Reading Notes: The Parijata Tree and Other Tales of Krishna

This is one of the amazing comic books from Bizzell. I jumped forward a lot in Krishna's life to when he has many wives.

The first story centers around Satya Bhama, Krishna's second wife I think. I like that she plays an active role in helping Krishna during battle, but this story leaves me feeling unsure if her actions were just. She feels that she doesn't receive the recognition she deserves so she picks a fight with Indra, destroying his celestial army, to make her point. It is nice to see such a strong woman in the Indian epics, but this particular exhibition of power seemed a little petty.

The second story is about a beautiful woman named Lakshmana, which I think is hilarious. She holds a swayamvara to secure Krishna as her husband and become his third wife. Krishna has so many brides it's a little shocking to me, but I guess that it was culturally normal for that time and place. In the third story, you see how they all get along with one another and work together when Krishna is in danger of being stolen away by a sage.

Bibliography: The Parijata Tree and Other Tales of Krishna Vol. 767
Image: Lord Krishna's Marvelous Leelas by Abhi Sharma, Flickr