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Gods and Heroes of the Bhagavad Gita

By Geoffrey A. Barborka

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Gods and Heroes of The Bhagavad-Gita K

Kalpa A period of time, a cycle: a generalizing term and therefore used for time-periods of different lengths; chronologers, however, compute a Kalpa by the Life of Brahma – minor kalpas are numerous. A Mahakalpa is often made the equivalent of a Manvantara. *k??p, to be in order. Bh.G. 65)

Kamadeva The god of love (lit. the god Kama). The first-born in the Vedas: “Him neither devas, nor Pit?s, nor men have equalled. Thou art superior to these and forever great,” chants the Atharva-Veda; while the ?g-Veda sings: “Desire first arose in It, which was the primal germ of mind; and which sages, searching with their intellect, have discovered in their heart to be the bond which connects entity with non-entity” (x, 129). Kamadeva is the lord of the Apsarasas (the celestial nymphs, consorts of the Gandharvas, q.v.), and is represented as a handsome youth riding on a parrot, attended by the Apsarasas, one of whom bears his banner distinguished by the Makara (q.v.). His bow is made of sugar-cane, and his bow-string a line of bees, while each one of his arrows is tipped with a different flower. The Taittiriya-Brahmana has it that Kamadeva was the son of Dharma (moral religious duty, piety, justice) and of Sraddha (faith); in another hymn he is born from the heart of Brahma and therefore called the Self-Existent (Atma-bhu), or the Unborn (Aja). Kamadeva is in the ?g-Veda ”the personification of that feeling which leads and propels to creation. He was the first movement that stirred the ONE, after its manifestation from the purely abstract principle, to create,” (S.D. II, 176). “As Eros was connected in early Greek mythology with the world’s creation, and only afterwards became the sexual Cupid, so was Kama in his original Vedic character,” (ibid.). (Bh.G. 74 – mentioned as ‘the god of love.’)

Kamaduk The mythical cow belonging to the sage Vasi??ha, produced by the gods at the churning of the cosmic ocean. (See Ananta.) She is supposed to grant all desires and hence is termed the ‘cow of plenty.’ The alternative form, Kamadhenu, gives the clue to this meaning: kama, desire, wish; dhenu, milch-cow. In interpretation of the above allegory: the reference is to the appearance of the Earth in space as the mother of all that later appears on it. (Bh.G. 23)

Kandarpa De godhead van de liefde, ‘Cupido’. (Bh.G. X 28)

Ka?sa A king of the Yadava line of the Lunar Dynasty, ruler of the Bhojas, reigning at Mathura, who deposed his own father, Ugrasena. Ugrasena was the brother of Devaka, the latter being the father of Devaki mother of K???a. Kansa is usually called the uncle of K???a; strictly speaking, however, he is a cousin. In spite of this relationship, he became the avowed enemy of K???a because a prophecy had been foretold to him that a son of Devaki would cause his death. In order to prevent this from happening, Kansa imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva in his palace and commanded that all infants born to them should be put to death. Six children were so slain, but a seventh, Balarama, was saved through the connivance of his parents. Then when K???a was born, his parents escaped from the palace and fled from the city of Mathura, whereupon the enraged Kansa ordered all infant boys in the kingdom put to death; but the parents escaped from the realm with K???a, and the child was brought up by cow-herds in seclusion. Kansa at length learned that K???a had escaped destruction and made several attempts to bring about his death: as an instance, he sent Jarasandha, the king of Magadha, to battle with the young K???a eighteen times, but that monarch was as many times defeated. K???a finally slew Ka?sa, as was predicted, restored Ugrasena, but left Mathura and established his kingdom at Dvaraka. (Bh.G. 121)

Kapila One of the famous ??is. There are many sages by the name of Kapila, the last being the founder of the Sa?khya (q.v.) philosophy. A legend relates that while Kapila was engaged in meditation in Patala, he was menaced by the sixty thousand sons of Sagara, whereupon the sacred flame which darted from his person immediately reduced the sixty thousand sons to ashes. “That the story is an allegory is seen upon its very face: the 60,000 Sons, brutal, vicious, and impious, are the personification of the human passions that a ‘mere glance of the sage’ – the SELF who represents the highest state of purity that can be reached on earth – reduces to ashes.” (S.D. II, 571) “There are several well-known Kapilas in the Pura?as. First the primeval sage, then Kapila, one of the three ‘Secret’ Kumaras; and Kapila, son of Kasyapa and Kadru … besides Kapila, the great sage and philosopher of the Kali Yuga.” (S.D. II, 572) (Bh.G. 74)

Karma Briefly, the teaching of Karma in the Bhagavad-Gita (and for that matter throughout the whole of the Mahabharata) is, that man’s actions set in motion causes which in due time react upon their producer, hence until he can “burst the bonds of Karma and rise above them” he is in fact chained thereby, and must return to the scene of his actions again and again, i.e., he is reborn on Earth again and again until he is freed from the bonds of Karma. The means for freeing himself are inculcated, principally in chapters iii v, xiv, and xviii. *k? to do, to act: dictionary form or ‘crude form’: karman, nominative case: karma. Bh.G. 15)

Kar?a The son of P?tha (or Kunti) by Surya, the god of the sun, through the instrumentality of a mantra granted to her by the sage Durvasa. This occurred before her marriage to Pandu, hence Kar?a was the half-brother of the Pa??avas, although this was not known to them until after his death, which was accomplished by Arjuna during the battle at Kurukshetra. Kar?a had been abandoned by his mother while yet a child: he was found by the suta (Charioteer) of Dh?tara??ra, named Adhiratha (or Nandana), and brought up as his own son. Although knowing his relationship to the Pa??avas, Kar?a sided with the Kauravas, because Duryodhana had given him the kingdom of Anga. During the great conflict Kar?a was on the point of slaying Arjuna, of whom he was especially envious, but was prevented from doing so by K???a. (Bh.G. 2)

Karttikeya God of war, also called Skanda; the planet Mars. He is a son of Siva.

Kasi (or Kasi) A country situated in the vicinity of modern Benares or Vara?asi, whose king, Kasya, sided with the Pa??avas. (Bh.G. 2)

Kaunteya Zoon van Kunti, Arjuna (and the other Pa??ava brothers)

Kauravas (see Kurus)

Kesava A name applied to K???a, likewise to Vi??u. (m. having much or fine hair. Bh.G. 18)

Kesin A daitya (or ‘demon’) slain by K???a when the prince was attacked by Kesin in the form of a horse. The daitya was believed to have been sent by Kansa (q.v.) in order to cause the death of K???a. (Bh.G.121)

Kratu One of the Visvas (q.v.)

K?pa The son of the sage Saradvat. With his sister K?pa he was adopted by king Santanu (the father of Bhishma). K?pa was one of the privy councilors at Hastinapura, and was one of the three sole surviving warriors of the conflict on the side of the Kauravas (hence he is referred to in the text as ‘the conqueror in battle’). (Bh.G. 3)

K???a The son of Devaki and Vasudeva (of the Yadava line of the Chandrava?sa – the Lunar Dynasty). (For particulars as to his birth see Ka?sa.) K???a is represented as the eighth Avatara of Vi??u: in this aspect he is the spiritual teacher, the embodiment of wisdom; but as with other Saviors, stories and allegories have been woven around him in great abundance. In the Mahabharata his story is briefly sketched, yet all his exploits are enumerated: he appears throughout the work mostly as the advisor of the Pa??avas. The life of K???a is told in full in the Hariva?sa (a work regarded as an addition to the epic), also in great detail in the Vi??u- and Bhagavata-Pura?as, and popularized for the multitude in the Prem Sagar (written in Hindi. The various stories and allegories woven around K???a are still the most loved topic among the populace of India today, who revere him as a god. Nevertheless his teachings as outlined in the Bhagavad-Gita are as applicable today in the Occident as in the Orient – although couched in the metaphor and background of a people living thousands of years ago. The date of K???a’s death is given as 3102 B.C., and this event marked the commencement of the Kali-yuga, the present ‘Iron Age.’ The Bhagavad-Gita itself best describes the avataric character of K???a: it represents the teacher as the Logos, while Arjuna typifies man. H. P. Blavatsky makes the following interesting comment regarding the successive incarnations of avataras of Vi??u (i.e., the Narasi?ha, Rama, and K???a) and the successive reincarnations of Daityas. Hira?yakasipu, the unrighteous but valiant monarch of the Daityas, because of his wickedness was slain by the Avatara Nara-si?ha (Man-lion). “Then he was born as Ravana, the giant king of Lanka, and killed by Rama; after which he is reborn as Sisupala, the son of Raja-??i (King ??i) Damaghosha, when he is again killed by K???a, the last incarnation of Vi??u. This parallel evolution of Vi??u (spirit) with a Daitya, as men, may seem meaningless, yet it gives us the key not only to the respective dates of Rama and K???a but even to a certain psychological mystery.” (S.D. II, 225) (m. dark-colored, black, or blue-black. K???a is represented as being very dark-skinned. Bh.G. 3)

K???a King Drupada’s daughter, better known as Draupadi

K???a Dvaipayana (see Vyasa). (Bh.G. p. iii)

K???a-Yajur-Veda lit. ’the Black Yajur-Veda’ – an alternative name for the Taittiriya-Samhita – one of the two divisions of this Veda, the other part being known as the White Yajurveda. It is called ‘black’ (K???a) because the Sa?hita and Brahmana portions of this Veda are confused and mixed together, whereas the part named ‘white’ (sukla) is free from this confusion and is arranged in an orderly manner. Yajur-Veda means ‘sacrificial Veda’: – it is a collection of sacred mantras which are practically identical with some of the mantras in the Rig-Veda; in fact it is simply a collection, cut up and rearranged for the priests as a sort of sacrificial prayer-book. The principal sacrifices are those to be performed at the new and full moon, and at the horse-sacrifice (asvamedha). (Bh.G. 31)

K?attriya (or K?atriya) The second of the four social classes in the Vedic period: generally called the warrior caste, but the term refers also to the world of officialdom, i.e., kings, princes, administrators, etc. (see Bh.G. pp. 127-8). (Bh.G. 14)

K?etra A sphere of action, a field, a vehicle. Referred to (in Bh.G.) as the compounded constitution of the knower, or of the conscious entity, i.e., the body. (Bh.G. 93)

K?etrajña The conscious ego: the cognizing and recognizing element in the human constitution – Buddhi-Manas (translated ‘soul’ in Bh.G.). (comp. k?etra, field, i.e., body; jña, the knower. Bh.G. 93)

Kubera, Kuvera In Hindu mythology the regent of the North, also the chief of various spirits of nature whose abode is the underworld or Hades. He is the treasurer of the gods. Like the Greek Pluto-Plutus, he is said to be possessed of great wealth and to be the keeper of all the treasures on earth.

Kunti The patronymic of Pritha, the sister of K???a’s father, Vasudeva, and daughter of a Yadava prince named Sura, who gave her to his childless cousin Kunti (or Kuntibhoja), by whom she was adopted – hence she was called Kunti. As a maiden she paid such respect and devotion to the sage Durvasas that he taught her a mantra whereby she was enabled to have a child by any god she chose to invoke. In order to test the efficacy of this she invoked the god of the sun, Surya, and Kar?a (q.v.) was born: but Kunti abandoned the child. She chose Pandu as her husband (at a svayamvara). With the aid of her mantra she invoked the god of justice, Dharma, by whom Yudhi??hira was born by invoking Vayu, the god of the wind, Bhima was born; and by supplication to Indra, the god of the sky, Kunti gave birth to Arjuna. In the Mahabharata Kunti is represented as the model of maternal affection and devotion, ever watching over the Pa??avas, with whom she spent thirteen years in exile. After the great war she retired with Gandhari and Dh?tara??ra into the forest, where she perished in a conflagration. “As Aditi is called Surarani (the matrix or ‘mother’ of the sura’s (gods)), so Kunti the mother of the Pa??avas, is called in Mahabharata Pa??avara?i – which term is already physiologized.” (S.D. II, 527) (Bh.G. 4)

Kuntibhoja (or Kunti) King of the Kuntis (a people of ancient India). This Yadava prince adopted Pritha, the daughter of his cousin Sura, hence she was called Kunti (q.v.). (Bh.G. 2)

Kuru A king of the Paurava line of the Chandrava?sa (the Lunar Dynasty) reigning at Hastinapura. He was the son of Samvara?a and Tapati and the ancestor of Dh?tara??ra and Pandu by the fourteenth remove. Hence Arjuna is referred to as ‘son of Kuru’ (Bh.G. 51) or ‘best of the Kurus’ (Bh.G. 35).

Kuruk?etra lit., ‘The field of the Kurus’: a plain situated in the vicinity of modern Delhi on which was staged the great conflict which forms the principal theme of the Mahabharata. (comp. Kuru, and k?etra, field. Bh.G. 1)

Kurus (or Kauravas) An ancient people inhabiting the northwest of India, in the vicinity of the modern Delhi. In the Mahabharata they are divided into northern and southern Kurus: the northern occupying one of the four Mahadvipas (principal divisions of the known world), and regarded as a country beyond the most northern range of the Himalayas, often described as a country of everlasting happiness and considered to be the ancient home of the Aryan Race. The southern Kurus were those referred to in the Bhagavad-Gita reigning at Hastinapura. In the text (of the Bh.G.), the reference to the Kurus is applicable to the sons of Dh?tara??ra, although the sons of Pandu are equally ‘Kurus.’ And so Arjuna is referred to as ‘the best of the Kurus,’ for he was a descendant of Kuru by the fifteenth remove. (Bh.G. 4)

Kusa The sacred grass (Poa cynosuroides), used in India at certain religious ceremonies. H. P. Blavatsky remarks that it has certain occult properties. (Theos. Gloss.) (Bh.G. 46)

Kusumakara The season of Spring. (comp. kusuma, flower, blossom; akara, making a quantity of. Bh.G. 76)

Ku?astha A philosophical term meaning ‘holding the highest position,’ hence the primordial divinity. As a noun it is often used as a synonym for Isvara, the Divine-Spiritual Monad. Ku?astha. Ku?astha is often used derivatively for Akasa (q.v.) and for Mulaprak?ti. (comp. kuta, the highest, the summit; stha, standing. Bh.G. 108)