All-Attractive One or Dark One?

[Riverwolf]

I've seen it said that the word "Krishna" stems from a word meaning All-Attractive One, and I've also read that it means Dark One.

Can someone who speaks Sanskrit clarify this?

(While on the subject of Krishna... why are Visnu, his incarnates, and Siva depicted with blue skin all the time?)

 

[Madhuri]

I've seen it said that the word "Krishna" stems from a word meaning All-Attractive One, and I've also read that it means Dark One.

Can someone who speaks Sanskrit clarify this?

(While on the subject of Krishna... why are Visnu, his incarnates, and Siva depicted with blue skin all the time?)

The colour blue represents the infinite.

I got this from Wiki:

The Sanskrit word kṛṣṇa means "black", "dark" or "dark-blue"[5] and is used as a name to describe someone with dark skin. Krishna is often depicted in murtis (images) as black, and is generally shown in paintings with a blue skin.
Some Hindu traditions often ascribe varying interpretations and powers to the names. The Mahabharata's Udyoga-parva (Mbh 5.71.4) divides kṛṣṇa into elements kṛṣ and ṇa, kṛṣ (a verbal root meaning "to plough, drag") being taken as expressing bhū "being; earth" and ṇa being taken as expressing nirvṛti "bliss". In the Brahmasambandha mantra of the Vallabha sampradaya, the syllables of the name Krishna are assigned the power to destroy sin relating to material, self and divine causes.[6] Mahabharata verse 5.71.4 is also quoted in Chaitanya Charitamrita and Prabhupada in his commentary, translates the bhū as "attractive existence", thus Krishna is also interpreted as meaning "all-attractive one".[7][8] This quality of Krishna is stated in the atmarama verse of Bhagavatam 1.7.10.[9]

 

[Madhuri]

I've always thought of Krishna as All-Attractive and the name Syamasudar/Syama to mean 'dark'. I do know that even if Krishna does not mean 'all-attractive' he is certainly described as such.

 

[Andal]

In terms of the blue color, Madhuri already mentioned the physical reason. Also in the case of Krishna, blue and black are used interchangeably in Hindu art.

For Vishnu it's a little different. He is often described as being the color of monsoon clouds. So it's like a bluish color. This also represents that Vishnu brings blessings and boons just like the monsoon clouds do.

Shiva is depicted that way for a different reason. He is often called Nilakantha or the "Blue Necked One" This is because a long time ago the demons poisoned the cosmic ocean so Lord Shiva sucked the poison out which turned his neck blue. The rest of him has a bluish appearance because he is Yogesvara or the Lord of the Yogis and yogis often paint them selves with ashes thus giving a bluish grey look.

Hari Om