* ‘It is true that in the Epic poems Rama and Krishna appear as incarnations of Vishnu, but they at the same time come before us as human heroes, and these two characters (the divine and the human) are so far from being inseparably blended together, that both of these heroes are for the most part exhibited in no other light than other highly gifted men-acting according to human motives and taking no advantage of their divine superiority. It is only in certain sections which have been added for the purpose of enforcing their divine character that they take the character of Vishnu. It is impossible to read either of these two poems with attention, without being reminded of the later interpolation of such sections as ascribe a divine character to the heroes, and of the unskillful manner in which these passages are often introduced and without observing how loosely they are connected with the rest of the narrative, and how unnecessary they are for its progress.” Lassen’s Indian Antiquities quoted by Muir.

“In other places (অর্থাৎ ভগবদ্গীতা পর্বাধ্যায় ভিন্ন) the divine nature of Krishna is less decidedly affirmed, in some it is disputed or denied; and in most of the situations he is exhibited in action, as a prince and warrior not as a divinity. He exercises no superhuman faculties in defence of himself, or his friends, or in the defeat and destruction of his foes. The Mahabharata, however, is the work of various periods, and requires to be read through carefully and critically, before its weight as an authority can be accurately appreciated.” Wilson, Preface to the Vishnu Purana.