Week 11 Story: Krishna's Birth

The story of Lord Krishna's birth begins with a tyrant. In the kingdom of Mathura, King Kansa's atrocities were reaching a tipping point and trouble had reached the heavens. The Shiva devotee was extremely powerful and had various boons that protected him in battle, including several destructive weapons. Answering to the pleas of the gods, Lord Vishnu presumed Krishna's Avatar to end the evil king Kansa.

Kansa unaware of his doom, prepares for the expansion of his kingdom and agrees to let his sister Devaki get married to Yadava prince Vasudeva in the hopes of taking over the Yadava clan too. When Devaki gets married, Kansa is warned by an Akashavani ( a beam from the sky that predicts the future) that one of the offsprings of Devaki would bring his end. In his paranoia, Kansa locks up Devaki and Vasudeva and subject them to a life of misery and captivity. He kills every child Devaki bears and is constantly vigilant about his surroundings.

However on the night of Krishna's birth, a divine light guides Vasudeva to carry Krishna across the Yamuna river to the head of the Gopa tribe, Nandaraja. Nandraja's  wife Yashoda had also given birth. The divine light guides Vasudeva to switch the baby and return to his cell. The gates of the cell open mysteriously and Vasudeva finds every guard unconscious. As he steps out with Krishna in a basket, he gazes at the night ravished by a storm. As he makes his way towards Vasudeva, he stops due to a flooding river and tries his best to cross it. Ultimately, Lord Vishnu's snake, Shesh Naag comes to the rescue and shields Vasudeva from the storm. As the snake protects Vasudeva, he carefully crosses the river. Everytime Krishna's feet touch the water, the level of water decreases. Vasudeva is awestruck by the miracle he just witnessed and moves on. As he makes his way into the Gopa household, he finds everyone asleep. He leaves the baby beside Yashoda, filled with sorrow and returns with the other baby.

As soon as Kansa finds out about the baby, he decides to murder it in cold blood. Devaki begs him not to kill it and pleads that the prophecy must have been wrong as her daughter isn't meant to bring the end of Kansa but to no avail. When Kansa tries to kill the baby, it transforms into a Devi ( goddess ) and warns Kansa of his end. "Your end will come soon and he is already alive in your kingdom". She tells him that his death will be timely and then vanishes. 

Kansa believes the prophecy to be partially untrue and sighs with relief. He lets his sister and Vasudeva live in a separate palace, unaware about Krishna until the latter's youth. Little did he know that he would meet his end at the hands of Lord Krishna 

Author's Notes

I read this story from Amar Chitra Katha as a kid and loved it instantly. My grandma recited this to me again over the years and I hear other slightly different versions of the same story all the time. Little details like how Kansa loved his sister Devaki so much that he had locked her in gold chains and handcuffs make short stories like this ever so interesting. I've also encountered numerous theories behind Kansa's logic in imprisoning Devaki and Vasudeva in the same room. Kansa is supposed to be the embodiment of evil in this story, yet he was considered the most devoted towards Shiva. Even though he is the mightiest king in the subcontinent at the time, his ego destroys him. There are several elements of the story that I questioned when I first read it. I couldn't imagine what Yashoda might have been through after realising that her daughter was gone. I speculated that she might not have realised it, but that seems highly unlikely. From the stories I've read, Yashoda gradually realises the divine nature of her child. Krishna goes on to kill every demon Kansa sends his way and continues to spread dharma in the Mahabharata. 

Image of Young Krishna from Amar Chitra Katha

I loved these graphic comics more than perhaps Marvel or DC because I would see these gods in temples around India too. Something that really fascinated me and I would always pick Krishna!