Proponents of ancient astronaut theories often maintain that humans are either descendants or creations of beings who landed on Earth thousands of years ago. The most popular theory is that human knowledge, religion, and culture came from extraterrestrial visitors in ancient times. Ancient astronauts have been widely used as a plot device in science fiction, but the idea that ancient astronauts actually existed is not taken seriously by most academics.
Arguments can be made that the evidence for ancient astronauts comes from supposed gaps in historical and archaeological records, and they also maintain that absent or incomplete explanations of historical or archaeological data point to the existence of ancient astronauts. The evidence is said to include archaeological artifacts that are beyond the presumed technical capabilities of the historical cultures with which they are associated. This also includes artwork and legends that are interpreted as depicting extraterrestrial contact or technologies.
Notwithstanding these contentions, let us say that there is an axiom to the ancient astronaut theory. Then we need to ask, who were these beings? What did they represent to the inhabitants of earth? Where these beings the ancient Gods of antiquity?
I would like to periodically chronicle my speculation of how the native people interpreted these unknown entities. This edition describes Krishna, The Divine Source.
Tradition holds that Krishna saw Vishnu in a vision in which the former deity told Krishna to destroy Kamsa son of a demon, a tyrannical ruler of the world. Krishna's mother, Devaki, was Kamsa's half-sister. Kamsa already killed her first six sons because he had been told one of her sons would kill him. Krishna' elder brother, Devaki's seventh child, Balarama was miraculously saved by Vishnu.
Krishna was also saved when exchanged by his parents for the daughter of a herdsman Nanda and his wife Yasoda (the daughter was also a divine being, an incarnation of Maya). With his foster parents Krishna spent a happy life playing boyish pranks and seducing the gopis (cow girls) and other rustic maidens. They found his flute playing irresistible. Legend has it he may have had 16,000 wives. But his favorite was Radha, daughter of his foster father, and his childhood lover, although they did not marry.
According to legend Krishna was not only divine, but heroic as well. He is alleged to have defeated numerous dragons and monsters, and eventually as predicted, killed his half-uncle the tyrannical king Kamsa.
It was said that demi-gods or devas use to appear frequently to people and gave them technology and knowledge, they also interbred with the population. The Rishis were the keepers of the highest science and knowledge and they learned this from a "divine source".
Some examples of mortal and gods interaction:
Kunti got all her sons from the gods. She learnt how to summon these gods from a Rishi who gave her a mantra for each god. Also, Kunti's fathers grand father was actually a naga (shape shifting serpent)
The demi-god Indra was where Arjuna (who was his son) obtained all his celestial futuristic weapons and his vimana (aeroplane).
Krishna, was "not of this Earth" and he knew all the demi-gods very well and they all revered him. In fact Krishna was implanted into the womb of mother of Krishna by a ray of light from the sky (virgin birth).
The story of Krishna also narrates the tale of how Shalva attacked the city of Dwarka with what appears to be a flying saucer.
On learning of Shishupala’s death, his friend, Salva, invoked Shiva and secured from him a flying saucer, a vimana that could travel anywhere in the world, in air, on the ground, under the sea. Using this vimana, Salva launched an attack on Dwaraka determined to avenge his friend’s death. Both Krishna and Balarama were in Indraprastha attending Yudhishtira’s coronation when this happened. So the defence of the city was left to the other Yadavas. Dwaraka was pounded by missiles from the skies. Krishna’s sons and grandsons put up a brave fight but were no match for Salva. When news of the aerial attack on Dwaraka reached Krishna, he hurried home and entered the battlefield immediately. First he shot an arrow with the Sharanga bow and brought Salva’s vimana down as if it was a bird. He then hurled the Kaumodaki mace and smashed the vimana to dust. Then raising the Nandaka sword, he beheaded Salva. The Yadavas were jubilant in victory.
Even the Ramayana talks about a flying chariot called pushpaka-vimana. To many the account of this chariot is not poetic imagination but historical evidence that airplanes existed in Vedic times. The chariot belonged to the yaksha-king Kubera. Ravana took it by force after driving Kubera out of Lanka. Ravana used the chariot to abduct Sita. After killing Ravana and rescuing Sita, Rama returned to the city of Ayodhya on this flying chariot.
Dwarka is a city and a municipality of Jamnagar district in the Gujarat state in India. Dwarka is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country. The legendary city of Dvaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. It is believed that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvaraka has submerged six times and modern day Dwarka is therefore the seventh such city to be built in the area.
Krishna was the charioteer during the War of Kurukshetra. While the war was on swing, Krishna was a witness to the death of Duryodhana (the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari and an avatar of the demon Kali). Immediately after, Krishna received the curse of Duryodhana`s mother, Gandhari for not rescuing his son. She was an ardent worshipper of Lord Vishnu and recognised Krishna as his incarnation. She equally believed and revered Krishna, but on seeing her son die she could not find any justification as to why Lord Krishna allowed such a thing to happen.
Gandhari cursed Lord Krishna that he would perish after thirty-six years, all alone and in a miserable state. All his followers, devotees, relatives and loved ones will also die simultaneously. When this time arrived in Krishna`s life; a madness seized the inhabitants of Dwaraka in such an extent that the people started to kill one another. All sons and grandsons of Krishna were also dead in the massacre. Only the women, Krishna and Balaram were alive in Dwaraka.
After a while Balaram isolated himself in a dense forest. Lord Krishna then went to his father, took blessings and left for the forest, where Balaram awaited him. He saw that his elder brother was sitting under a mighty tree on the fringes of the forest. Balaram was sitting in a posture of a Yogi, eventually a thousand headed snake, `Ananta naga` came out from his mouth and glided its way to the ocean. Soon, the ocean and other holy rivers came together to welcome Anant Naga into their realm.
Lord Krishna saw his brother depart from the real world and he started to wander in the forest. Finally he sat on the ground, started to think of Gandhari`s curse, and realized that the time for his departure has already arrived. He self-possessed his senses and concentrated on his Yoga. A hunter approached that spot of the forest and from a distant saw him and thought to be a deer. He loosed his shaft, took out the arrow, and mistakenly pierced Lord Krishna`s foot. He came hurried near to the Lord and saw him to be a man wrapped in yellow robes practicing yoga. The hunter immediately touched the feet of Lord Krishna and asked for apology.
Lord Krishna opened his eyes and comforted the hunter, then ascended towards the heaven, thus filling the whole sky with glory. After passing through Indra`s paradise, he reached his place at even higher strata. Krishna wives; including Rukmini became Sati and burned themselves on pyre. The rest of the women of Dwaraka became ascetics and nuns. After each and every living being of Dwaraka moved away to other places, the ocean came about and engulfed the city, thus leaving no trace of the land of Lord Krishna.
KRISHNA: A Journey Within
The Ritual of Battle: Krishna in the Mahabharata (Suny Series in Hinduism)
The Bhagavad Gita (Classics of Indian Spirituality)
The Little Book of Hindu Deities: From the Goddess of Wealth to the Sacred Cow
