Monday, September 21, 2026

What is the difference between Lord Ram and Lord Krishna?

 

Though shastras say Rama and Krishna are Vishnu avatars and same persons, historically they are different persons.

Krishna made sure that all Upa-pandavas and Kauravas would die. Krishna interrupted Arjuna in the middle while he was teaching about Padmavyuha to Abhimanyu.

Krishna says: Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people. With the exception of you [the Pandavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain. -Bhagavad Gita 11.32

Krishna is the man who completely wiped out Aryan race.

Ram started the Aryan race and Krishna ended it.

The ideologies and philosophies of Rama and Krishna are different and they are independent personalities, though both of them are regarded as Vishnu.


I personally feel Krishna is Vishnu himself and Rama being an avatar.

  • Krishna showed his Viswaroopam to Arjuna. Rama never showed his Viswaroopam to anyone in his lifetime in the material world. This is confirmed by Krishna himself in Bhagavad Gita.
  • Earlier Vishnu also showed his Viswaroopam to Narada but that was in Vaikuntha which is outside the material world.

Bhagavad Gita 11.6: O best of the Bharatas, see here the different manifestations of Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Asvini-kumaras and all the other demigods. Behold the many wonderful things which no one has ever seen or heard of before.

Bhagavad Gita 11.47: Krishna says - my dear Arjuna, happily have I shown you, by My internal potency, this supreme universal form within the material world. No one before you has ever seen this primal form, unlimited and full of glaring effulgence.

Bhagavad Gita 11.48: O best of the Kuru warriors, no one before you has ever seen this universal form of Mine, for neither by studying the Vedas, nor by performing sacrifices, nor by charity, nor by pious activities, nor by severe penances can I be seen in this form in the material world.

  • Vishnu has 2 wives Sridevi and Bhudevi.
  • Krishna has 2 prime wives Rukmini (Lakshmi’s avatar) and Satyabhama (Bhudevi)
  • But Lord Rama has only 1 wife.
  • Vishnu is dark skinned.
  • Krishna is also dark skinned.
  • But Rama is (light pink or gold complexion) fair skinned.
  • Krishna summoned Brahmas and Garuda which Rama never did. Instead Rama got blessings from other devatas and rishis.
  • Krishna used Sudarshana Chakra many times. Rama never used Sudarshana Chakra in his lifetime.
  • Both Vishnu and Krishna are referred as Govinda (Nourisher of cows), Krishna is always shown with cows in the background. I have never heard Rama being referred as Govinda.
  • Krishna was a pure-vegetarian. There is no single controversial verse which instill doubt that Krishna ate meat. But, there are many verses in Valmiki Ramayana which make us to doubt (not sure though) that Rama ate meat.
  • In Valmiki Ramayan, Rama is shown killing many asuras who are in dark colour. They are evil Dravidians (not good Dravidian people). While Krishna killed evil Aryans (fair skinned people) most of the time.

One might say Rama was very down to earth, he wanted to set an example for common man hence he never showed his divinity or used his celestial powers often. But from historical point of view Rama and Krishna are opposites and Good men.

Om Namah Shivay
Om Namo Narayanaya