the Bible does not give a specific date for when he was born. Interestingly, it is rather likely that many Christmas traditions, including the date, do come from pagan traditions. This causes many Christians to condemn Christmas as sinful, and they refuse to celebrate it, even under a Christian context. Personally, I do celebrate Christmas, however it is not a vital part of Christianity. Therefore, even if Krishna was born on December 25th (Hindus celebrate his birth in August), it would have no relevance to Christianity.

 

Krishna, unlike Jesus, was not born of a virgin. He was allegedly the son of Princess Devaki and Vasudeva, a nobleman, not a carpenter. Together, Devaki and Vasudeva had several children before they had Krishna. In the Mahabharata, it is said that Krishna's parents were imprisoned by Kamsa, Devaki's cousin, because it was prophesied that one of her children would kill him. Kamsa actually killed Devaki's previous six children. While this could be said to be slightly similar to Herod's fear of Jesus overthrowing him and launching an assault on him, there are too many differences to say Kamsa's act inspired Herod's. It is also worth noting that it is in Kamsa's prison, not a manger, that Krishna was born.

 

Did Krishna die and rise again?

 

The only pre-Christian reference to Krishna dying and rising again is found in Mahabharata, Book 16, Section 4. In this myth, Krishna's heel is pierced, but by an arrow fired by a hunter who mistook him for a deer, not by a nail intended to hold him to a cross. He did rise again.

 

Just as with other dying gods that you can read about in the pagan connection myth section, Krishna's death and resurrection are significantly different from Jesus' death and resurrection. While Krishna's death was a tragic accident, Jesus' death was very much planned from before time even began (1 Corinthians 2:7). Jesus died at the hands of his enemies, whereas Krishna died at the hand of a hunter, who wanted to kill a deer, not a god. In dying, Jesus bought forgiveness for all of his followers, whereas Krishna's death didn't really do anything. In rising from the dead, Jesus bought eternal life for his followers. Krishna did not.

 

Conclusion

The claim that Krishna is the original inspiration of Jesus simply does not hold water. Contrary to the claims, the name Krishna does not mean the same as the title Christ. Jesus was not born on December 25th, though his birth is traditionally celebrated at that time, and Krishna's birth is actually celebrated in August. Krishna was not born of a virgin, nor was his father a carpenter. Krishna was born in prison, not in a manger, and Herod's infanticide does not mirror Kamsa's, though there are some similarities. While Krishna did die, he was not crucified, and he rose again. Ultimately, Krishna cannot have inspired Christianity.