Why Is Krishna Blue in Color?

The Lord Krishna! When you hear His name, what comes in your mind? Serenity, spirituality, wisdom, but with a pinch of mischief or humour. This is why Lord Krishna is called the Leela Purushottam, i.e. the best among the men in doing divine, mysterious acts or leelas. Those of us who do not know much about Lord Krishna, I will give a brief introduction for them. He is considered an incarnation or avatar of Hindu God Vishnu, one among the trinity of Gods. He was the son of Vasudeva and Devaki and slayed his maternal uncle Demon king Kamsa to protect people from his oppressions. He ruled the kingdom of Dwarka and was a good friend of Pandava Prince Arjuna. In the battle of Mahabharata he was the one who guided Arjuna to walk on the path of actions and fight against anyone who either was evil or a supporter of evil. His preachings in the battlefield of Mahabharata are compiled as a Hindu scripture named Shrimad Bhagavat Gita, a book that can serve as the guiding lamp in the stressful life battles. A point that stirs our curiosity is that the Lord Krishna has been portrayed in Hindy Mythology to be blue in colour. It is a rather peculiar colour for a person to be of. Isn’t it? So, why Lord Krishna is blue in colour? The blue colour of Lord Krishna is one of the most iconic and symbolically rich aspects of Hindu mythology.  The blue colour of Lord Krishna is not simply for artistic or aesthetic appeal. It has a deep, multi-layered spiritual, metaphysical, and philosophical meaning. There are various interpretations of Lord Krishna’s blue colour and here we will explore the most compelling interpretations among them.

As per one interpretation blue colour of Krishna is a symbol of Infinity and Cosmic Vastness. Just like the blue sky and the blue ocean, which appear infinite, Lord Krishna is considered infinite, never ending. All the dimensions, expansions of the universe are Krishna only. Lord Krishna, who is an avatar of Lord Vishnu, embodies the limitless and eternal nature of the universe. Swami Vivekananda believed in the same interpretation of the Lord Krishna’s blue colour. It gets evident  when we refer to his quote: “The God of Infinite Love and the object of Love sublime and infinite are painted blue.”

Another anecdote relates blue colour of Krishna with the Kaliya Mardana episode. Kaliya was a very poisonous, enormous, multi-headed snake who used to live in a small area of Yamuna river called Kaliya Dah. His presence in the river caused the water in vicinity to turn poisonous and become unfit for drinking. People were afraid of going there. To rid the brijwasis of this monstrous serpent, Krishna one day took his friends to play near that area knowingly. While playing, their ball went into the river and Krishna jumped in to fetch the ball out. He defeated Kaliya and forced him to leave the place and go elsewhere. It is believed by some people that the venom of Kaliya during this encounter entered Krishna’s body, giving Him a blue hue.

Blue colour of Lord Krishna is also considered related to his aura.  Auras and chakras are indicative of one’s energy. Lord Krishna is blue in colour as he is said to release a blue aura which is considered to be associated with the throat chakra. The throat chakra is linked to truth, expression, and wisdom. As per yogic customs and rituals, blue aura is aligned with a high level of consciousness and reflects energy and wisdom far beyond ordinary human experience.

Another take on the blue colour of Lord Krishna is associated with His origin.As per the Hindu scriptures, Lord Krishna was born from the black hair of God Vishnu, and Lord Balarama was born from the white hair of God Vishnu. As a result, Lord Krishna was born with a darker complexion and a bluish hue, while Lord Balrama was born with a white complexion. Not only Lord Krishna, other Avatars of Lord Vishnu like Lord Rama and Lord Narasimha, are often depicted with blue skin to signify that they are incarnations of Lord Vishnu who himself has bluish complexion. It indicates these incarnations’ divine origin. 

Thus, to summarise we can say that Krishna’s blue skin isn’t just a colour. It is actually a metaphor for the divine, the infinite, and the transcendent. The blue colour is synonymous with infinity just like the ocean and the sky, and it invites us to look beyond the physical and into the spiritual essence of existence. So, now you have got an idea why Lord Krishna is blue in colour. To know about many more such questions that pique your interest you can join Bambinos Bhagavad Gita classes where you are taught to enter the spiritual realm and understand the divine along with the practical implications of spirituality in day-to-day life that can help you strive better in life. These classes are available in both group class and personal class format. Contact us to know more about the program and enrol with us to reap the benefits.

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