Krsnāntaka : an old Javanese kakawin

Abstract

Krsna has been one of the popular characters in Old Javanese literature, and a number of stories featuring Krsna as an incarnation of Wisnu as well as a mighty hero have come down to us. However, the study of those stories has previously been limited to a few relatively popular texts, and the story of the end of Krsna and his clan, which is the main theme of the Krsnantaka, an Old Javanese poetical work (kakawin), has escaped scholars' attention, apart from a few brief descriptions. The Krsnantaka is evidently an adaptation from the parwas, Old Javanese renderings of Sanskrit epics, and seems to be the last in the line of the kakawin adaptations of the Mahiibhiirata. While the poet has faithfully followed the parwasin the main lines of the story, he has interpolated a variety of essential components to create a kakawin, making extensive use of material from earlier popular kakawins and the common stock of poetical elements. The Krsnantaka thus takes on the typical aspect of a kakawin, and in particular a kakawin of later, Balinese origin. This thesis comprises two parts. Part One, the Introduction, is devoted to a discussion of various aspects of the Krsnantaka. The first chapter begins with an overview of the text, followed by previous research on this work. The Leiden manuscript Cod. Or 4258 which is written in Balinese script and originally from van der Tuuk's collection is the sole manuscript available. The text of the Krsnantaka itself does not contain any specific details which would allow the identification of this work. In Chapter 2, the development of Krsna stories in India and Java is examined. The first section gives an outline of the development of the image of Krsna and his legends in India. In the second section, Krsna's life from his birth to his death is drawn from the stories in kakawins, and the reliefs representing Krsna stories are also examined. In comparison with the stories of Rama, a more popular incarnation of Wisnu in Java, the frequency of representations of Krsna stories in reliefs seems to show that those stories were as popular as the Rama story. Chapter 3 deals with the story of the annihilation of Krsna's clan, which is the central theme of the Krsnantaka. In Section 3.1, all the relevant stories in Indian sources-brahmanical, Jaina, and Buddhist works- are examined. The Puranas as a whole do not differ from the the Mahabharata in the broad lines of the story. The Bhagavatapurana shows greater distance from the Mahabharata than the other Puranas with its own interpolation and alteration. The Jaina versions display a significant deviation. The distinction in the story between the two sects is noticeable.