Bhagavad Gita · Mahabharata Codex

Krishna

कृष्ण · kṛṣṇa

Arjuna's charioteer, friend and teacher; prince of the Yadavas

He promised not to lift a weapon in this war, and changed its course with words alone.

Krishna is a Yadava prince of Dvaraka, Arjuna's cousin and closest friend. Before the war both sides came to ask for his help. He offered a choice: his whole army, or himself alone and unarmed. Duryodhana took the army. Arjuna chose Krishna and asked him to drive his chariot. On the first morning of battle, when Arjuna breaks down, the charioteer becomes the teacher, and in the course of the teaching he reveals who he really is.