flute by his enchanting musical sound attracts the hearts of all living beings. Just as a lotus petal produces a pleasant sight, so the two beautiful eyes of Krishna who causes the manifestation of our spiritual vision, display the unlimited splendor and beauty of His moonlike face. The loveliness that adorns His head with peacock feather figures, the corresponding feature of the spiritual beauty of Krishna. Just as a mass of blue clouds offers a specifically soothing, pleasant view, the complexion of Krishna is analogously tinged with a spiritual dark-blue color. The beauty and loveliness of Krishna is far more enchanting that that of Cupid multiplied a millionfold.

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Sri Brahma-Samhita 5.38

In reply to:
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I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Syamasundara, Krishna Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.

PURPORT

The Syamasundara form of Krishna is His inconceivable simultaneous personal and impersonal self-contradictory form. True devotees see that form in their purified hearts under the influence of devotional trance. The form Syama is not the blue color visible in the mundane world but is the transcendental variegated color affording eternal bliss, and is not visible to the mortal eye. On a consideration of the trance of Vyasadeva as in the sloka, bhakti-yogena manasi etc., it will be clear that the form of Sri Krishna is the full Personality of Godhead and can only be visible in the heart of a true devotee, which is the only true seat in the state of trance under the influence of devotion. When Krishna manifested Himself in Vraja, both the devotees and nondevotees saw Him with this very eye; but only the devotees cherished Him, eternally present in Vraja, as the priceless jewel of their heart. Nowadays also the devotees see Him in Vraja in their hearts, saturated with devotion although they do not see Him with their eyes. The eye of devotion is nothing but the eye of the pure unalloyed spiritual self of the jiva. The form of Krishna is visible to that eye in proportion to its purification by the practice of devotion. When the devotion of the neophyte reaches the stage of bhava-bhakti the pure eye of that devotee is tinged with the salve of love by the grace of Krishna, which enables him to see Krishna face to face. The phrase "in their hearts" means Krishna is visible in proportion as their hearts are purified by the practice of devotion. The sum and substance of this sloka is that the form of Krishna, who is Syamasundara, Natavara (Best Dancer), Muralidhara (Holder of the Flute) and Tribhanga (Triple-bending), is not a mental concoction but is transcendental, and is visible with the eye of the soul of the devotee under trance.

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Sometimes Krishna is shown blackish and at other time bluish which more resembles the transcendental colour of His Narayana form; in His Original Form of Krishna (Shyamasundara) the color is compared to that of a cloud and is thus bluish-black; these colors appear to us as material "approximations" of the originals in neophyte stages. "

Hope, this clears it. Hare Krishna!

11-23-2005, 08:24 AM

Well, Black does not include all colors, instead black is absence of any color. But then, your argument still holds good. Afterall, there is not much difference between nothing and everything.

Sandhya · 11-25-2005, 08:44 AM

Hello shravan,

Quote:

Well, Black does not include all colors, instead black is absence of any color. But then, your argument still holds good. Afterall, there is not much difference between nothing and everything.

A surface appears black when it absorbs all the incident lights upon it.( Light means all colours in the range Violet to Red).

If a surface reflects red, it would appear red. If a surface is black, then it means, it has all the colours and we cant see them(does not reflect anything).

I have noticed while colouring pictures that the colour we get when we mix all the colours is BLACK.

That was why I wrote that black includes all colours.
You wrote about DARKNESS actually and not the BLACK colour.
It is true that darkness is the absence of any light. But black "colour" is a colour only.

Where did you get that nothing and everything are the same?

Hope you are not an anti-Krishna.

Prabhu · 11-25-2005, 10:38 AM

Sri Rama is considered to be fair complexioned.

Sri Vishnu Himself is considered to be having deep blue color. Hence many of His incarnation also have blue color.

He is considerd to be residing in Kshirasagar (ocean) also of blue color.

The color of Sky is also blue.

In Bhagawata Gita, when Sri Krishna showed his complete Swarupa which encompassed everything which included the whole universe. MAy be it is symbolic of whole of universe.Everything emanates from Him and ultimately goes back un to Him.

Appearance of Lord in various colors shows that for Him skin color doesn't matter.

Jingoists Dravidians like Shivite note that there is no color basis discrimination in India.

11-29-2005, 06:50 AM

hi Sandhya,

First of all let me tell you that I am not anti-krishna and I am a faithful hindu. I have very high regard to Bhagwat Gita and its teachings.

As for the color, I am still not convinced about your logic. When you mix all the colors, you should get white and not black. But, This is not the forum to discuss color's science.

As for the krishna's color is concerned, its depicted as either Black Or Blue. I think these corresponds to what we see in the night (Black) or Day (Blue) when we see up in the sky. Thus he acquires all shapes and forms.

12-01-2005, 10:07 PM

My mother believes that he was a blue black. You know how some really dark Africans have almost a blue-ish tint to their skin colour? Like that.

Krishna may choose whatever colour he wants. If you had the power to change colours and forms freely, wouldn't you monopolise on that? Remember, this fellow would've been born with extra arms and full on discus and everything liek a nut. He at least was talked out of that by his "biological" father. Blue is nothing compared to what he orignally had planned. Haha.

12-09-2005, 02:08 PM

what is the color of the ocean or the sky? blue? NO!

they are colorless. they appear colored becoz of the distance.

Sri Krishna too appears to be blue in color for people who are far away.

the more u approach him the more he blends in your mind and bliss is reaached.

thence who can really think about color??