Kṛṣṇa's Initiation at Sāndīpani's Hermitage

Author(s): André Couture

Source: Numen, Vol. 49, No. 1 (2002), pp. 37-60
Published by: BRILL
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3270471
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 KRSNA'S INITIATIONAT SANDIPANI'S HERMITAGE'

ANDRI COUTURE

Summary
In theHarivamSa79 [HV], the Visnu-Purana 5.21 [ViP], theBrahma-Purdna
86 [BrP], and the Bhigavata-Purana10.45 [BhP], immediately afterthe young
KrsnakillsKamsa,Krsna'sinitiation at Sandipani'shermitage takesplace.To date,
thisstrangeepisodehas notbeen studiedin its own right.Occasionallymentioned
in scholarlyworks,no attempthas been made to understand the importance or
significance ofthisevent withintheKrsna This
tradition. paper beginswith a summary
of HV 79, andthenmoveson to examinethecharacter of Sandipani,his connection
withGarga/Gargya, theinitiation
process and theunderlying father/sonrelationships,
as wellas variations on thesethemes.The episodeprovidesa narrative linkbetween
and
Samkarsana Krsna's childhood and the restof the story which deals withtheir
adultlifeas ksatriyas, and as such,helpsto clarifytheoverallstructure of theHV.
EmphasizingSandipani'srole as a guru,thispaperuncovers,littleby little,his
connections with(1) thewholetrimirti comprised ofBrahma,VisnuandSiva-Rudra,
(2) the sacrificial
logic whichinvolves one who a deityandan officiant,
sacrifices, and
(3) the variationson thetheme of filiation
implied in thenarration.

ModernIndologistshave formulated theoriesintended

different
to explainbothKrsna'sinvolvement in the MahdbhdrataWar,and
his appearanceas a greatgod accompaniedby his elder brother,
Samkarsana, a fewcenturiesbeforeChrist.2Duringtheperiodwhen
explanationswere dominantin Westernanthropology,
naturalistic
Krsnaand Visnuwerethought to be eitherancientsolardeitiesor
vegetation J. Kennedy(1907) reliedon A.F. Weber'sthesis
spirits.3

versionof thispaperwas presented

1 A preliminary at theannualmeetingof the
CanadianSocietyfortheStudyof Religion(CSSR) heldat MemorialUniversity (St
John's)onJune2, 1997.Thisarticleformspartofa research projectontheHarivami'a
fundedbytheSocial SciencesandHumanities ResearchCouncilofCanada.
2 Cf.Hiltebeitel
1979.
3 Cf.Couture1999:174-176.

BrillNV,Leiden(2002)
? Koninklijke NUMEN,Vol.49

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38 AndreCouture

(1867), whichunderstood "Krsna"to be an Indianformof "Christ,"

butfocussedon theinfluence playedby nomadictribessuchas the
Gujars (Gurjaras)which,supposedly, broughtChristianlegendsto
India withthemsome timebetweenthe 2nd and the 6th century.
Scholarssuchas A.B. Keith(1925) andW. Ruben(1943),ontheother
hand,saw in Visnu(and therefore in Krsna)eithera greatpre-Aryan
god or a divinity of theDravidian-speaking peoplewho had at one
timeoccupieda largepartoftheIndianpeninsula. Bhandarkar (1913),
in his analysisof thebirthof theVaisnavatradition, consideredits
conceptionof God to be theproductof at leastfourearliertrends.
Traditions dealingwithVisnu(a Vedicgod),Narayana(a cosmic,more
philosophicaldeity),Vasudeva(a real historicalfigure),and Krsna
Gopdla(a pastoraldeity)werecombinedto givetheVaisnavanotion
of god. J. Gonda,along withotherIndologists, continuedworking
alongtheselines,attempting toidentifyspecificsourcesforeachaspect
of thepatchwork tradition,determining variousformsof borrowing,
syncretism andso on.
WhereasBhandarkar used the term"hero"as a designation for
Vasudeva,otherscholarsinsistedthatKrsnaVdsudevawas in facta
heroicfigurewho had beendeifiedovertime.This interpretation, in
combination withBhandarkar's hypothesis,lies at therootof the ex-
planations offeredbyW. RubenorB. Preciado-Solis (1984). Drawing
on methodsof analysisused by modemfolklorists (OttoRank,Ken
Gardiner, etc.),Preciado-Solis discovered thesamenarrative patterns
in theKrsnasaga as thosefoundin Celticand Greekherostories:a
kingis presented as a tyrant andusurper, a princessbearsa childwho
killstheking,a herois bornsupernaturally and rearedby cowherds,
a herotakestheplace of thekinghe has slainor placesanother king
on thethrone, a herofoundsa newcity,winsa princess, defeatsother
kingsordiesunderstrange circumstances. No doubtthistypeofanaly-
sis (oversimplifiedhere)has itsown value at thelevelofthenarrative.
Nevertheless,as myexamination oftheepisodeunderstudyherewill
serveto demonstrate, it appearsequallyevidentthatone cannotac-
countformajorelementsin Krsna'slifeifKrsna'sroleis reducedto
thatofthetraditional hero.

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 at SandTpani's
Krsna'sInitiation Hermitage 39

Krsnaspendsa marvellous childhoodtendingKamsa's cows as a

herderin theforestssurrounding thecityof Mathura.His initiation,
whichtakesplaceimmediately following theaccountofhischildhood
andjust beforetheYadavas (Krsna'sclan) migratefromMathurd to
Dvdraka(orDvdravati), a newcitybuiltbyKrsnahimself, is presented
as a sortof bridgebetweenthetwohalvesof his life.To date,this
strangeepisode,narratedin the oldesttextsdealingwithKrsna's
biography (Harivamia79 [HV], Visnu-Purdna 5.21 [ViP],Brahma-
Purdna 86 [BrP], Bhagavata-Purdna10.45 [BhP]), has not been
studiedin itsownright.Occasionallymentioned in scholarly works,
noattempt hasbeenmadetounderstand theimportance orsignificance
of thiseventwithinthe Krsnatradition. This episode is important
becauseitshowsclearlythatKrsna'slife,beforebeingcharacterized as
heroic,corresponds in factto typical Indian ritual standards. Attested
to in theHV,Krsna'soldestbiography directsthereadernotso much
towardsa generalnotionof theheroas towardsa Vedic notionof
towardstheimportance
sacrifice, in Indiancultureofbegetting a son
who will perform his father'sfuneralrites.All of thisalso impliesa
veryspecificconception of the deity.I will beginwitha summary
of HV 79, beforemovingon to examinethecharacter of Sdndipani,
hisconnection withGdrgya, theinitiation process and theunderlying
father/sonrelationships,as well as variations on thesethemes.Other
matters, such as the initiationin the formof a journeyto heaven,
theacquisitionof Pfiicajanyaconch,etc.,althoughimportant foran
of the
understanding story'simpact, must be leftto laterresearch.

1. A Summary 79 (vulg.2.33)
ofHarivamra
Krsnais in thepinkof his youth.He is shiningand his presence
adornsthecityof Mathuralike a minebrimming withgems.After
some time,he accompanieshis brother Balarama(i.e., Samkarsana,
also called Rdma) to SandipaniKdsya's hermitagein the cityof
Avantiwheretheyare to be instructed in theDhanurveda(i.e., the
knowledge oftheweapons).On theirarrival,thebrothersrecount their
to
lineage(gotra) Sdndipani and him
inform oftheir
decision to begin
studies.Janirdana (i.e.,Krsna)andRamaadopttheproperbehaviour,

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40 Couture
Andred
sacrificetheiregos (nirahamkdra) andsubmittothewilloftheirguru.
Sandipaniacceptsthemas students and instructsthemin thevarious
skills(vidyd).After a periodofsixty-four daysandnights, theyachieve
a fullcommandof all theweapons.Seeingthatthewisdom(medha)
of theseboys goes beyondthe possibilitiesof the merelyhuman,
Sandipanibelievesthatboysare actuallytheSun and theMoon. At
festivaltimes(parvasu),he sees themworshipping an apparitionof
greatTryaksa(i.e., Siva). Having fulfilled
all his obligations,Krsna
asksSandipaniwhattheymight givehiminexchangeforhisactingas
theirpreceptor (gurvartha). The guruwhoknowsthepowerof these
boyssays thathe wantsthemto restorethelifeof his son who has
beencarriedto thebottomof theocean by a big fish(timi)duringa
pilgrimage to Prabhasa(nearDvaraka).WithRama's approvalKrsna
agrees,approachestheoceananddivesintothewater.Ocean himself
standsbeforehim and gives him his regards.In replyto Krsna's
question,Ocean repliesthatthe greatDaitya Paficajanatook the
appearanceofa greatfishand swallowedthechild.Krsna,whois the
Purusottama, attacksPaficajana andkillshim,butthisfirst attemptdoes
notrestorethechild.Out of thedead bodyof Paficajana, Janardana
shapes his famous conch, known to all as He
Paficajanya. defeats
Vaivasvata(i.e., Yama) thegod of deathand restoreslifeand a new
bodytotheguru'ssonwhohaddisappeared manyyearsearlier.All are
astonished at thismarvel.Krsnareturns theguru'sson to himalong
witha quantity ofpricelesspearls,keepingthePaficajanya conchfor
himself. Withthis,bothheroestaketheirleaveofSandipaniandmake
theirwaybacktoMathura. All theYadus(orYadavas),beginning with
KingUgrasena, stand to greetthe brothers. At the arrivalof Govinda
(i.e., Krsna),the womenbeginto rejoiceas if it werethe festival
of Indra(indramaha).4All are happyand manysignsappearin the
cosmos,as if a newKrtayugawerethriving. At thisveryauspicious
moment, Govindaentersthecityin a chariotdrawnby horses.Both

4 One suchIndramaha is alludedto in HV 59, butKrsnaadvisesthecowherdsto

change this
festival
to a girimaha, thatis a festival
inhonourofthemountains,
namely.
MountGovardhana.

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 Krsna'sInitiation
at SandTpani's
Hermitage 41

enterVasudeva'shousewheretheylaydowntheirarms.They
brothers
submittoKingUgrasena'sauthority
andreturn totheirgamesforsome
timethereafter.

2. TheBrahmins
Gargyaand Sandrpani
This episodetakesplace in theperiodbetweenKrsna'schildhood
(HV 49-78) andthemomentwhentheYddavas,scaredoffby Kings
Jarasamdha andKalayavana(HV 80-84),decideto moveto Dvaraka.
Once KrsnakillsKamsawithhis barehandsin thearenaofMathurd
(HV 76) and Ugrasenais recognizedas thetruekingof thecity(HV
78), thenarrative explainshow bothbrothers learnedto masterthe
techniques ofarchery andtheuse ofotherweaponsatSdndipani's her-
mitage.Beneatha simpleexterior, thestoryis repletewithinnuendoes
whichone noticesonlywhenthisversionis comparedto otherver-
sionsofthenarrative. The first questionwhichsprings tomindrelates
to Sandipani'sidentity.How is it thatSandipaniis fitto teachKrsna
and Samkarsana thescienceofarchery? Sandipanilivesin thecityof
Avanti(or Ujjayini),famousforitstemplehonouring Mahakala(i.e.,
Rudra).He is also calledkasiya,a wordmeaning"bornin Kai" ac-
cordingto Nilakantha's commentary. Kai (or Varanasi)is also a city
whereSiva reigns.Moreover, thenameSandipani5itselfis relatedto
theverbsam-dip,meaningto blaze up,flame,burn,glow,oftenquali-
fyingthefiresinEpic andPuraniclanguage(vg. HV 53.27). All these
features coincidewiththefactthat,duringthisperiod,bothbrothers
worshipTryaksa(thethree-eyed god), i.e., Rudra,theall-consuming
god at theend of thekalpa.
Lookingcarefully at thewholeHV, one concludesthatSandipani
Kadya'sappearancein HV 79 is no merecoincidence. ThisBrahmin
reappears laterin thetext (86.76) as a chaplain(purohita)in thenew
cityof Dvaraka.On entering thecity,Krsnacatchessightof his old
fatherAnakadundubhi (i.e., Vasudeva),King Ugrasena,his brother
Baladeva(i.e.,Samkarsana), Sdndipani KdayaandBrahmagargya, and

5 Sandipaniis based on the vrddhiof sandfpana,a wordmeaning"kindling,

inflaming."

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42 AndrdCouture
showersthemall withall kindsofjewels (95.4-6). Janardana, who
alwaysobservestheprotocolsof hierarchy, first payshis respectsto
thepurohitaSandipanibeforehonouring Ahuka(i.e., Ugrasena),the
kingoftheVrsnis(95.9).
Brahmagargya is mentioned along withSandipaniin thecityof
Dvaraka-. AnotherBrahmin, Brahmagargya is also called Gargyaor
Gargaandis saidtobe theguruoftheVrsnisandtheAndhakas(85.7).
He hasbeensentbyVasudevatothecow station (vraja)toperformthe
childhoodsarmskaras for and Krsna(49.30, 628*; 50.1,
629*; 96.44--45).The ViP Sa.mkarsana
(5.6.8-9) and theBrP(76.1-2) notethat,at
Vasudeva'srequest, Gargacarriesoutthesarmskaras forthecowherds
BhP
secretly. (10.5.1-2) is even more explicit: Brahmins wereinvited
to recitethesvastyayana (prescribed benedictory Vedichymns)and
perform thebirthceremonies (jdtakarman) forKrsna.Theyalso come
to thecow stationforthefestiveablutionswhichare performed to
celebrateKrsna'sturning in thebed (autthanikakautukaplava, BhP
10.7.4). The BhP further stipulatesthat it is at Vasudeva's request
thatGargaperforms thepurificatory ritesofthetwoboysintheforest,
whereNandagopawholeheartedly welcomeshim."You havedirectly
compileda treatiseon thescienceof astrology whichis beyondthe
range of thesenses. It is by thatthata man knows hispastandfuture.
You areforemost amongtheknowersoftheVedas,"eulogizesNanda
(BhP 10.8.5-6,Tagore'stranslation). Gargareplies:"I am thefamily
priestoftheYadusandI am knownovertheworldas such.If I were
to purify yourson withreligiousrites,peoplewillregardhimas the
son of Devaki" (BhP 10.8.7,Tagore'stranslation, slightlymodified).
Gargaperforms thenamingceremony secretly and predictsthegreat
prowess of both children (BhP 10.8.12-19). This declarationmade
by Gargaappearsso important as to be takenup againby Nandain
BhP 10.26.15-24.6As in theHV,ViP andBrP,theBhP is awarethat
Gargais thefamily purohitaoftheYadavas,butaddsa clearstatement
to theeffectthatthisGargais identicalwiththe authorof a well-

6 Composedmuchlaterunder influence the

(XVI-XVIIthcenturies),
pustimarga
is linked
Garga-samhitddirectly to the givenbyGarga
prediction in theBhP.

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 at Sandrpani'sHermitage
Krsna'sInitiation 43

knownold book on astrology.7 Gargaknowsthestarsperfectly and

theproper timeto the
accomplish prescribed and
rites, is as
invited
suchtoperform theseritesforVasudeva'ssonshiddeninNandagopa's
cow station.8
Chapter79 of the HV, whichdoes not explicitlymentionthe
upanayanaceremony,9 depictsSdndipanias being responsiblefor
Samkarsanaand Krsna'sinitiation to theDhanurveda.Garga'spres-

7 The name of this book is the Gargfsamhitd. It was writtenby one of the
mainauthorsquotedin theBrhatsamhita of Varahamihira (c. 500-550) (see Shastri
1969:440-443). There is also a Vrddhagarga mentioned in MBh 9.37.14-15,quoted
by Varahamihira, and whose words are reportedin ViP 5.23.25-27 in thecontextof
Krsna'sbiography.
8 AnotherGargya(or Garga)knownas Sifirayana(or Saiiirdyana), who is the
purohitaofthekingof theTrigartas, is mentioned in relation to Krsna. This storyis
toldin HV 85.7-17 (see also 25.8-13; 22.7-12; ViP 5.23.1,etc.).It is said thatthis
Gargyaremaineda brahmacdrin and,as such,did notseekthecompanyof women.
One day,his brother-in-law madea foolof himby callinghima eunuchin public.
Reactingtothisinsult,Gargyadecidedtotakeup asceticalpractices inordertoobtain
a sonfromSiva-Rudra. Fortwelveyearshe ateironfilings andwaseventually granted
his request.At thesametimethekingof theYavanas,whocouldnotproducea son
either,heardofthefavorgranted to Gargya.He sentfortheascetic,encouraged him
andsettledhimas a cowherdinthemiddleofthegopfsofhiscow station. TheApsaras
Gopalidisguisedherselfas a cow-womanandconceivedtheson promisedbyRudra
to Gargya."The childgrewin thegynaeceum ofa childlesskingwhowas a Yavana,
a greatking:he was giventhenameKalayavana"(HV 25.12). ManyMlecchakings
tookrefugein thisunshakeable beingandfollowedhim.On accountofthispowerful
Kalayavana,Krsnapreferred to leave MathuraandtomovetotheWestern coastwhere
he builtDvaraka.Ka-layavana is an important character who is eventually killedby
Krsnain theHV. I intendto examinethischaracter in a laterstudy.Another Gargya
is also mentioned in HV 16.5: sevenBrahmins whowerenotdevotedto theFathers
becamehisstudents ina former life.Eveniftheyaremostprobably distinctcharacters,
all theseGargyasshouldbe takenintoaccount,sincetheyall bearsomerelationship,
howeverremotely, to Krsna.
9 Borrowing BrianK. Smith'sown words,one could definetheVedicinitiation
as "a constructive or transformative ritual"(samskara)through whichone is reborn
intotheAryansocietywitha differentiated, hierarchically orderedidentity, a specific
knowledgeimparted for
by a qualifiedteacher,and a qualification performing the
sacrificesthatwill "continuetheontologicalprocessof development and refinement

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44 Andre"Couture

ence mustbe emphasizedin thiscontextbecausetheBhP 10.45dis-

twodifferent
tinguishes stepsin thisinitiation,
thushelpingto clarify
therelationship
betweenthetwogurus.According tothispassage,Va-
sudevaasksGargaandotherBrahmins toperform thedvijasamskrti(or
upanayana)forbothhissons.Havinggonethrough thissamskaraand
thestatusofa twice-born
attained (dvijatvamprdpya),thebrothersim-
mediatelytakethevowofcelibacyrequired ofthosewhowishtolearn
abouttheGayatri-mantra (gayatramrvratam)fromGarga,thefamily
priestof the Yadus (gargad yadukulacaryad).The upanavana ritual
marksthepassagefromchildhoodto fullmembership in thecommu-
nity.First of all, Krsna and Samkarsana are transformed intotwice-
bornksatriyas, rebornoutof theVedasbecausetheyhaveheardthe
Gayatri orSa-vitri mantra,andthereforeentitledtoperform sacrifices.'0
Then,wishingto residein a preceptor's house (gurukulevdsam)to
completetheireducation, theyapproachSandipaniKa-ya.Onlyafter
theyhavebeenconfirmed as twice-borndo theypass through a spe-
cializedtraining in a gurukula.The goal of thisstayin Sandipani's
hermitage qualifythem,amongothersthings,
is to tohandlethemost
terribleweapons.As withthepurohitaof theYadavas,Gargahad to
perform thedifferent sarmskaras namakaranaand upa-
(particularly
nayana)in orderto completeSamkarsana'sand Krsna'ssocial iden-
titiesas ksatrivasof theYadava clan. Sandipanileads thebrothers a
stepfurther intheirinitiation bygivingthemtheabilitytodestroy the
wholeworld.
Froma mythological pointofview,Gargaappearstobe continuing
the workof Brahmathe creatorwhen he impartsto Krsna and
Samnkarsana attributesrelatedto thecompletion of theirownbeings.
On theotherhand,inSdndipani's hermitage,bothboyscompletetheir
studiesand masterthe secretsof weaponry.Havingacquirednew

of being,in boththislifeand thenext"(cf. Smith1986:esp. 66, 83-84; and 1989,

ch.4: "TheRitualConstruction ofBeing").See also Gonda 1985:316-317.
10Sacrificesseemto be thecentralritesfortheksatriyasof theHV (vg. 88.44).
Krsnahimself is reported
tohavebeeninitiated a
by one-day (Soma) sacrifice
(drksito
... ekahena... karmand,101.7-8,13;see below).

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 at Sandipani'sHermitage
Krsna'sInitiation 45

divinebodiesadornedwitheverytypeof weapon,theypossessthe
power,as Rudrahimself does,toreducetheirworstenemiesto ashes.
Not onlyare bothbrothers able, through Gargya'sritualactivity,to
carry outtheir in the
responsibilities Vrsnicommunity the
(especially
protection of theBrahmins), buttheyalso gainthepowerto destroy
all existingrealitiesmakingway forthe creationof a new world.
Actually, thisdoubleinitiationqualifiesSamkarsanaand Krsna,who
have alreadybeen presentedas Sesa's and Visnu's manifestations,
to perform the loftiestduties.Being bornin Vasudeva'sfamilyas
Samkarsanaand Krsna,the serpentSesa and the god Visnu are
henceforth actingas full-fledgedYadavas able to use bothBrahma's
creativepowerandRudra'sdestructive weapons.

3. Samkarsana'sand Krsna'sInitiation as Sacrifice

Understood
Afterthe usual birthceremonies(jdtakarman)and name-giving
(ndmakarana)take place, one of two scenariosmay follow:either
theinitiationto theDhanurveda at Sandipani'shermitage takesplace
alone,or,according to the BhP, both the upanayana celebrated by
Garga and the initiation
at are
Sandipani'shermitage performed.
Even if one hesitatesto linkthepurohitaGarga/Gargya to Brahma
and theguruSandipanito Rudra,it appearsthatglimpsesof these
deitiesmaybe caughtin the shadowof theseBrahmins.The most
obviousconclusionto be drawnfromthepreceding discussionis that
in textsdealingwithKrsna'slife,bothhis and Samkarsana'shuman
development aretreatedinthemostorthodox manner.
At any rate,froma ritualpointof view,the important thingto
remember in thiscontextis thattheinitiation
constitutesthefirst and
centralpartof a sacrifice(yajifa)." More precisely,
it is thepartof
in whichtheone whosacrifices
a sacrifice (yajamana)offers hisown
bodyas a victimtothegodsbeforeoffering foodoranother oblationas
forhimself.
a substitute Moving on tomore generalconclusions, since

11The diksa itselfhas been frequently studiedand thereis no need to repeata

descriptionof it here.See Levi 1966 [1898]:102-108;Gonda 1985:315-462;Thite
1975:esp. 112-123.

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46 AndreCouture

Samkarsanaand Krsnahavepassedthrough suchinitiations, one can

inferthattheiradultlivesmayalso be understood as realsacrifices.The
factthatKrsnahimselfis oftenidentified withtheYajfiapurusa (i.e.,
thesacrifice as a
personified man) or with the Purusottama (i.e., the
SupremePerson),andthatintheBhavagadgitd, heaffirms thattheonly
actionworthperforming is one done forsacrifice(3.9) corroborates
thisassertion.As it now appearsusefulto resituate theinitiation of
bothbrothers in thecontextof sacrifice, it is also worthnotingthat
a dTksarequiresthreethings:a personto perform the sacrifice,an
oblationanda deity.CharlesMalamoudunderlines thecomplexity of
therelationships betweenguruand student, seen fromthesacrificial
pointof view,in thefollowing manner:"Therearetworealpersons,
thepreceptor andthestudent; butas theirrelationship is assimilated to
a sacrifice,
therearethreeactingcharacters: theonewhosacrifices, the
deityandtheofficiant; theonewhosacrifices is alwaysthestudent, but
thepreceptor alternatesbetweentheroleofdeityand officiant (when
he actsas theofficiant,theVedais thedeity)."12
If HV 79 is viewed fromthis perspective, Sandipanimay be
considered eitheras a deity(devatd)oras an officiating priest(rtvij).In
thefirst as are
case, they students, and
Krsna Samkarsana areidentified
as thoseperforming thesacrifices (yajamana),offering themselves to
theirguruSandipanias a deity.Sincehe is theguru,Sandipaniis also
considered to be identicalto Rudrahimselfand,as such,receivesthe
offeringthattheboysmakeof theirownegos and also of thebodies
thattheymustcast aside beforedonningnew ones. Theysurrender
themselvescompletelyto Sandipani,give him everything theyare
and join him in a relationof profound devotion.At festivaltimes
(parvasu),thetextexplicitly says,bothbrothers honourTryaksa(i.e.,
Rudra).On theotherhand,Sandipanimightalso be understood to

12"Il y a deuxpersonnes
reelles,le maitreetl'e1ve; maisdes lorsque leurrelation
'
est assimilde un sacrifice,il y a troispersonnagesa jouer: sacrifiant, divinite,
est toujoursl'61ve, maisle maitreassumetoura tourl'un et
le sacrifiant
officiant;
l'autredes r61esde diviniteet d'officiant
(quandil estofficiant,
c'est le Vedaqui est
la devata)"(Malamoud1976:186).

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 at Sandipani'sHermitage
Krsna'sInitiation 47

be playingthe role of the officiating priestof the sacrificewhich

Krsna and Samkarsana offerafterthey have learnedtheDhanurveda.
In fact,thestudyof theDhanurveda seemsto implya sacrifice to the
deitieswho possesseach of theseweapons,eventhoughno mention
of sucha procedure is madehere.Nevertheless, justas whena priest
is invitedto officiate at a sacrifice, the workthatSandipanicarries
out whenassistingbothbrothers in theirstudiesis rewardedwith
appropriate fees. KrsnabringsSandipani'sson back to lifeand this
deed is considered to be a fitting
recompense forhisworkas a guru.
This doublesacrificialreadingof whatoccursbetweena guruand
his students showsthatit is logicallypossibleto accountforboththe
presence Tryaksaas a deitywhomKrsnaandSamkarsana
of regularly
worship, and the readiness of the to
boys pay theirgurua formal
fee (gurvartha). A comparison in
withArjuna'sdTksd Mahdbharata
[MBh] III (38-45; 163-169) will proveusefulforestablishing the
plausibility ofsuchan analysisoftheHV 79 episode.13
During the twelve-year exile whichthe Pandavasspentin the
forest,Yudhisthira receivessecretknowledge(upanisad/brahman)
fromKrsnaDvaipayanaorVyasa.To achieveitandbecomeinvincible,
Arjunahas to visitbothIndraand Rudra.First,Arjunasubmitsto
an initiation, practicesa strictcontrolin word,bodyand thought and
receivestheinstruction whichYudhisthira receivedfromVydsa.In this
connection, he leavesthe forestfor a journeytotheNorth, passesover
theHimalayas,andfinally meetsIndrawhois disguisedas an ascetic
on a mountain called Indrakila.Indraasks Arjunato stop since he
has reachedtheultimategoal. Impressedby Arjuna'sfirmdecision
to continue hisjourney, Indragrantshima favour. Arjunaasksforthe
weaponshe willneedto avengehisbrothers hiddenin thewilderness.
the
"Whenyouhaveseen LordofBeings,three-eyed, trident-bearing
Siva,thenI shallgiveyouall theweaponsoftheGods,son,"answers
Indra.Arjunastandson thepeakof mountHimalayaand engagesin
asceticpracticeswhichscareall thegreatseers.Forced,as it were,to
rushup toArjuna,Siva approaches himdisguisedas a Kirata,a hunter

13On thispassage,onecanalsoreadthe
analysisoffered
byScheuer1982:205-245.

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48 AndrdCouture

fromthemountains, and strikesa Danava namedMuika,who comes

to threatenArjuna'slife.For a longtime,Arjunawrestleswiththis
strangeenemywhois literally abletodevourall hisarrows.He finally
fallsunconscious, havingbeenreducedby thegod to a ball of flesh
(pinda).When he wakes up,Arjunarecognizes Rudra,begshismercy
andreceivesthePa-upata,a weaponalsocalledtheBrahmasiras. After
receivingothersweaponsfromYama,VarunaandKubera,Arjunagoes
to thecityof Indrawherehe obtainsand masterstheuse of all the
muchcovetedarms.Gandharva Citrasenaalso teacheshimhowtosing
and dance.He staysin thiscityforfiveyears.As a fee forhis guru,
Arjunafights anddefeatsIndra'spersonalenemies,thethirty million
Niva-takavacas livingin an inaccessible
city in theocean.
Thisepisodeis clearlydividedintotwopartsinvolving bothRudra
and Indra.Arjunagoes to Indra'scelestialcity,passesa testprepared
forhimby Indrawho was disguisedas an ascetic,beforerunning to
Rudra'sdwellingwherehe gainsthefavourofthegod.It wouldseem
that,inordertoreceivetheweaponsfromIndra,Arjunamustnotonly
payRudratheappropriate feebutmustalso submit completely tohim.
Clearly,Arjuna'sinitiation impliesa doubleoperation: theacquisition
of armsfromthegods and thesubmission to thegod Rudraare two
separateacts.Botharenecessary, butthesubmission toRudraremains
a prerequisiteto theacquisition an
of energetic bodyable toresistthe
mostterrible enemies.In Krsna'sstory, as in Arjuna's.theyajamana
(Krsnaor Arjuna)sacrifices his humanbodyin a severetapas,and
prepares himself through use of similarasceticpracticesto don a
the
new divinebodywhichincorporates everyimaginableweapon.The
firstpartof bothstoriesconcernsRudra,theDestroyer; thesecond
partdeals,explicitlyorimplicitly,withtheritualconstruction ofa new
divinebodywiththehelpofall thegods,including Indra.
Amongthemetaphors usedbyritualiststo evokethedksadprocess,
one of themostusualdepictsthedfksitaas reassuming theformof
a foetusso as to be bornagain,thusenablingthedTksita to become
a A similarimageis used fortheteacherwho becomes
twrice-born.
pregnant withhis student, bringingabout,as it were,theproduction
of a new bodyforhis student, and finallygivingbirthto him(cf.

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 Krsna'sInitiation
at Sdndipani'sHermitage 49

Atharvaveda 11.5).Thesamskarasorlife-cycle ritualsservetopurify,

refine,and elaborate theperfecthuman body needed toactresponsibly
insidetheHindusociety.Thisis whyGargamustperform theserites
the
(especially upanayana) for both Samkarsana Krsna.The same
and
metaphor lies behindSandipani'sstory. In ordertoacquireknowledge
ofall theweapons,bothbrothers havetostripthemselves oftheiregos
(nirahamrkadra, v. 4). Whentheycome back to theirhomeaftertheir
stayat Sandipani'shermitage, theylay down(vinyas)theirweapons
andreturn totheirgames(HV 79.39). Beforedescending to earth,the
gloriousVisnuproceededin thesame manner:he wentto a cave of
theMerunamedParvatiand laid downhis ancientbody(purdnarm
tatravinyasya dehamr hariruddradhih, 45.49). Later,in HV 81, both
brothers decidedtodontheirancientweapons(dyudhandan purananam
v.
adane, 55) when they have to fightagainstJarasamdha. Thesefour
energieswhichare Visnu'sweaponsimmediately fall fromthe sky
(catvary etani tejamsivisnupraharanani ca, v. 60). From thismoment
on, the brothers, now visuallyidenticalwiththe personof Visnu
(saksadvisnostan7ipamau, v. 65), tapintotheirowndivinepowerand
begintofight theiradversary. Theenergetic bodythatSamkarsana and
Krsnareceivedwas Visnu'sown divinebody.The weaponsand the
manyskills(mantras,etc.) whichtheypossessare theequivalentof
a divinebody.A body(humanor divine)is conceivedof as a sortof
garment to be puton and takenoff.In thesamewayas Visnu,at the
Earth'srequest,takesoffhis tejas-madebodybeforedescendingto
earth,once thedrksdis performed, Krsnaand Arjunamustalso, on
specificoccasions,castasidetheirenergetic bodies.

4. Anepisodebuiltonfather/son
relationships

Sandipanigivesbirthto Krsnaand Samkarsanaby teachingthem

theartof archery.In keepingwiththelogicofthemetaphor, we may
also say thatthesestudentsare his sons.Sincethepayment theguru
is
requests proportional to thework done,it seems logicalthatthese
sonsdulyhonourtheirgurubyreturning his onlyson tohim,theson
who had been seized by theterriblePaficajanaand carriedoffby Yama.

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50 AndrdCouture
Whileactingthisway,KrsnaandSamkarsana simplyconfirm thatthey
are"goodsons"(satputra)fortheirguru.
The way in whichthisepisoderelatesto the themeof filiation
is clarifiedby theViP and theBrP,whichcombineideas scattered
throughout theprecedingchaptersof theHV intoa singlenarrative.
(A) On seeingDevaki and Vasudeva,Krsnasays thathe and his
brotherhave acted as truesons, bowingbeforethe eldersof the
Yadus.Something he sayson thisoccasionhelpsto clarify theentire
passage:"Thatportion ofone'slifewhichis spentwithout worshipping
one's parentsis indeedfutilein thecase of good sons. O father, if
an embodiedbeingperforms theworshipof preceptor (guru),gods
(deva), Brahmins (dvija) and parents,his life becomes fruitful"(BrP
86.3cd-5ab;ViP 5.21.3-4). (B) KrsnaconsolesKamsa's wiveswho
are weepingoverhis dead body.He releasesUgrasenafromprison,
proceedsto his consecration as king(abhiseka),and performs the
funeral ritesofhissonKarmsa. Krsna tellsUgrasena: "As a resultof the
curseofYayatithisfamilydoes notdeservea kingdom. Butnowthat
I amreadytobe yourservant (bhrtya),you can command evenDevas,
andwhynot,evenkings?"(BrP86.12;ViP 5.21.12).Then,Krsnaasks
VayutobringtheSudharma sabha,Indra'smarvellous Assembly Hall,
befitting a
only king(rajarha) down to earth.(C) Only afterthese two
scenes,does Balarama and Krsna'sinitiation atSandipani'shermitage
andtheliberation oftheguru'ssontakeplace.
In fact,all threeofthesescenesdealwiththeproblem offiliation,be
it biologicalor analogical.(A) Sarnkarsana and Krsnaare good sons
(satputra). BykillingKamsawhohasconfined them,theyhonourtheir
ownparents.According to thefamous!loka, alreadyquotedtwicein
theHV (5.24; 66.20), a son is called a putra,becausehe liberates
his parentsfromthehell "put."Thisreasoningappliesto morethan
just relatives.It is also applicableto otheranalogicalsons suchas
thestudents who mustsimilarly liberatetheirgurusand to thegood
subjects(prajd)whohavetorescuetheirking.(B) As a loyalsubject,
Krsnaworships KingUgrasenawhosesonKarmsa was killed,releasing
himfromall hisbonds.Thiskingwas himself unableto reigndue to
Yayati's curse. Krsna has to intervene in the north-easternpartofIndia

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 Krsna'sInitiation
at Sandfpani's
Hermitage 51

(cf. HV 22.17) to restoretheYadava lineagewhichlostitskingdom

whenold Yayaticursedhis son Yadu who refusedto supporthis
fatherin his old age (HV 22.27-28). (C) Finally,Krsnahonoursguru
Sandipaniwhenhe and his brother SamkarsanaliberatetheDaitya
fromtheocean,thesonwhohadbeensnappedup byPaficajana.14
Krsna,as we have seen, acts as a son in threeways. He first
restoresthewholenessofhisparents bysavingthemfrombondageand
looking after them in their
old age. thenrestores
He theYadava King,
Ugrasena,by re-establishing his lineageagainstYayati'scurseand
actingas his servant(bhrtya). Finally,he restoreshis guruSandipani
byserving him as a son and rescuing theson he hadlost.Without a son,
a manis alreadydead.Usinga provocative formula, Paul Mus said in
his famousBarabudur:"A son is therescuedformof his father(Un
filsestla formesauv6ede son pare),"meaningthata son is theform
ofhis father afterthefather has beensavedbyhim.The commentary
thatfollowsin Mus' bookhelpsto understand theIndianlogicin this
In
matter. India, notes Mus, "One does not inherit
fromone's father;
insteadoneinherits one'sfather."15Andwhena soninherits hisfather,
he does notreceiveonlyhisbelongings, he receiveshisveryself.The
son has actuallybecomethefather. Even if theson can also be said
to be different fromthe father, beginsby a duplicationof
filiation
thefather's self,wherever therelationship offiliationis recognized.16
FromtheVedicpointofview,thesonis ofcoursea physicalbody(by
birth)growingthrough food,butabove all it is a ritualconstruction

14As one mightguessfromthisoverview, truefiliation exemplifiedbythecase of

thesatputraKrsnais certainly a themewhichrunsthroughout thewholeof theHV.
MarcelleSaindon(1998) has shownhow important it is to takethefather/son dyad
intoaccountfora correct readingofchapters11-19oftheHV.
15Mus 1935:119-122 offersa correctiveto the interpretation of A.B. Keith
(1925:579-80).Thissentenceis translatedbyStrong(1989:82).
16One shouldnotoverstress Mus' contention.I agreewithBrianK. Smith(1989:
firstchapters)when he explainsthatthecultural
reduplication impliedin theritualof
initiation
lies somewhere betweenan excessiveand unproductive resemblance (jami)
andan extremely differentiated
being(prthak),that is at once an over-connection and
a disconnection.

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52 AndreCouture

in whicha manprojectshimself(through samskaras)and on which

he propshimselfup to gain immortality. TextsliketheHV and the
Puranas are verycriticalof the possibility of becomingimmortal
by ritualmeans only.Life is rather seen as a seriesof birthsand
deaths,of fathers and sons. This is undoubtedly one of thereasons
whyKrsna's intervention has been envelopedby successive layersof
lineages(vamra). The oldestUpanisadssay explicitly that,once the
atmanis discovered, begetting sons is no longerworthwhile(esp.
Brhadaranyaka-Upanisad 3.5.1; 4.4.22). LaterPuranictextswould
sayexactlytheopposite:itis uselessto renouncebegetting sons.The
fullrecognition ofa sonbyhisfather implies the father'sdeath (orhis
retreatingto theforestin renunciation). Thisrenunciation is a regular
feature intheEpics,exceptinthosecases wherea father mightimitate
kingYayati who triedto achieve immortality by foolishlystripping
his own sons of theirrightto kingship. The same argument applies
also to the guruor thepurohitawho "begets"a dTksita. Although
birththrough initiationis usuallythought of as a metaphor, in this
contextthefactthattheadequatefeeis theresurrection oftheguru's
biological son makes it clear that we are dealing with a muchmore
Theguru'ssonhastobe thought
literalinterpretation. ofas therescued
formof Krsna'spreceptor Sandipani, as well as a paradigmatic figure
forall sons whose lives mustbe rituallyconstructed to fillup the
bamboooftheirlineage.17

5. Variationson theThemeof theSon Restoredto Life

Krsna'sandSamkarsana's initiation
introducesthethemeoftheson
broughtbackto life.Thisepisodeis notan isolatedcase. Let us now
considerthreeoftenneglected
storieswhichthrowlightonthisstrange
narrative.
resurrection

17In the Sanskritlanguage,varmnameansat once the hollowbambooand the

lineagethatmustbe filledup withsons. Actually,in HV 68.28-29, Krsnais said
to cometo earthin orderto cause theYadavas to fillup (dpurayisvanti)
andextend
theirlineage(cf.Couture1982:140).

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 Krsna'sInitiation
at Sandipani'sHermitage 53

A. Arjuna'sfinaltestafterhis initiation withDrona (MBh 1.123.68-

75). In the Adiparvan of the MBh, Bhisma rejectsDrupadaYajfiasena
as an appropriate guruforhis sons,finallysettling on Drona as his
choice.Dronaacceptson thecondition thathisfeesareto be paid on
thebattlefield;Kauravasmustfight KingDrupadaforhiskingdom. At
theendof theirinitiation to all weapons,Dronagoes with his pupils
tobathein theriverGanges.Whenhe divesintothewater,a powerful
crocodilethatlivedintheriverwas prompted byTimetograbhimby
theshin.Although he is quiteable to save his ownlife,he purposely
ordershispupilstokillthecrocodileandsavehim.He hasnotfinished
speakingbeforeArjuna,witha burstoffivearrows, killsthecrocodile
underthewater.Drona deemshimthebestof all his students and
rewardshimwiththegiftof a remarkable, invincible weaponnamed
Brahmasiras.18
This episodeimmediately followsArjuna'sinitiation. As a sortof
fee
metaphorical (thatanticipates the real fee), Drona requireshis
students to save hisverylife.To understand therealimport of sucha
gesture, one must take into account that thestudents are likeembryos
begotten by theirguru. At the end of thedrksa, those students may
properly be calledsonsoftheirguru.In accordancewiththetraditional
etymology of thewordputra,it is onlyaftera son has beenbegotten
by his father,whohas brought himto his specificperfection through
theappropriate samskaras, thata son (putra)is able to save his father.
In thepresent scenario,in a contrived thegurupretends
setting, todie
andis brought backtolifebyhis"son."ArjunadefeatsDeathitselfand
becomesinvincible. To becomea realsonis metaphorically to restore
a father'slife.

B. ThesalvationofBrahmin'ssons (HV 101-104). Laterin theHV,

whentheYadavashavemovedto Dvaraka,Vaisampayana recountsa
to
story Janamejaya which Arjunahad toldto as a
Yudhisthira way
ofillustrating Arjunawas visiting
Vasudeva's(i.e.,Krsna's)greatness.
his relativesat Dvaraka.Once,whenhe had committed to performa

18Thissectionreproduces foundinvanBuitenen'stranslation.
thewording

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54 AndreCouture

one-day(ekaha) sacrifice, an excellentBrahminapproachedhimand

askedhimforassistance. TheBrahmin's problem was evenworsethan
Sandipani's had been. As soon as they were born,each of his three
sonshad died.He imploredVasudeva'sprotection to save thefourth
one whowas aboutto be born. The protection Brahminprevails
of a
overritualintegrity, arguesKrsnain his desireto save theBrahmin.
To allow Krsnato honourhis undertakings (dfksd),Arjunaoffersto
go to thevillagehimselfin orderto save thechild.He leftDvaraka
witha hugearmyandsurrounded theBrahmin's house.Unfortunately,
thesemeasureswereto no avail. He failedto protecttheBrahmin's
son who was ravishedby a Raksasaas soon as he lefthis mother's
womb.Arjunawas ashamedand the Brahminlaughedat his false
claims.Whenhe was backin Dvaraka,Govinda(i.e., Krsna)noticed
Arjuna'sdistress, consoledtheBrahminand decidedto takecharge
oftheoperation. Krsna,ArjunaandtheBrahmin wentnorth(102.23),
mettheOcean whichsolidifiedits watersso thattheymightcross,
werehonouredby thebiggestmountains whichletthempass,drove
through a zone of thick darkness and ran intoa brightlightin the
shapeof a man(purusa)whichcoveredthewholeworld.All three
of thementeredthisgreatlight,emerging a momentlaterwiththe
fourchildren. As theyreachedDvarakaagain,Krsnaentertained his
listenerswithevenmoremarvellous stories.Then at Arjuna'srequest
he explainedwhathad happened.A Mahatma,he says,kidnapped
thesechildren,thinking itwas theonlywaytocontemplate Krsnawho
alwayscomesforBrahmins. As inchapters 10-11oftheBhagavadgfta
(or Ma-rkandeya's visionaccordingto MBh or HV), Vasudevafinally
explains how he is identicaltothewholeworldandall itsparts.
Krsna'sinitiation to an ekahasacrifice servesas a background for
thisstory.Arjunadoes notrealizehis own invincibility. In orderto
teachArjunathepowerofsacrifice, Krsnatakesadvantage ofhisown
position to show Arjuna how it is possible, while beinga dFksita,
to use his own divinebodyto supporttheBrahmins. The sacrificial
theory saysthat,in such the
initiations, one who sacrificesbecomesan
embryo, constructing a newdivinebodyforhimself thathe willuse as
a vehicletoreachheaven.The sacrifice is atthesametimethevehicle

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 Krsna'sInitiation
at Sandrpani'sHermitage 55

and thetripto heaven.The Brahminof thisepisode,whosesons are

inthepowerofDeath,asksfortheksatriya's After
protection. thefirst
triphad failed,Krsnahimself takesthelead and decidesto unveilthe
powerful secretworld to which sacrifice
givesaccess.Metaphorically,
he crossesdifferentstepsleadingto theworldof totalfreedom. The
sons stillhave to play a role in the liberation
of theBrahmin,but
theymustfirst be savedbyKIsna himselfwhorevealshimselfas the
Yajniapurusaandas themodelofall thosewhosacrifice. Krsnais able
toliberatetheBrahmin's sonsfromdeathbecausehe is thegreatest of
thepurusas,and as suchgovernstheperpetual movement of creation
anddestruction ofall beings.

C. The resurrection of Devakr'ssons (BhP 10.84-85). AfterKrsna

killedBhaumasura, a numberof sages,watching theintense
secretly
love thatwas beingexperienced on earthat thattime,came to earth
to see Krsnaand Balarama(i.e., Samkarsana).As soon as theysaw
him,theypraisedhimas therulerof theworld,who had concealed
hisuniversaldominion undermerehumanacts(84.16),behavinglike
an ordinary person and teachingtheworldby his example(84.15).
As theytookleave of Krsnaand theothers,Vasudeva(i.e., Krsna's
father)askedthemhowonemightbestpurify oneselfofall impurities.
"One shoulddevoutlypropitiateand worshipVisnu,the Lord of
sacrifices,
byperforming (84.35). It is thebestwayto give
sacrifice"
up covetousness forwealth, tospenditintheperformance ofsacrifices
andgifts(84.38). "Afterhavingpaidyourdebttothesagesbystudying
theVeda,to thefathers bybegetting sons,youhaveto discharge your
debtto thegods by performing sacrifices,"said thesages. Hearing
thosewords,Vasudevaperformed as manysacrificesas he could,
paid the sacrificialpriestsabundantfees,and gave all the people
generouspresents. The atmosphere was one of warmfriendship and
evenNandagopapostponed hisdepartureforthreemonths (84.66).
On one occasionaftertheirreturn to Dvaraka,KrsnaandBalarama
had paid theirrespectsto theirparentswho had alreadyheardthe
wordsofthesagesandcouldnotprevent themselves fromsingingthe
praisesof theirsons.On hearingthathersonshad brought theson of

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56 AndreCouture

theirpreceptor backtolife(85.27),Devakiwaswonderstruck andtook

advantageofthismoment toimplorethemin thefollowing terms:"At
thebehestofTimeandinresponsetothewishesofhisfather, bothof
youbrought backtheson of yourpreceptor Sandipani,whohad died
so manyyearsearlier, fromtheregionofPitrs(fathers),
i.e.,theabode
of deathandpresented himin homageto yourpreceptor (thuspaying
thedebtofyourpreceptorship). You shouldsimilarlyfulfilmydesire
as bothof youare theLordsof themastersof Yoga. I desireto see,
brought to life,mysons who have beenkilledby Kamsa,theKing
of Bhojas" (85.32-33).Then,BalaramaandKrsnaentered thenether
worldcalled Sutala. Krsnaexplainedto King Bali who welcomed
them,thatDevaki'sfirstsix sonswereMariciand Urna'ssonsin the
firstManvantara. Theywerepunishedforhavinglaughedat Brahma
whowas preparing tocohabitwithhisdaughter.Havingexplainedhis
missionto Bali,he brought backthesixchildrentoDevaki.
Thisvariation on thesamethemeis explicitly
linkedto Sandipani's
The sequenceof eventsis the same: at first,Vasudeva
initiation.
performs afterwards
sacrifices; andas a consequence
ofthisabundance
of sacrifice,Krsnabringsback to life Devaki's sons. Even if the
relationbetweenthe sacrificesand the resurrectionof the sons is
somewhatloose, theexplicitmentionof Sandipani'ssacrificial fees
illustrates
thatthisearlierepisodeservesas a modelfortheepisode
recorded intheBhP.

Conclusion
HV 79 providesa narrative linkbetweenSamkarsana's andKrsna's
childhoodandtherestofthestorywhichdealswiththeiradultlivesas
ksatriyas.As theepisodeunderstudyinthispaperprovides into
insight
theoverallstructureoftheHV,I havechosentoemphasizethosetopics
whichprovekeyto uncovering thatstructure.
Therefore,thefocusof
thispaperhas beento considerSandipanias a guru.I haveunveiled,
littleby little,Sandipani'sconnections with(1) the whole trinurti
comprised of Brahma, Visnu and Siva-Rudra,(2) thesacrificial
logic
whichinvolvesone whosacrifices, a deityandan officiant,
and(3) the
variationon thethemeoffiliation impliedinthenarration. Thispaper,

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 Krsna'sInitiation
at Sandipani'sHermitage 57

whilenotpretending to exhaustall thepossibilities of thisepisode,

intendsaboveall tounderline theimportance ofthisapparently trivial
storyforanunderstanding ofthewholelifeofKrsnaas presented inthe
HV.Further investigationwould shed
certainly light on other important
themesalludedto inthisepisode.
By thesame token,thispaperintendsto showthattheSandipani
episode is neitherprimitive, nor a confusingmixtureof selected
purplepassages. On thecontrary, itis mydeepconviction thatKrsna
mythology emergesfromthe reflections of Brahminsinvolvedin
ritualsand eagerto tellstoriesthatreflect thenewconception of the
deityfoundin the Epics and the Purdnas.As analysisof the HV
progresses(cf. Couture1995-96), two pointsemergewithgreater
clarity.First,Krsna's initiation at Sandipani'shermitage is closely
connectedto theoverallplan and importof theMBh and HV; and
second,better knowledge ofthesetextswillundoubtedly be thekeyto
disentangling thethreads of the very curious storywhich is toldinHV
79. In contrastto earlierinterpretations whosegeneraltheoriesshort-
circuited theritualandtechnical allusionscontained intheseepisodes,
thisessayhas demonstrated thatfewof thedetailscontainedin these
ancienttextsarethereby chance.Although it maybe a clich6to say
so, it bearsrepeating thatit is preferable to resituate
theepisodesof
Krsna'sbiography withinthe settingthatis properto themand to
uncovertheHinducategorieswhichunderliethem,thanit is to tack
ontothesemyths theso-calleduniversal keysof"greatgod"or"hero."

Facult6 de th6ologieet de sciences religieuses ANDRE COUTURE

Laval
Universit6
Quebec(Qu6bec)G1K7P4
Canada
Andre.Couture@ ftsr.ulaval.ca

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58 AndreCouture

BIBLIOGRAPHY
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 Krsna'sInitiation
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