Krisna and his rivals in the Hindu and Jaina traditions

This paper compares the relationship between the vdsudeva Krsna and his prativasudeva rival Jarasandha in the Jaina tradition (primarily in Hemacandra's Trisastisalakapurusacarita) with Krsna Vasudeva's rivalries with Jarasandha, Sisupala and Paundraka in the Mahabharata and Hindu purdnas. Three main points arising from this comparison are proposed. First, the Jainas conflated characteristics of the Hindu figures Jarasandha, Sisupala and Paundraka in order to create a new Jarasandha, who was now a single powerful nemesis for Krsna. Second, this new relationship between Krsna and Jarasandha provided the template for a new class of Illustrious Beings (salakapurusas) in the Jaina Universal History: the recurring and paradigmatic vasudevas and prativasudevas. And third, this evolution of Krsna mythology in the Jaina tradition may have influenced the parallel development in the Hindu tradition, including the creation of the vaisnava ten avataras doctrine, and the expansion of the puranic mythology surrounding both Jarasandha and Sisupala.