I would like to present 2 issues here.
· Usage of the name Vāsudeva in Chapter 61 of Adiparva
· Divinity attached to the name Vāsudeva
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I) Usage of the name Vāsudeva in Chapter 61 of Adiparva
At the behest of his Guru Sage Vyasa, Vaisampayana first narrates briefly the story of Kauravas and Pandavas (Chapter 61 of Adiparva). Thereafter, at the request of King Janamejaya, he elaborates the story.
In the brief narration of presently available Mahabharata (Chapter 61 of Adiparva), Vaisampayana mentions Krishna, the son of Vasudeva, with 4 names.
Hṛṣīkēśa (हृषीकेश) - 1 time, Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) - 1 time, Vāsudeva (वासुदेव) - 2 times, Kēśava (केशव) - 1 time.
Contrary to popular perception, Sage Vyasa did not use the names Hṛṣīkēśa (हृषीकेश), Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) and Kēśava (केशव), in Chapter 61 of Adiparva,, to indicate Vishnu/Narayana.
This attribution to Vishnu/Narayana is a later date development.
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Interestingly, except for Vāsudeva (वासुदेव), which is a proper name, Sage Vyasa used the remaining words, ie., Hṛṣīkēśa (हृषीकेश) , Kēśava (केशव) and Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) as adjectives, ie., indicating qualities of the person referred to.
a) Hṛṣīkēśa (हृषीकेश) - Master of the Senses or One who brought senses under control" (derived from Hṛṣīka = senses + īśa = Lord/Master).
It is similar to Rig Vedic word वृत्रहन् - vṛtrahan (destroyer of vṛtra or over comer of obstacles/senses) - (Rig Veda 4.32.19)
Hence, Hṛṣīkēśa indicates that Vāsudeva had his senses under control.
b) Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) - one whose complexion is dark.
We have to remember that even Draupadi and Sage Vyasa were also mentioned as Kṛṣṇa.
Vyasa - Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana - one who had born in an island (dweepa) and whose complexion is dark.
Hence, Vāsudeva’s complexion is dark.
c) Kēśava (केशव) - One who had long hair
This word Kēśava might have been coined by Sage Vyasa from the Rig Vedic word Keśina" (केशिन) (Rig Veda 10.136.1).
Hence, Vāsudeva might be having a long hair - Kēśava.
II) Divinity attached to the name Vāsudeva
a) Pāṇini in his Aṣṭādhyāyī (Sanskrit Grammar Rules) mentioned vāsudevārjunābhyāṃ vun (4.3.98). It indicates vāsudeva and Arjuna were known figures by the time Pāṇini existed. Mention of vun in the end of this rule indicates that Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva, was venerated as the Divinity by the time of Pāṇini (600 BCE).
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b) Interestingly, Chāndogya Upaniṣad (3.17.6) mentions Krishna, the son of Devakī (Kṛṣṇāya Devakīputrāya), as a student of sage Ghora Āṅgirasa, which is widely recognized by scholars as one of the earliest references to the Vāsudeva. However, divinity was not attached to Krishna here.
Hence, this Kṛṣṇa might be different from Vāsudeva of Mahabharata.
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Thus, according to my study, in Jaya Samhita, the original version of Mahabharata, Sage Vyasa mentions Krishna as Vāsudeva only, and hence, mentioning Vāsudeva as Kṛṣṇa is subsequent development, started by some other scholars at a later date.
