Story of the Birth of Lord Shri Krishna - Stories
Chapter 1: The Tyranny of Kansa
In ancient India, the city of Mathura was a prosperous and pious place, ruled by the kind King Ugrasen. During his reign, the kingdom was flourishing and the people were happy and content. But, Ugrasen's son Kansa was completely different from his father. Kansa was a cruel, tyrannical and power-hungry prince, whom everyone in the kingdom feared. Kansa put his father Ugrasen in prison and himself became the king of Mathura, the entire kingdom was terrorized by his dictatorship. He caused suffering to many sages and devotees.
Kansas' atrocities knew no bounds. An atmosphere of fear prevailed in the city of Mathura due to Kansa's atrocities. The people of Mathura lived in constant fear, and hoped for a savior who would deliver them from Kansa's cruelty. Meanwhile, Kansa's sister, Devaki, who was a virtuous and gentle soul, was married to a noble prince named Vasudeva, the head of the Yadu clan.
Chapter 2: The Prophecy
After Devaki's marriage to Vasudeva, Kansa, despite his evil nature, undertook to escort his sister and brother-in-law to their palace. While he was driving the chariot with Devaki and Vasudeva, suddenly a terrible voice resounded from the sky. It was an Akashvani (divine prophecy), which said, "Kansa, the eighth child born to Devaki will cause your death."
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Filled with fear and anger, Kansa immediately drew his sword, and intended to kill his sister Devaki right there. Vasudeva explained to Kansa, "O Kansa, Devaki has no fault in this, and pleaded with Kansa to spare Devaki's life, and promised that he would personally hand over to Kansa every child born to her. Reluctantly, Kansa agreed, but he imprisoned both Devaki and Vasudeva, and resolved to kill each of their children as soon as they were born, in order to thwart the prophecy.
Chapter 3: Imprisonment and the Birth of the First Six Children
Kansa imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva in a dark and heavily guarded basement in his palace. There, under the constant surveillance of Kansa's soldiers, Devaki gave birth to her first child. True to his word, Vasudeva handed over the newborn to Kansa, who mercilessly killed the innocent baby. This heartbreaking cycle was repeated for the next five children, each of whom had the same tragic fate.
Devaki and Vasudeva were drowned in an ocean of sorrow and suffering, but still they remained firm in their faith, praying to God for safety and salvation. The entire kingdom was plunged into grief and despair, as the people of Mathura were well aware of Kansa's evil deeds and the fate of Devaki's children.
Chapter 4: Divine Intervention and the Birth of Balarama
Devaki and Vasudeva prayed to the Lord for the safety of their seventh child. When Devaki became pregnant for the seventh time, something miraculous happened. This child was none other than the partial incarnation of Lord Sheshnag, who was to be born as Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna. To protect the child from the wrath of Kamsa, the divine power transferred the embryo from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva, who was living in the safe haven of Vrindavan.
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This miraculous transfer was done by Yogamaya, the divine energy of Lord Vishnu. Rohini gave birth to the child in due time, and he was named Balarama, who later played a vital role in the life of Lord Krishna and the defeat of Kamsa.
Chapter 5: The Birth of Lord Krishna
Lord Vishnu assured Devaki and Vasudeva in their dreams that their eighth son, who would be an incarnation of Vishnu himself, would put an end to Kansa and establish Dharma in the world. When Devaki became pregnant for the eighth time, the whole universe was waiting for this divine event. On the Ashtami tithi, Rohini nakshatra, and at midnight, Lord Shri Krishna was born from Devaki's womb. It was a wonderful and divine moment. Wonderful light spread in the prison, and Devaki and Vasudeva had the vision of Shri Krishna in the form of Lord Vishnu.
As soon as Lord Shri Krishna was born, the chains binding Vasudeva fell off and the prison doors opened automatically. The guards fell into a deep, enchanted sleep, allowing Vasudeva to work without any hindrance. When Vasudeva saw his divine son Lord Krishna, the child spoke to him, revealed his divine form as Chaturbhuj Vishnu and said, “Take me to Gokul, where Nanda and Yashoda live. There, in the safety of their home, I will grow up and fulfill the prophecy. You must exchange me with Yashoda’s daughter tonight.”
Vasudeva placed Shri Krishna in a basket and headed towards the Yamuna river. It was raining heavily that night and the Yamuna river was flooded. But as soon as Vasudeva stepped into the river, the water level of the Yamuna fell down and Lord Sheshnag took the form of a giant snake and spread his hood over Vasudeva’s head to protect him and Shri Krishna from the rain.
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Vasudeva safely reached Gokul, where the people of the village were fast asleep. He entered Nanda’s house, where Yashoda had just given birth to a baby girl. Yogamaya put all the members of the house, including Nanda and Yashoda, into a deep sleep. Then, obeying the divine command, Vasudeva swapped the babies and returned to Mathura with the baby girl. As soon as he laid the baby girl beside Devaki, the chains reappeared, the prison doors closed and the guards woke up as if nothing had happened.
Chapter 6: Kansa's Despair
In the morning, Kansa was informed about the birth of Devaki's eighth child. He immediately reached the prison and as soon as he raised his hand to kill the newborn girl, the girl slipped from his hand and went into the sky and assumed the form of a goddess. The goddess said to Kansa, "O Kansa, your destroyer has been born in Gokul. Your end is now certain." Saying this, the goddess disappeared.
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Kans became worried about this and ordered his servants to find and kill all the newborn babies in his kingdom. He especially sent his spies to Gokul, but no one could harm Shri Krishna.
Chapter 7: Childhood of Shri Krishna
Shri Krishna was brought up in the house of Nanda Baba and Yashoda in Gokul. Shri Krishna's childhood was full of wonderful pastimes. In his childhood itself, he killed many demons who were sent by Kansa to kill him. He tamed Kaliya Naag. He performed amazing childhood pastimes with the gopis and protected the people of Gokul from Indra's wrath by lifting the Govardhan mountain. Shri Krishna's wonderful exploits and pastimes made him everyone's favourite in Gokul and Vrindavan. His childhood pastimes became famous in the entire Braj region and everyone started calling him "Kanhaiya" lovingly.
Chapter 8: The End of Kansa
As Shri Krishna grew up, he resolved to put an end to Kansa's atrocities. He decided to go to Mathura with his elder brother Balarama. There, they challenged Kansa in his court. Shri Krishna and Balarama defeated Kansa's generals in wrestling and eventually killed Kansa himself. With the killing of Kansa, the people of Mathura and the Yaduvansh were freed from his terror.
Establishment of Dharma
After the killing of Kansa, Shri Krishna reinstated his maternal grandfather Ugrasen on the throne of Mathura and established Dharma. He followed the path of Dharma, love, and justice throughout his life and worked for the welfare of the people. The birth of Shri Krishna and his deeds became a guide for mankind and even today he is revered for eternity.
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This story of Lord Shri Krishna's birth tells us that the end of Adharma is certain and truth and Dharma always triumph.
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