The Cloud of Witnesses

Hindu

Arjuna

Mahabharata setting (traditionally ~3000 BC); Kurukshetra

Third of the Pandava brothers, son of Kunti, archer beyond compare, friend of Krishna. The dialogue between him and Krishna on the field of Kurukshetra — when his bow Gandiva slipped from his hand and he refused to fight — is the Bhagavad Gita.

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K

Hindu

Krishna

Mythic time; the Bhagavad Gita is set at the battle of Kurukshetra

Krishna as Arjuna's charioteer and teacher in the Bhagavad Gita. Avatar of Vishnu, cowherd of Vrindavana, flute-player, cosmic lord who revealed the Vishvarupa — the universal form — to Arjuna. He speaks from love and cosmic authority simultaneously. His teaching encompasses karma yoga, jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, and the nature of the self.

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R

Hindu

Radha

Mythic time; Vrindavana, the land of Krishna's youth

Radha, beloved of Krishna, the supreme devotee whose longing for Krishna became the model for the soul's longing for God in the bhakti tradition. In many traditions she is considered above even Krishna — the power behind the deity. Her separation (viraha) from Krishna is itself understood as a form of union. She is the archetype of madhura bhakti — the devotion of the beloved.

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Hindu

Adi Shankaracharya

~8th century AD, Kerala → all India

Founder of the Advaita Vedanta lineage as the Hindu world received it. Walked the subcontinent four times. Established mathas at Sringeri, Dwaraka, Puri, and Jyotirmath. Wrote commentaries on the Brahma Sutras, the principal Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. Lived perhaps thirty-two years.

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Hindu

Mirabai

~1498–1547, Rajasthan

Rajput princess of Merta, devotee of Giridhar Gopal — Krishna of Vrindavan. Took an image of him as her bridegroom in childhood. Survived poisoned milk, a basket of cobras, and a bed of nails sent by her in-laws after her husband's death. Walked out of the palace and sang her way across India. Her bhajans are still sung.

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Hindu

Swami Vivekananda

1863–1902, Calcutta → Chicago → the world

Born Narendranath Datta. Disciple of Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar. Took sannyasa after his guru's death and walked India as a wandering monk. Stood at the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago and addressed it: "Sisters and brothers of America." Founded the Vedanta societies and the Ramakrishna Mission. Died at thirty-nine.

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Hindu

Ramakrishna

1836–1886 CE, Bengal, India

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Bengali mystic and priest at the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. He practiced Advaita Vedanta, Vaishnavism, Tantra, Christianity, and Islam and reported reaching samadhi through each. He could not touch money — it caused physical pain. His teachings were recorded by his disciple "M" in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was his most famous student.

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