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The Vrishni heroes (IAST: Vrishni vīras), also referred to as Pancha-viras (IAST: Pañca vīras; 'the five heroes'), are a group of five legendary, deified heroes who are found in the literature and archaeological sites of ancient India. Their earliest worship is attestable in the clan of the near Mathura by 4th-century BCE. Legends are associated with these deified heroes, some of which may be based on real, historical heroes of the Vrishni clan. Their early worship has been variously described as cross-sectarian, much like the cult of the , related to the early Bhagavata tradition of Hinduism, and with possible links to Jainism as well. They and their legends – particularly of Krishna and Balarama – have been an important part of the Vaishnava of Hinduism.;
For their regional significance in contemporary Hinduism, see: a ; b
The Vrishnis were already known in the late Vedas literature. They are also mentioned by Pāṇini in Astadhyayi verse 6.2.34, while Krishna is referred to as Krishna Varshneya ("the Vrishni") in verse 3.187.51 of the Mahabharata. Beyond texts, their importance in ancient India is attested by the ancient inscriptions found near Mathura and coins discovered in the ruins of Ai-Khanoum (Afghanistan), bearing images of the two main Vrishni heroes, with Greek and Brahmi legends.
The cult of the Vrishni heroes existed as an independent cult in Mathura, as suggested by the Mora Well Inscription, and was then amalgamated very progressively into Vaishnavism."The absorption of the Vrishni heroes into the Vaishnava mainstream is very gradual. The amalgamation process was preceded and concurrent with a cult of the several Vrishni heroes. Inscriptional evidence indicates the existence of such cult in Mathura." in The deification of the Vrhisni heroes centered around the cult of Vasudeva-Krishna, known as Bhagavatism. Epigraphical evidence suggests that their legends and worship swiftly expanded to other parts of India by the start of the common era. The Vrishni heroes are generally identified as Samkarshana (Balarama-Samkarshana, son of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi and Devaki), Vāsudeva (Vāsudeva-Krishna, another son of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi and Devaki), Pradyumna (son of Vāsudeva-Krishna and Rukmini), Samba (son of Vāsudeva-Krishna and Jambavati), and Aniruddha (son of Pradyumna).
Probably as late as the 1st century CE, the cult of the Vrishni heroes ( Vīravāda) retained more importance than the Vyuha doctrine ( Vyūhavāda), the subsequent cult of emanations that evolved from the Vrishni hero cult. Still later, it evolved into the Avatāravāda system of incarnations of Vishnu. Overall, according to Doris Srinivasan, "the absorption of the Vrishni hero into the Vaishnava worship is very gradual. The amalgamation process was preceded and concurrent with a cult of several Vrishni heroes".
The Vrishni heroes also have distinct individual qualities: Vāsudeva is also associated with gentleness and strength, Samkarsana with knowledge, Pradyumna with female power, Samba with male power and Aniruddha with ferociousness and sovereignty."Gentleness and strength are associated with Vasudeva, knowledge with Samkarsana, (Narasimha) female power with Pradyumna (Varaha) and ferociousness and sovereignty with Aniruddha (Kapila)."
The heroes would then have evolved into Vaishnavite deities through a step-by-step process: 1) deification of the Vrishni heroes 2) association with the God Narayana-Vishnu 3) incorporation into the Vyuha concept of successive emanations of the God. Epigraphically, the deified status of Vāsudeva in particular is confirmed by his appearance on the coinage of Agathocles of Bactria (190-180 BCE) and by the devotional character of the Heliodorus pillar inscription (circa 110 BCE). Later, the association with Narayana (Vishnu) is suggested by the Hathibada Ghosundi Inscriptions of the 1st century BCE. It is generally thought that "by the beginning of the Christian era, the cult of Vasudeva, Vishnu and Narayana amalgamated". By the 2nd century CE, the " avatara concept was in its infancy", and the depiction of Vishnu with his four emanations (the Chatur-vyūha), consisting of the Vrishni heroes minus Samba, starts to become visible in art at the end of the Kushan Empire period.
Banerjee too considered that they may have been semi-deified legendary kings who came to be considered as Vishnu's . This would lead to an early form of Vaishnavism, currently described as the Pancaratra system. Also according to Gavin Flood – an Indologist and scholar of Hinduism, Vāsudeva may have originated in a real Vrishni hero or king, but the lineage is difficult to establish. This Vasudeva became deified in the Vrishni clan, its worship being traceable to the 4th century text of Pāṇini, which mentions Vāsudevaka or a "devotee of Vāsudeva". Vāsudeva then fused with Krishna of the Yadavas clan. Over time, Vāsudeva was identified with Krishna and Vishnu.
According to Christopher Austin, the Vrishni heroes are characters linked to the end of the Mahabharata, reflecting the three generations of Vrishnis of Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita fame, his son, his grandson along with the Balarama (Samkarshana). This view is supported by Srinivasan and Banerjee based on evidence in two Puranic passages and the Mora well inscription. In early Hinduism, the five Vrishni heroes have been identified as Vāsudeva-Krishna, Samkarsana-Balarama, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Samba as known from the Medieval Vayu Purana.
On some of the Indian punch-marked coins, three individuals appear without attributes, possibly deities Saṃkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva and Ekanamsha in the late 4th-2nd century BCE.Described and illustrated in The same type of coins was excavated in Besnagar.
On some post-Mauryan punch-marked coins, possible depictions of Saṃkarṣaṇa-Balarama appear. He is shown wielding a mace and a plough."Post-Mauryan punch-marked coin" These punch-marked coins are dated to the 2nd century BCE, and may be associated with Mathura.
The Heliodorus pillar inscription explains that the pillar erected to honour Vāsudeva is a Garuda-vajra, although the Garuda statue has not been found."Heliodorus Pillar from Besnagar: Its Capital and Worship." Journal of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai 77-78: 32-41, 2002-2003 According to Susan L. Huntington, the Garuda capital on the Heliodorus pillar was probably similar to a portable Garuda standard illustrated on one of the nearly contemporary reliefs at Bharhut. In Bharhut, a man riding a horse is seen holding a portable pillar-standard, crowned by a bird-man creature similar to a Kinnara. The same concept of Garuda pillar may have been adopted for the Heliodorus pillar."The rider of the horse holds a portable pillar-standard (dhvaja stambha) related to the stationary type seen since Maurya and pre-Maurya times, here probably intended as a royal insignia. It is interesting to note resemblance between this standard with its square abacus, lotus capital, and bird-man creature called a kinnara and what was probably the original concept of the Heliodorus Garuda pillar at Vidisa. Since this particular sculpture of the Bharhut vedika was dedicated by an individual from Vidisa, as indicated by an inscription, this resemblance is even more remarkable and may indicate that the Bharhut form was based specifically on the Vedika pillar, or a common prototype." in
Other sculptures and pillar capitals were found near the Heliodorus pillar, and it is thought they were dedicated to Vāsudeva's kinsmen, otherwise known as the Vrishni heroes and objects of the Bhagavata cult. These are a tala (fan-palm capital), a makara (crocodile) capital, a banyan-tree capital, and a possible statue of the goddess Lakshmi, also associated with the Bhagavat cult. Just as Garuda is associated with Vāsudesa, the fan-palm capital is generally associated with Saṃkarṣaṇa, and the makara is associated with Pradyumna. The banyan-tree capital with ashtanidhis is associated with Lakshmi. In effect, the findings surrounding the Heliodorus pillar suggest the cult of a trio of the Vrishni heroes in this time and area, composed of the three deities Vāsudesa, Saṃkarṣaṇa and Pradyumna.
The 1963–65 excavations at the site suggest that the site had an elliptical shrine – possibly dating to the 4th to 3rd-century BCE – with a brick foundation and likely a wooden superstructure. This was destroyed by a flood around 200 BCE. New soil was then added and the ground level raised to build a new second temple to Vāsudeva, with a wooden pillar (Garuda dhvaja) in front of the east-facing elliptical shrine. This too was destroyed by floods sometime in the 2nd-century BCE. In late 2nd-century BCE, after some ground preparation, yet another Vāsudeva temple was rebuilt, this time with eight stone pillars aligned in the north-south cardinal axis. Only one of these eight pillars have survived: the Heliodorus pillar.
A decorated doorjamb, also probably belonging to a Temple, on which is inscribed the Vasu Doorjamb Inscription, is dedicated to deity Vāsudeva, and mentions the rule of the Northern Satrap Sodasa, and has similar carving to the Mora doorjamb. The decoration of these and many similar doorjambs from Mathura consists in scrolls of grapevines. They are all dated to the reign of Sodasa, circa 15 CE and constitute a secure dated artistic reference for the evaluation of datation of other Mathura sculptures. It has been suggested that the grapevine design had been introduced from the Gandhara area in the northwest, and maybe associated with the northern taste of the Northern Satraps rulers. These designs may also be the result of the work of northern artists in Mathura. The grapevine designs of Gandhara are generally considered as originating from Hellenistic art."Honeysuckle, grapevine, triton and acanthus mouldings are some of the Hellenistic features." in
This pillar capital uses five symbols on both sides: a lion, a palm leaf, a makara, an adorned woman, and Yaksha in central position, with a probable top symbol missing. The Tāladdhvaja (palm leaf column) is known to symbolize Samkarsana, the Garuḍadhvaja (garuda column) symbolizes Vāsudeva, the Makaradhvaja (makara crocodile column) symbolizes Pradyumna, and the Ṛṣyadhvaja (white antilope column) corresponds to Aniruddha."A shrine of Aniruddha, the fourth of the 'vyuhas', which had within its precincts a 'rsyadhvaja', i. e. a column bearing on its top the figure of a 'rsya' or a white antelope which was his characteristic 'lanchana'." in The lion pillar capital corresponds to Samba. The function of the adorned woman is Shri Rukmani.
The central figure uses the iconography of a Yaksha, pointing to the association of Vrishni iconography with Yasha iconography, as seen in the Mora statue found with the Mora Well Inscription.
Vāsudeva is fittingly in the center with ornate crown and flower necklace, making the Mudra and holding his decorated heavy mace on the side, his elder brother Balarama to his right under a serpent hood, his son Pradyumna to his left (lost), and his grandson Aniruddha on top.
From the 4th century CE, independent devotional statues of Vāsudeva-Krishna become very rare, and are replaced by statues of Vishnu with the addition of an aureole. This suggests with a high probability that the human face in the statues of Vishnu, including those known as Vaikuntha Chaturmurti, is actually the face of his human emanation, Vāsudeva-Krishna.
Saṃkarṣaṇa came to be associated with the lion, which is his theriomorphic aspect."Samkarsana is represented by his theriomorphic form, the lion..." in He can be identified as Narasimha. Saṃkarṣaṇa appears as a lion in some of the Caturvyūha statues (the Bhita statue), where he is an assistant to Vāsudeva, and in the Vaikuntha Chaturmurti when his lion's head protrudes from the side of Vishnu's head.
Aniruddha came to be associated with the boar, which is his theriomorphic aspect, also known as Varaha."The glorious Aniruddha should be Varaha who rescued the Earth" in "Aniruddha (is represented) by his theriomorphic form, the boar" in Aniruddha appears as a boar in some of the Caturvyūha statues, where he is an assistant to Vāsudeva, and in the Vaikuntha Chaturmurti when his boar's head protrudes from the side of Vishnu's head.
In the Vaikuntha Chaturmurti, especially in the statues from Kashmir region, Pradyumna also appears sometimes in the back of the head of the central Vishnu, as a fearsome deity, also known as Kapila."The Vishnudharmmottara (78.1.1) sometimes directly identifies Pradyumna with Kapila"
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