A little later, Krishna is accorded special status.  At the sacrifice performed by Yudhisthira as ‘ruler of the world,’ gifts of honour are distributed.  Krishna is among the assembled guests and is proposed as first recipient.  Only one person objects, a certain king Sisupala, who nurses a standing grievance against him.  A quarrel ensues and during it Krishna kills him.  Krishna’s priority is then acclaimed but the incident serves also to demonstrate his ability as a fighter.

One other aspect of Krishna’s character remains to be noted.  Besides being a bold warrior, he is above all an astute and able ally.  During the Pandavas’ final exile in the forest, he urges them to repudiate their banishment and make war.  When the exile is over and war is near, he acts as peace-maker, urging the Kauravas to make concessions.  When he is foiled by Duryodhana, the blind king’s son, he attempts to have him kidnapped.  Finally, once the great battle is joined, he offers both sides a choice.  Each may have the help either of himself alone or of his immediate kinsmen, the Vrishnis.  The Vrishnis will fight in the battle, while Krishna himself will merely advise from a distance.  The Kauravas choose the fighters, the Pandavas Krishna.  Krishna accordingly aids the Pandavas with counsel.  He accompanies Arjuna as his charioteer and during the battle is a constant advocate of treachery.  As Kama, a leading Kaurava, fights Arjuna, his chariot gets stuck and he dismounts to see to it.  The rules of war demand that Arjuna should now break off but Krishna urges him to continue and Kama is killed unresisting.  Similarly when Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers, is fighting Duryodhana with his club, Krishna eggs him on to deal a foul blow.  Bhima does so and Duryodhana dies from a broken thigh.  In all these encounters, Krishna shows himself completely amoral, achieving his ends by the very audacity of his means.

So far, Krishna’s character is merely that of a feudal magnate, and there is nothing in his views or conduct to suggest that he is Vishnu or God.  Two incidents in the epic, however, suddenly reveal his true role.  The first is when Yudhisthira has gambled away Draupadi and the Kauravas are intent on her dishonour.  They attempt to make her naked.  As one of them tries to remove her clothes, Draupadi beseeches Krishna as Vishnu to intervene and save her.  Krishna does so and by his help she remains clothed; however many times her dress is removed.  The second occasion is on the final battle-field of Kurukshetra.  Arjuna, seeing so many brothers, uncles and cousins ranged on either side is moved to pity at the senseless nature of the strife and confides his anguished doubts in Krishna.  Krishna seems, at first, to be only his friend, his brother-in-law and adviser.  He points out that to a warrior nothing is nobler than a righteous war and declares, ‘Do your duty always but without attachment.’  He then advocates the two paths of yoga(knowledge)