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Hari (Lord Krishna)>>Heracles>>>Harry: a study in comparison.

Greek explorer Megasthenes (300B.C.E), Roman historian Quintus Curtius and the Greek
scholar Seleucus admitted Heracles and Lord Krishna to be the same personality. It is even
said that Megasthenes took the tale of Lord Krishna from India to Greece, whom he called
Heracles in his Indic. The Latin writer Ovid (43 BC - AD 17) writes that both Greeks and
Romans habitually tried to understand the religions of India by trying to fit them as far as
possible into Greco-Roman categories.
There are peculiarly unbelievable resemblances and parallels among Harry, Heracles and
Hari (Lord Krishna).Coincidentally the names of all the three Super-Heroic characters from
three different cultures and of three different time-lines begin with the distinct consonant
sounded H, which was not a customary linguistic feature. Remarkable also is H, the initial
letter of the words Hero or Heroic.
Time line and Spatiality:Lord Krishna: 3200-3100 BCE or 5040 BCE

India

Heracles: 300 -- 500 BCE

Greece

Harry Potter: 1997-2012

England

The overwhelming popularity of Harry Potter stories has drawn the attention of the
academics and most of them subscribe to the view that there exist parallels between Harry
and Heracles, the Greek God. However, no European critic has yet admitted any
resemblance between Harry and Lord Krishna.
Rowling probably did not tell the truth when she told the Boston Globe that "I really don't
know where the idea came from. It started with Harry, and then all these characters and

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situations came flooding into my head."She mentioned her vision of a wizard boy in one of
her four-hour delayed train journey.
However, a closer reading of the texts reveals not only the similarities between Lord Krishna
and Harry Potter but also a number of ideas of The Srimad Bhagbad Gita expressed by
various characters.
Rowling was graduated in French and Classics, so it can not be overruled that she had heard
of the Mahabharata or she had not heard about the ISCKON or Hare Krishna Movement of
the seventies and also of the music album My Sweet Lord by Rock band The Beatles.
McCarthy and Harrison created a sensation all over the European world by their music album
My Sweet Lord on the life of Lord Krishna. Secondly, she was an admirer of J.R.R. Tolkien,
the Oxford Don, who made a resurrection of Mythology in the 20th century by his epic high
fantasy The Lord of the Rings.And lastly, when she was a young teenager, her great aunt,
who "taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind",
gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitfords autobiography, Hons and Rebels.
So, it may be taken for granted that the Greek Mythological hero Heracles resided in her
subconscious mind all through. And its a well established fact that there exist so many
parallels in between Heracles and Lord Krishna.
But the astonishing fact is that her characters speak some philosophical sentences which
are direct translation of the Slokas from the Gita. No one can grasp the highly rich religiophilosophic concepts of the Srimad Bhagbad Gita, which are the gist of Vedanta Philosophy
as well as Hinduism, without a thorough study of the same. Rowling must have known the
Gita and Lord Krishnas Charismatic activities in her student life or from the Hare Krishna
movement of the

ISKCON.

It can not be magical at all. As Uncle Vernon red in his face yelling

at Harry in Movie-1 said: There is no such thing as magic!

A few quotes from Harry Potter books may take us to the centre of the puzzle. The quotes
correspond very closely to what the basic tenets of Vedanta/Krishna Consciousness
philosophy have said.
Lets see a few quotes from Harry Potter books alongside the corresponding verses from the
Bhagavad Gita to grasp the surprising parallels clearly-i.Look, if I picked up a sword right now, Ron, and ran you through with it, I wouldnt damage
your soul at all. Which would be a real comfort to me, Im sure, said Ron. Harry laughed.

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It should be, actually! But my point is that whatever happens to your body, your soul
will survive untouched, said Hermione. [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 6]
The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor
moistened by water, nor withered by the wind. He is not slain when the body is
slain. [Bhagavad Gita 2.23, 2.20]
***
ii.Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff
room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. [Harry Potter
and the Philosophers stone Chapter 8]
As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts
new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones. [Bhagavad Gita 2.22]
***
iii.After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. [Albus
Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Chapter 17]
As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to
old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A self-realized soul
(i.e. a well-organized mind to use Dumbledores words) is not bewildered by
such a change. [Bhagavad Gita 2.13]
***
iv. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord
Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and
those too weak to seek it. [Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Philosophers
Stone Chapter 17]
The demoniac person thinks: So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain
more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the
future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him, and my other
enemies will also be killed. I am the lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am
perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic

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relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. In this way, such persons
are deluded by ignorance. [Bhagavad Gita 16.13-15]
***
v.Isnt that a perfect description of a typical Voldemort-ish mindset?
Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no
intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world. [Bhagavad
Gita 16.9]
***
vi. Exactly what you Know who did! And what the likes of him do all the time.
(Voldemort is so attracted to what is impermanent (this temporary life). Therefore he is so
much afraid of death and hence all his efforts to make horcruxes which will make him
immortal.)
Taking shelter of insatiable lust and absorbed in the conceit of pride and false
prestige, the demoniac, thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work,
attracted by the impermanent.[Bhagavad Gita 16.10]
***
vii. `There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore! snarled Voldemort. `You are quite
wrong, said Dumbledore.[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.]
They believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of human
civilization. Thus until the end of life their anxiety is immeasurable. [Bhagavad
Gita 16.11-12]
***
viii.It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]
Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is sincerely devoted to
Me, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated.[God in the
Bhagavad Gita 9.30]

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***
ix.The happiest man will look into the mirror and see himself exactly as he is.[Harry Potter
and the Philosophers Stone]
One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a
proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is
tolerant,

always

satisfied,

self-controlled,

and

engaged

in

devotional

service

with

determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me such a devotee of Mine is very dear
to Me.[Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita 12.13-14]
Can all these be mere coincidences? Can all these ideas be gathered in a dream vision of
only four-hours? Is it possible to grasp almost the whole of The Hindu wisdom daydreaming
in a railway coach only for four hours which the sages have not been able to acquire through
their life long endeavours through penance and meditation?
Now, lets see the parallels between Lord Krishna and Harry through the spectacles of
Professor Sobha Tiwari. But, before that, a glance over the life of Krishna will be relevant :Lord Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva in the jail cell of the tyrant Kamsa, who was
his maternal uncle. The place of his birth is known as Sri Krishna Janmasthana. He appeared
with his brother Balarama in response to the prayers of the devas in the wake of the
widespread demonic harassment on earth.[1]
Previously, the devas and demons had been at war in the heavens. When the demons were
defeated by the devas, they decided to attack earth instead. Thus, they invaded the earth
by discretely taking birth as princes in powerful royal families of the time.[2]
And as the earth became overrun by militaristic activities of these kingly demons, the devas
including the Earth goddess earnestly sought Lord Vishnus protection. Seeing the
deteriorating social and political conditions and hearing the prayers of the devas, Lord
Vishnu decided to take birth in the form of Lord Krishna, for the benefit of all.[3]
Before the birth of Lord Krishna, there was a prophecy in which the uncle of Lord Krishna,
Kamsa heard that Lord Krishna will be the death of him. He immediately imprisoned his
sister and brother-in-law. His plan was to kill Lord Krishna as soon as he was born. But with
divine help, Lord Krishna was placed in the care of Yashoda and Nandalal of Vrindavan.[4]
Krishnas father Vasudeva took Lord Krishna in a basket and delivered him to his foster
parents.

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During this childhood time, he grew up as the son of his foster parents Nanda and Yashoda in
the midst of the idyllic beauty of Gokula, Vrindavan, and Nandagram.[5] Not only did he
destroy numerous demons, but also performed his famous rasa dance.
When Krishna and Balarama were older, they were invited to Mathura, where Kamsa, their
demonic uncle, was planning their death in a wrestling match against two large and
powerful wrestlers. When Kamsa saw his wrestlers defeated, he ordered his friends to drive
the brothers out of Mathura, plunder the riches of their cowherd friends, and kill their
fathers, Nanda and Vasudeva. However, Krishna immediately killed Kamsa and Balarama
killed his eight brothers.[6] Lord Krishna then established the pious King Ugrasena as the
emperor of several kingdoms.
Professor Sobha had decoded at least eight stunning resemblances between the two super
heroes living almost a gap of 5000 years and nearly 5000 miles apart from one another.
Lord Krishna is a larger than life persona which Harry is definitely not. We cannot say until
Rowling herself admits the fact behind the creation of HP stories. But the similarities are
very striking, thus begins Prof.Sobha Tiwari in her blog in the web page of www.Boloji.com
on 12-1-2011.The parallels are as follows1. There was a prophecy that Lord Krishna would kill Kansa. This is the beauty of epical
tales. The end is known and declared; yet everyone wants to read it, discuss it. There
was a prophecy that Harry would kill Voldemort.
2. Hearing the prophecy, the evil Kansa set out to kill Krishna at his very birth. He
imprisoned Krishnas parents. Hearing the prophecy, Voldemort also sets out to finish
Harry and his parents. Theres such a deep-rooted fear in the psyche of these villains
that they want to finish things at the very root.
3. Kansa kept Vasudev and Devaki in captivity, succeeded in killing their children; but
he failed to kill Lord Krishna. Voldemort, though succeeded in killing Harrys parents,
failed to kill Harry.
4. Krishna was saved by the love and help of his parents. Harry was also saved by the
love of his parents.
5. Krishna was carried to Vrindavan, wrapped in a basket by his father, Vasudev during
a dark and turbulent night. Harry was taken to his relatives by Hagrid, wrapped in a
bundle of clothes during night.

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6. Krishna spent his childhood away from his parents as they were imprisoned. Harry
spent his childhood with his uncles and aunts because Voldemort had killed his
parents.
7. Kansa was Krishnas real maternal uncle. They were blood relatives. Harry too has a
part of Voldemorts soul. Voldemort divided his soul into seven parts. At the time of
his mothers death, one part came to Harry. That is why they have similarities. Both
of them can speak Parseltongue and both of them can read others mind.
8. Krishna killed Kansa in his teen age with the help of his brother and friends. Harry
also kills Voldemort in his teens with the help of his friends.
To this may be added (i) The blood relationship of Krishna and Kansa as well as Harry
and Voldemort.(ii) The very name Harry is very similar to Hari in Bhagbad Gita which
is another name of Lord Krishna and made familiar to the European World by ISKCON
in the sixties of the last century by the word Hare Krishna. ISKCON activities were
also called Hare Krishna movement.
Its interesting to note that the serpent is called Nagini. Magic relates to Tantra; Herbology to
Ayurveda; and Divination to Jyotish. May be all these are mere co-incidences. But if its not
so, then Rowling must have kept something unsaid.
Now, lets have a glance of the similarities between Krishna and Heracles. Like
Harry and Krishna, Heracles was brought up by foster parents because of a proclamation of
life-threat of Hera from Heracles. Like Lord Krishna Heracles was also a larger than life
persona.
Similarities in Wonders of Heracles and Lord Krishna
Both Heracles and Lord Krishna did many wonders. The 12 labors of Heracles look reflection
of miracles performed by lord Krishna.
i. Heracles Fighting With Serpentine Hydra and Lord Krishna Defeating Serpent Kaliya.
Lord Krishna didn't kill Kalingarayan (Serpent kaliya), instead he asked him to leave the
Yamuna river and go away from Brindavan. Similarly, Heracles did not kill Serpent hydra, he
only placed a huge stone over his head.

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ii. Heracles Killing The Stymphalian Birds And Lord Krishna Killing Bakasura - The Bird Demon

iii.Heracles Capturing the Cretan Bull and Lord Krishna Slaying Arishtasura - The Bull Demon

iv.Heracles Rounding up Horses of Diomedes and Lord Krishna Battling Against keshi - The
Horse Demon.
The youthful Lord Krishna slayed the demon Keshi, who appeared in the guise of a horse.
This subject probably has its origins in Hellenistic legends, most notably the labors of
Heracles in which the Greek hero slays the horses of Diomedes.
v.Heracles and Narsimha - Lion Act
As per one of the 12 labors of Heracles, Once there was a fierce lion roaming ancient Nemea
in Greece. Heracles killed the

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Nemean lion. After killing him, Heracles skinned the lion and wore the skin like a coat of
Armour. This story seems to be similar of Narsimha - The fourth avatar of Vishnu. Narasimha
killed demon Hiranyakashyipu. Lord Krishna is eighth Avatar of Vishnu.

vi.Heracles Carrying World and Lord Krishna Carrying Govardhan Mountain-

vii.Lord Krishna's Uncle Kansa and Heracles' step mother Hera

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Both were born by a mortal virgin mother and a divine Father. When Heracles was born, his
step-mother goddess Hera, wife of Zeus did not like him. She wanted Heracles to be dead
and she sent two serpents to kill him.
Above incident is quite similar to the infancy of Lord Krishna when his uncle Kansa sent a
number of demons to kill him. The famous incident was with Potuna, who came to feed
young Lord Krishna, but lost her life.
viii.There is also another story of Hera feeding Heracles. Zeus had tricked Hera into nursing
the infant Heracles: discovering who he was, she pulled him from her breast, and a spurt of
her milk formed the smear across the sky that can be seen to this day. This led to the
origin of the Milky Way.

Hera feeding Heracles

Potuna dies while feeding

Krishna
Influence of Lord Krishna on Greek Kings:
We have evidence of Ancient Greek Kings who worshipped lord Krishna. It also points out
that

slight

change

in

stories

of

Heracles

may

be

due

to

language

barriers,

miscommunication or mistranslation by Indian or Greek scholars. And this ultimately

resulted Lord Krishna turning to Heracles in Greek.
Thus, it appears that Rowlings study of the Classics which remained in her subconscious
mind all through might have inspired her to grasp the story of Lord Krishna later on. In this
regard the

ISKCON

or Hare Krishna movement during the 60s and 70s can not be

overlooked. The Hare Krishna movement became so engrossing that the popular Rock Band
singers of The Beatles, Paul McCartney and Rob Harrison became interested in it and Rob
Harrison rocked the world with his song My Sweet Lord on the life of Lord Krishna in the

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1970s.It is not hard to believe that Rowling heard the song and became interested in
knowing Lord Krishna from The Gita or The Bhagbad Gita. In this regard it is worth
remembering that to read the Gita for gathering ideas of Oriental wisdom among the
European poets and intellectuals became customary since the publication of the translated
version of the Gita by William Jones in the Renaissance period.
So, it can be said that her knowledge of Heracles from her study of the Classics gave her the
idea of Lord Krishna through the Beatles and Hare Krishna Movement. The Bhagbad Gita
provided her with an adequate space for the creation of a super-hero that she envisioned in
a daydream.
At the same time it is to be admitted that she borrowed ideas from a number of English and
European classic novels past and present.
Rowling admitted her indebtedness to some of the English Classics like Chaucers
Canterbury Tales; Bunyans The Pilgrims Progress and a few other European classic literary
pieces but nowhere the name of Lord Krishna or the Bhagbad Gita had been mentioned. No
European critic has also not said anything in this regard yet. [3080-words]
A few Photographs from Harry Potter Books & Ms.J.K.Rowling:-

J.K.Rowling with Harry

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References :i.Srimad Bhagbad Gita-Jagadish Ghosh

ii.Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (US) or Philosopher's Stone (UK)
iii. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
iv. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
v. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
vi. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
vii. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and
viii. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Link Websites:i.http:// www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md= Blogs&sd= Blog&BlogID =688#

sthash. 1Zj3rGXs.dpuf
ii.www. wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter
iii. www.jkrowling.com
iv.www. harrypotter.scholastic.com

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v. www.experiencehinduism.com/interesting.../ heracles-derived-from-krishna
vi. ritsin.com/shri-krishna-and-hercules-indian-and-greek-mythology.html
vi. ramanan50.wordpress.com/.../lord-krishna-was-also-a-greek-god-hercule
vii. decodehindumythology.blogspot.com/2012/.../krishna-history
viii. www.hinduwebsite.com/history/krishna.asp
NB. Creative Commons attributes respected. -i.s