Krishna (/ˈkrɪʃnə/; Sanskrit: कृष्ण, Kṛṣṇa in IAST, pronounced [ˈkr̩ʂɳə]) is a Hindu deity, worshipped across many traditions of Hinduism in a variety of different perspectives. He is arguably one of the most enigmatic figures in World prehistory and mythology. Historically, Krishna as Vasudeva Govinda Krishna Shauri of the Vrishnis was the monarch of Dwaraka, a submerged island-state off coast modern Gujarat, India. In the Hindu Pantheon Krishna is recognized as the complete and eighth avatar of the God Vishnu or as the Supreme God swayam bhagwan (supreme personality of godhead) in his own right. Krishna is one of the most widely revered and popular of all Hindu deities. As one of the most popular of all Hindu deities, Krishna has absorbed many regionally significant deities such as Jagannatha in Odisha or Vithoba in Maharashtra. Srimad Bhagavatam names Krishna's eternal abode as Goloka. He is often described as a child, an infant eating butter, a toddler being tied to a mortar (Damodara) by his Mother, a young boy playing a flute as in the Bhagavata Purana (a.k.a. Srimad Bhagavatam),an adolescent cowherd tending to cows, a young man along with Radha (Rādhārānī), a householder romancing any of his multiple wives, a king dispensing royal duties, a diplomat initiating both war and peace for greater good, as a middle-aged friend and charioteer to Arjuna or as an elder giving direction and guidance to Arjuna in the form of Spiritual discourse as in the Bhagavad Gita. In Bagwat Gita (4:13) Krishna says, "Chatur varnyam maya srishtam" meaning that Krishna himself created the caste system (varnashrama dharma).The stories of Krishna appear across a broad spectrum of Hindu philosophical and theological traditions. They portray him in various perspectives: a lovable infant, a god-child, a prankster, a cowherd, a model lover, a divine hero, a Diplomat, a King, a Kingmaker, a selfless friend, a philosopher and the Supreme Being swayam bhagwan. The principal scriptures discussing Krishna's story are the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana. The Vishnu Sahasranama, the list of Vishnu's thousand names also includes many of the above-mentioned names including Sri Krishna.