Krishna Menon, Vengalil Krishnan, 1897-1974, Indian diplomat. He was educated at the Presidency College and the Law College of Madras (now Chennai) and at the London School of Economics and University College, London. During his long stay (1924-47) in England he joined the Labour party, was admitted (1934) to the English bar, and served (1934-47) as borough councilor of St. Pancras, London. As secretary (1929-47) of the India League and also as a journalist, he worked hard for Indian self-government and became closely associated with Jawaharlal Nehru. After Indian independence (1947), Krishna Menon served as high commissioner for India in Great Britain (1947-52) and as Indian delegate to the United Nations (1952-62), where he was an outspoken critic of the United States and a staunch supporter of mainland China. In 1957 he was appointed minister of defense, but in 1962, following the Chinese invasion of India's northern frontiers, he was severely criticized for India's lack of military preparedness and was relieved of office. In 1967 he lost his seat in the national legislature, where he had served since 1953, but he was reelected in 1969.

Krishna [Sanskrit,=black], one of the most popular deities in Hinduism, the eighth avatar, or incarnation of Vishnu. Krishna appears in the Mahabharata epic as a prince of the Yadava tribe and the friend and counselor of the Pandava princes. His divinity is proclaimed in several places in the epic, particularly in the Bhagavad-Gita. Krishna's childhood and youth are described in the Harivamsa (a supplement to the Mahabharata), the Vishnu Purana, and the Bhagavata Purana, the last being one of the most important texts of the Bhakti, or devotional, movement. As a young boy Krishna is the foster child of cowherds and shows his divine nature by conquering demons. As a youth he is the lover of the gopis (milkmaids), playing his flute and dancing with them by moonlight. The play of Krishna and the gopis is regarded in Hinduism as an image of the soul's relationship with God. The love of Krishna and Radha, his favorite gopi, is celebrated in a great genre of Sanskrit and Bengali love poetry.

Krishna or Kistna, river, c.800 mi (1,290 km) long, rising in Maharashtra state, central India, in the Western Ghats, and flowing SE through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states to the Bay of Bengal. The river supplies water for the irrigation of extensive areas in all three states; its flow fluctuates according to seasonal monsoon rains. Its source is sacred to Hindus; the river is named for the god Krishna.

Gokhale, Gopal Krishna, 1866-1915, Indian nationalist leader. A Brahman from Maharashtra, he was educated in India and became involved in the nationalist movement when he was quite young. A moderate, he stressed negotiation and conciliation rather than non-cooperation or violence. He was elected to the Bombay Legislative Council in 1899 and to the Imperial Legislative Council in 1902. The conflict of Gokhale's moderate views with the more militant ideas of Bal Gangadhar Tilak led to a breach in the Indian National Congress that nearly immobilized it from 1907 to 1916. Gokhale was instrumental in founding the Servants of India Society, a nationalist organization whose members, sworn to poverty and obedience, were enlisted to serve as volunteers for the social, political, and economic welfare of India.

orig. Vishvambhara Mishra

(born 1485, Navadvipa, Bengal, India—died 1533, Puri, Orissa) Indian Hindu mystic. Born into a Brahman family, he became a teacher. While on a pilgrimage to perform his father's death-anniversary ceremony, he had a profound religious experience, and he returned home indifferent to worldly matters. Disciples joined him in worship that consisted of choral singing of the name of God, often accompanied by dance movements and ending in trance states. He took his new name on initiation as an ascetic in 1510. In his lifetime his following came to constitute a major sect of Vaishnavism (see Caitanya movement). According to tradition, he died when he walked into the ocean while lost in a devotional trance.

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One of the most widely venerated Hindu gods, worshiped as the eighth incarnation of Vishnu and as the supreme deity. Many Krishna legends are drawn from the Mahabharata and the Puranas. His earliest appearance is in the Mahabharata as the divine charioteer of Arjuna, whom Krishna convinces that the war Arjuna is about to fight is just (see Bhagavadgita). In later works Krishna was a slayer of demons, a secret lover of all devotees, and a devoted son and father. He also lifted the sacred hill of Govardhana on one finger to protect his devotees from Indra's wrath. In art Krishna is often depicted with blue-black skin, wearing a loincloth and a crown of peacock feathers. As a divine lover, he is shown playing the flute, surrounded by adoring females.

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orig. Vishvambhara Mishra

(born 1485, Navadvipa, Bengal, India—died 1533, Puri, Orissa) Indian Hindu mystic. Born into a Brahman family, he became a teacher. While on a pilgrimage to perform his father's death-anniversary ceremony, he had a profound religious experience, and he returned home indifferent to worldly matters. Disciples joined him in worship that consisted of choral singing of the name of God, often accompanied by dance movements and ending in trance states. He took his new name on initiation as an ascetic in 1510. In his lifetime his following came to constitute a major sect of Vaishnavism (see Caitanya movement). According to tradition, he died when he walked into the ocean while lost in a devotional trance.

Learn more about Caitanya, Sri Krishna with a free trial on Britannica.com.