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How did Krishna become blue as he was originally black?

Q: How did Krishna become blue as he was originally black?

Krishna: I will answer this question from a scientific point of view.

Image source: THE HINDU GALLERY

The name "Krishna" (कृष्ण) in Sanskrit primarily means "black" or "dark," or dark blue but also encompasses interpretations like "all-attractive" or "all-auspicious".

(By the way Krishna is my name too)

Dark skin is primarily obtained due to an increased production and concentration of melanin, a pigment that gives skin its colour, in cells called melanocytes.

Factors Influencing Melanin Production:

Genetics: A person's genes determine their inherent ability to produce melanin. In populations living in areas with high levels of sunlight, natural selection favored darker skin pigmentation as a way to protect against the harmful effects of UV radiation.

Sun Exposure: Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun stimulates melanocytes to produce more melanin, leading to a tan or darkening of the skin.

Hormonal Changes: Hormonal fluctuations, such as those that occur during pregnancy or puberty, can also affect melanin production.

Inflammation: Skin inflammation or injury can sometimes trigger increased melanin production, leading to hyperpigmentation or darkening of the skin.

According to science, blue-tinged skin can occur due to a rare genetic condition called methemoglobinemia, where the hemoglobin in red blood cells is unable to effectively release oxygen, leading to a bluish appearance.

This condition arises when there's an abnormal amount of methemoglobin, a form of hemoglobin, in the blood.

In methemoglobinemia, the hemoglobin is unable to release oxygen effectively to the body tissues, leading to a bluish discoloration of the skin, lips, and nails (cyanosis).

Blue-tinged skin is the result of methemoglobinemia—a condition wherein hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that distribute oxygen to the body, is unable to release oxygen effectively to body tissues. As the blood doesn’t get oxygenated, it makes the skin look blue, lips purple, and blood chocolate-coloured.

Most of us have less than 1 per cent of methemoglobin. The skin gets the bluish tinge when that level rises to 10-20 per cent.

Famous Fugate family of Kentucky: Six generations of the Fugate family, who lived in the hills of Kentucky from 1800 to 1960, had blue skin. The blue lineage began in the early 1800s when Martin Fugate, a French orphan, settled on the banks of the Troublesome Creek. He married a red-haired American lady who had a very pale complexion. Their genetic chemistry resulted in a mutation and the both unknowingly carried the recessive gene that resulted in their descendants being born with blue skin.

Due to intermarriage, the next generations were also born with this rare disorder. However, most of the family members lived into their 80s and 90s with no significant health problems.

Methemoglobinemia may be passed down through families or can be caused by exposure to certain drugs and chemicals.

Another condition that can cause blue skin is argyria, which is caused by the buildup of silver in the body, often from ingesting too much colloidal silver.

Blue baby syndrome, also called cyanosis, is a condition in babies in which their skin appears blue or purple tinged. It may be caused by many things like birth defects, heart ailments, or lung diseases.

Blue baby syndrome is a condition that causes a baby's skin to turn blue due to low oxygen levels in the blood. It can be caused by a number of health conditions and exposure to certain substances.

Causes:

Heart defects: A combination of heart defects can cause blue baby syndrome. These defects can include a hole between the ventricles, displacement of the aorta, and a blockage in the valve connecting the right ventricle and the pulmonary arteries.

Nitrate-contaminated drinking water: Using nitrate-contaminated drinking water to prepare infant formula can cause blue baby syndrome.

Bacterial infections: Bacterial infections can contribute to blue baby syndrome.

Symptoms : Blue-gray skin color, Irritability, Lethargy, Vomiting, Difficulty breathing, Increased salivation, Diarrhea, Loss of consciousness, Seizures, and Feeding issues.

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF): While a rare congenital heart defect, TOF is a primary cause of blue baby syndrome. It’s actually a combination of four heart defects that can reduce blood flow to the lungs and allow oxygen-poor blood to flow out into the body.

TOF includes conditions like having a hole in the wall that separates the left and right ventricles of the heart and a muscle obstructing the flow of blood from the right ventricle into the pulmonary, or lung, artery.

Uranium toxicity because of contaminated water is also thought to have the potential to cause ‘blue baby syndrome’. Cases of blue baby syndrome were reported in villages in Romania and Bulgaria that faced sanitation problems and high levels of nitrates in groundwater.

Some bacterial infections too cause blue baby syndrome.

Nobody who lives now saw Lord Krishna. All that we know about him is from descriptions in religious books written during ancient times when science was not developed.

So we clearly don’t know about Krishna’s skin colour and why he got that colour.

All that people can do now is ‘imagine and speculate’.

But do we really care? We love the boy in the picture. He is so adorable.

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