A History of Agriculture in India v2.c64.5

v2.c64.5

The monotheism of Islam had an impact on the Hindu religious thought. Islam declared that One Great God was the supporter of the world and helped the virtuous. The Hindu masses keenly felt the need of a personal God. Such personal God for them was Krishna, who was identified with Vishnu. Thus arose a doctrine of passionate personal devotion, *bhakti*, or faith in an incarnate deity in the form of Krishna. Krishna was a pastoral god who lived among Ahir herdsmen, grazed the cattle, and experienced the joys and sorrows of pastoral life (Fig. 7). His brother Balarama, also called Haldhar, was the bearer of the plough, a symbol of agriculture (Fig. 8).