Ca. 750 BCE : Mention of a man Krishna, son of Devaki, in Chandogya Up. (3.17.6).

500 BCE: Panini mentions bhakti in reference to Vasudeva, Krishna's father. Mention of grace and election in Katha (2.20) (2.23) also Svetasvatara (3.20). Personal theism in many Upanishads. Bhakti mentioned at the end of Svetasvatara and Maitri (6.29).

330s BCE: Alexander's armies report seeing banners of Heracles (=Krishna) in the opposing armies. Recall that Hanuman was also associated with Heracles.

3rd BCE: Patanjali knows of Krishna's escape from the demon prince Kansa as an "anicent" story. Bas relief of "slaughter of infants" from this period now in the Mathura museum.

2nd BCE: Greek ambassador Megathenes reports of worship of Krishna, incarnation of Vishnu.

175-135 BCE: Garuda pillars erected by Krishnavites. Krishna (lit. "black one") born a khsatriya among the Yadavas at Mathura, SE of Delhi, son of Vasudeva and Devaki. Brought up by cowherds in the area of Vrindaban.

Krishna is a composite figure with at least three different origins:

All three figures coalesced together about 400 BCE.

Date for historical Krishna? Jain dating is the most reliable. They give a date of 950 BCE for the Bharata War mentioned in the Gita. Mahabharata written 500 yrs. after war. Krishna died 36 yrs. after war, so Krishna may have died in 914 BCE. Length of life given variously as 93, 107, 109 or 125 yrs.

The Original Gita

Garbe and Sinha: religion of Krishna combined with S-Y yoga philosophy. References to Brahman were added by Vedantists in the 8th C.E., which are the earliest MSS. sources.

Sinha, The Gita as It Was, believes that the Ur-Gita was Sankhya philosophy alone, consisting of only 84 verses. No personal theism at all in this original Gita.

Bhagavata-purana

Birth Stories all pre-Christian.  3rd Century BCE bas relief in the Mathura museum depicting the Kansa's slaughter of the infants.

The Demon prince Kansa, Krishna's uncle. The prophecy, killing off Devaki's children one by one, the slaughter of infants, the trade from the cowherd camp, and Krishna's boyhood there. Nurse demon and other demons. Exploits in Mahabharata and death by arrow in the heal (Achilles!) Ascension into heaven. Savior Archetype.

Hare Krishna Trinity: Brahma as first person; Krishna as 2nd; Paramatma as oversoul=Holy Spirit as 3rd.

Karma and the Gita (van Buitenen, 14-15). Vedic karman: act of a very special nature a ritual act done only under special circumstances and for the purpose of maintaining cosmic balance or gaining personal power or favor from the gods.

2nd stage (800-700 BCE) - gods drop out priests grab power in an excess of ritual and sacrifice - Karman - every act one does. Found in Vedic Brahamanas.

3rd stage - Upanishads from ritual to meditation; power of the act, mantra of brahman, now becomes Brahman, cosmic power and Godhead. Karma in every act leads to universal law of Karma and reincarnation. Spiritualizing of the Varnas - priestly power decreases.

4th stage - enter Krishna and the Gita. Act without becoming attached to the act, and you will need Krishna's aid in accomplishing this. Election, grace, redemption. Ethical subjectivism: a divine subject decides what is right and wrong and forgives wrongdoers.

Phulgenda Sinha, The Gita as It Was. Doctrine of Grace added much later. The original Gita was atheistic-humanistic with S-Y system. Written to solve the ethical problems of conflict of duties.

Gita tries to satisfy everyone: Khsatriyas, such as Arjuna, are given a way to act but be saved (Karma yoga), juana yoga for the philosophers (Vedantists and S-Y dualism), dhyana yoga for meditation and Bhakti-yoga as the all-encompassing yoga.  Finally, the Buddhist idea of acting without become attached to the fruits of action may have been introduced not only because it was a brilliant idea, but also to attract Buddhists back to Hinduism.