The Blue God

There are too many beliefs regarding the blue skin colour of Lord Krishna, the Hindu deity, the mortal incarnation of Vishnu, the preserver of the universe. Many consider it as a natural inheritance from Vishnu, a blue-skinned god himself. Others regard it as the god’s blue magic. He can appear as he wants, in endless ways and in endless different forms. Some consider it as his transcendental form while some explain it in terms of his material terms using material logic with assistance from their materialistic mind. 

Most of us visualize him as a naughty child-stealing butter from the homes of maidens or a handsome, enchanting youth playing the flute among his beloved cows mesmerizing the people of his hometown of Vrindavan. And even if we forget his miracles, the one thing that sets him apart from others is his bluish complexion over which he adorns yellow attire. It compliments him well. 

So why is Lord Krishna blue?

An important story recalls that as an infant he drank the breast milk of Putana, a fierce demoness sent by his uncle Kansa who was in search of him for a long time. The infant was claimed to be his nemesis. Legends suggest that Putana disguised as a beautiful maiden went over to the town of Gokul, the then abode of the baby lord where she killed many infants with her poisoned breast milk. Other stories indicate that her milk was poison itself. In this way, she hoped to kill infant Krishna someday. And when she did infant catch hold of him, Krishna drank her milk and sucked the life out of her. But in the process, the poison entered his body, giving him a permanent blue colour.

Another aspect relates to Lord Krishna’s subduing of Kaliya. As a boy, playing along with his friends Krishna discovers Kaliya, a poisonous snake who had turned the holy waters of Yamuna poisonous. Once, when their ball fell into the waters of Yamuna, Krishna dives into the river to get the ball. That’s when he encounters the venomous Kaliya who tries to get hold of him. The god fights him valiantly, punishing him for troubling the people of Vrindavan. He grows to a gigantic size and dances on the hoods of the snake. When he is about to kill the snake, Kaliya’s wives plead with him to have mercy on their husband. Realizing Krishna’s true identity, Kaliya begs forgiveness. This satisfies the lord as he orders Kaliya to leave the Yamuna for Ramanaka Dweep. It is believed that while fighting Kaliya, poison entered the lord and turned him blue.

However, some disregard both of these theories indicating a third explanation for the lord’s blue skin. They quote that Vishnu planted white hair and black hair in Devaki’s womb, the mother of Krishna and Balram. From the white hair, Balram was born a fair child and from the black one, Krishna the dark one was born. That’s a not so common explanation but still quite plausible.

And if there is anyone who believes in science can give a more rounded, meaningful interpretation to the same. It is possible that Krishna was not literally blue but he exhibited a blue aura. Blue is a calm hue and produces a relaxing, cool effect. Such was the aura of Krishna, intelligent, self-aware, merely satisfying and impressing others by his presence.

The spiritual power of the human body resides in the seven chakras, with each chakra accounting for a dominant aura. The blue aura relates to the fifth or throat chakra symbolizing excellent oratory skills, self-expression and honesty. Even this was clearly visible in the Mahabharata when Krishna narrates to his friend, Arjun the sense of dharma and adharma, the worthiness of the war he was fighting. In the Bhagvad Gita, the conversation between Krishna and Arjun is a fluent, persuasive expression on Krishna’s part to convince Arjun to fight in the war against his own loved ones. It truly signifies the blue aura that he carries.