Who is Shri Krishna?
Shri Krishna is revered as the complete avatar of Lord Vishnu, and many devotional traditions worship him as the Supreme Lord himself.
Answer
Shri Krishna was born at midnight on the Ashtami of the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada, in the prison of Mathura, as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva. For fear of Kamsa, Vasudeva carried him to Gokul, where he was raised by Nanda Baba and Yashoda Maiya.
The scriptures describe him as an avatar of Lord Vishnu, and in the popular list of ten avatars he is the eighth. In the Shrimad Bhagavatam, after a list of avatars, it is said that the others are portions of the Lord, but Krishna is Bhagavan himself. On this basis many Vaishnava traditions, such as the Gaudiya and Pushtimarg traditions, worship him as the Supreme Lord himself, while other traditions honour him as the complete avatar of Vishnu.
His life has many dimensions: the playful butter thief of Vraja, the beloved of the gopis, the one who ended Kamsa's tyranny, the king of Dwarka, the friend of the Pandavas and the teacher of the Gita. In him love, joy, wise statecraft and spiritual knowledge meet in a wonderful way.
- Source
- Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 1 and Canto 10