Krishna at the Mansarovar

By Mayank Shridhar

on Dec 27, 2023

Mythological tales are palimpsests over time, told and retold to bring out much-loved aspects.

Set during the Dwapar Yuga, the power-hungry Kansa wishes to expand his dominion from Mathura to Dwarka, to control the lucrative trade at the seaport. Rebels in his kingdom employ devious means to create a rift between Kansa and his sister Devaki’s family. Kalaka, Kansa’s chief strategist, throws a net of spies across the Vrishni kingdom to find the children, Balaram and Krishna, living in Gokul with foster parents. Foreshadowed by a prophecy which named Kansa’s nephews as his nemesis, their lives are in constant peril. It sets in motion a host of events for which the boys are completely unprepared.

Krishna and Balaram race through dense, dark forests while being chased by Kansa’s assassins and Asuras. Unforeseen help comes their way, and they embark upon a six-year long adventure beyond the Himalayas, escaping to an unknown realm near the Kailash Mansarovar. They learn new ways of life and combat techniques, which seem otherworldly to their countrymen upon their return.

This fantasy does not delve into stupendous miracles but trims the grandiose from lives that were perhaps extraordinary. An exploration of social and geographical aspects known through the historical timing of civilization serves as a backdrop.

There may be dissonances with classical prose to allow for a pragmatic verve in the storytelling, which emerged from the realization that life’s infinitesimal details can be told in myriad ways, and some questions have no definitive answers. For example, how were the kingdoms politically divided five thousand years ago? What kinds of Divyastras existed in a time before the Iron Age? What is the significance of martial arts in our assessment of a warrior’s divinity? Will Krishna, a young cowherd from Gokul, manage to kill a warrior king as mighty as Kansa?