◉GOKULASExplore relationships ↓
PEOPLE IN KRISHNA’S WORLD

Known through
relationship.

Krishna’s world is not a solitary biography. It is a living web of parents, friends, devotees, companions, queens and students—each revealing a different way of loving and knowing him.

Meet the people
A RELATIONAL GUIDE

The bond changes what we see.

Move through four lenses. Notice how the same Krishna is encountered as child, brother, beloved, friend, protector, counselor and teacher.

01

Family

Birth, upbringing, sibling affection and the homes that protect Krishna.

02

Braj

Pastoral community, childhood intimacy and devotion centered in Vrindavan.

03

Friends & devotees

Trust expressed through welcome, service, remembrance and honest conversation.

04

Dwarka & Mahabharata

Marriage, kingship, counsel, duty and friendship within public life.

Braj · Gokula and Vrindavan

Yashoda

Foster mother

Yashoda raises Krishna through the intimate rhythms of feeding, protecting, correcting and delighting in a child.

Her maternal love is so complete that Krishna allows himself to be cared for—and, in the Damodara lila, even bound by her rope.
Read Bhagavatam 10.8–10.9 ↗Related story →
SEARCH THE RELATIONSHIP GUIDE

Find a person, place or bond.

12 relationships shown

01Family

Mathura

Devaki

Birth mother

Krishna appears as Devaki’s eighth child while she and Vasudeva are imprisoned by Kamsa.

02Family

Mathura and Gokula

Vasudeva

Birth father

Vasudeva carries the newborn Krishna across the Yamuna from Mathura to the protection of Gokula.

03Braj

Gokula and Vrindavan

Yashoda

Foster mother

Yashoda raises Krishna through the intimate rhythms of feeding, protecting, correcting and delighting in a child.

04Braj

Gokula and Vrindavan

Nanda

Foster father

Nanda is Krishna’s protective father and the leader of the pastoral community in which Krishna grows.

05Family

Braj, Mathura and Dwarka

Balarama

Elder brother and companion

Balarama shares Krishna’s childhood adventures, protects the cowherd community and remains beside him across stages of life.

06Braj

Vrindavan and Barsana

Radha

Beloved and foremost devotee

Radha represents the most intimate and wholehearted love of Krishna in many Vaishnava traditions.

07Braj

Vrindavan

The gopis

Cowherd women of Braj

The gopis hear Krishna’s flute, remember him through separation and offer devotion without calculation.

08Friends & devotees

Dwarka

Sudama

Childhood friend

Sudama visits Krishna with a humble gift and is welcomed with the unguarded warmth of an old school friend.

09Friends & devotees

Dwarka and Vrindavan

Uddhava

Friend, counselor and disciple

Krishna trusts Uddhava as a counselor and sends him with a message to the residents of Vrindavan.

10Dwarka & Mahabharata

Dwarka

Rukmini

Queen of Dwarka

Rukmini calls to Krishna through a courageous letter and chooses him with clear, steadfast devotion.

11Dwarka & Mahabharata

Kurukshetra

Arjuna

Friend, warrior and student

Krishna serves as Arjuna’s charioteer and teacher when Arjuna faces a crisis of duty on the battlefield.

12Dwarka & Mahabharata

Indraprastha and Hastinapura

Draupadi

Friend and devotee

Across the Mahabharata, Draupadi relates to Krishna with trust, candor and the closeness of a protective friendship.

RELATIONSHIPS BECOME NAMES

See how affection shapes the way Krishna is called.

Yashodanandana, Radharamana, Gopinatha and Parthasarathi each hold a relationship in a name.

Explore Krishna’s names →