What religious figure was Krishna increasingly associated with during the period of c. 200 BCE to 200 CE?

Lord Vishnu

The authorship of the text raises an intriguing question with multiple answers. The original story is believed to have been composed by charioteer-bards known as sutas, who accompanied Kshatriya warriors to battlefields and orally recited poems celebrating their victories and achievements. From the fifth century BCE, Brahmanas took charge of the story and began to transcribe it into writing. This period coincided with the transformation of chiefdoms, such as the Kurus and Panchalas, into kingdoms. It is plausible that the new kings desired a systematic recording and preservation of their itihasa. Additionally, the upheavals during the establishment of these states, where old social values gave way to new norms, might be reflected in certain parts of the epic's narrative.

Between approximately 200 BCE and 200 CE, another phase of composition occurred. During this time, the worship of Vishnu gained prominence, and Krishna, an important figure in the epic, became identified with Vishnu. Subsequently, from approximately 200 to 400 CE, extensive didactic sections resembling the Manusmriti were added to the text. With these additions, the original text, which likely had less than 10,000 verses, expanded to include about 100,000 verses. This colossal composition is traditionally attributed to a sage named Vyasa.