The several names of Lord Krishna rose from his divine plays and the different roles and feats he accomplished. Most of such names also have a deep symbolic purport. The term Thakurji is fondly used by the devotees to address Lord Krishna. Traditionally, the term Thakur refers to ‘Village Head’ or the head of a clan or tribe. The epithet ‘Ji’ is a respectful addition. Thus, the term Thakurji is a doubly respectful expression to address Lord Krishna meaning ruler or head.
The Leader
Krishna was born to Mother Devaki and Vasudev in the prison under the captivity of the demon Kamsa. As per the divine command, Vasudev transported the baby in the dark of the midnight to Gokul where a female child was issued by Yashoda, the wife of Nanda – the village head. The babies were exchanged and Krishna grew up in Gokul. Even as a child, Krishna had a mesmerizing personality. He saved the villages from the onslaught of demons. He enacted a lot of his divine pranks on the banks of river Yamuna and the soils of Gokul and Vrindavan.
As the son of the village head, he was fondly revered by all in the villages. He was the leader of the cowherds taking their cattle for grazing. The little child Krishna wore a turban with a peacock feature tucked into it as a mark of royal insignia. The folks and the cattle adored him in several ways and considered him their head. Everyone fondly called him Govind and Gopal meaning the leader of cows and the protector of cows. Here the term ‘cow’ also a symbolic in representing the humans or the created universe with the Lord assuming the role of protecting his creation. The term Thakurji is synonymous with the term Govind and Gopal in emphasizing on the leadership of protective role of Krishna. Though a later addition, Thakurji became a famous name to call Krishna as the undisputed leader.
