Kṛshṇa Janana

This is the account of the birth of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa, told in the Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa of the Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa (Chapters 7 and 9). Kṛshṇa is born in the prison of Mathurā to Devakī and Vasudeva. Vasudeva carries him across the flooded Yamunā to Gokula and brings back the baby daughter of Yaśodā. Yogamāyā then declares to Kaṃsa that his killer is already born. In Gokula the people celebrate the birth in the festival called Nanda Putrotsava.

The family of Devakī and Vasudeva

Vasudeva, also called Ānakadundubhi, was the son of Devamīḍha and Mārishā, in the Yadu line. When he was born, the devas beat dundubhis (drums) and tālas (cymbals) with great joy, because they knew he would be the father of Śrī Kṛshṇa.

Devakī was the daughter of Devaka, a grandson of Āhuka, born in the Yadu family. The great ṛshi Garga Muni, the ācārya (teacher) of the Yādava family, performed their marriage as the śāstra says. Devaka gave a rich dowry of thousands of horses, hundreds of elephants, gold, jewels and fine clothes.

When Vasudeva left with his new wife, the cruel Kaṃsa himself drove their chariot, as a sign of love for his sister. At that moment a voice with no body spoke from the sky: “O Kaṃsa, why do you rejoice? The eighth child of this woman will be your death.” Kaṃsa was seized by fear and anger and drew his sword to kill Devakī.

Vasudeva knew nītiśāstra (the science of right conduct). He spoke calmly to Kaṃsa and asked why he should earn the pāpa (sin) of killing a woman, and his own sister at that. He promised to hand over to Kaṃsa every child born to Devakī. Kaṃsa was calmed by this promise and spared his sister.

The prison and the six sons who were killed

Vasudeva kept his word. He gave up each of the first six sons born to Devakī. Kaṃsa took them and killed each one without pity.

When Devakī was carrying her seventh child, Kaṃsa made the guard around her prison stronger. Yogamāyā, on the command of Bhagavān Vishṇu, drew the child out of Devakī’s womb and placed it in the womb of Rohiṇī. Rohiṇī was living safely in Gokula under the care of Nanda. The guards told Kaṃsa that Devakī had lost the child. Because the child had been drawn across (saṃkarshita) from one womb to another, he came to be called Saṃkarshaṇa, and later Balarāma.

The eighth pregnancy made Devakī’s body shine so brightly that the guards could not look at her. It was as though Vishṇumāyā herself had taken the body of a woman, or as though the light of all the stars and planets together had taken the form of a woman. Kaṃsa was afraid and put her in a fortified room with seven gates and many guards.

The moment of birth

The ninth and tenth months passed. As the time came near, Vasudeva gathered all that was needed for the birth. He gathered iron tools, fire, water, a learned brāhmaṇa, the wives of relatives, and trusted kinsmen. Two praharas of the night had passed when the sky filled with clouds shot through with lightning. The guards fell into a strange sleep, as if they were dead.

Brahmā, Rudra, Dharma and all the devas came to the prison. They offered a stotra (hymn of praise) to the Paramātmā who rested in the heart of Devakī. They praised him as birthless, deathless, self-shining and all-pervading Brahman. Out of love for his devotees (bhakta-prīti) he takes a form, though he has no form. After their prayers the devas went back to their own lokas.

The birth took place in the eighth muhūrta, with the moon in the Rohiṇī nakshatra, on Kṛshṇa Ashṭamī. This is the rare and most auspicious Jayantī yoga. By the command of Brahmā, the planets left their usual paths and stood in the eleventh house, all of them auspicious and all of them glad. Clouds poured rain. Cool, sweet-smelling winds blew. The earth shone, and the rivers ran full. The devas sounded divine dundubhis in svarga (heaven). A shower of pārijāta flowers fell from the sky. The apsarās danced and the gandharvas sang.

At that moment, from the lotus of Devakī’s heart, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa showed his divine form. He appeared as a kiśora (a youth) with a shining dark (śyāma) colour. He held a flute (pilangrovi) in his two hands. He wore a bright crown and makarakuṇḍalas (shark-shaped earrings). A peacock feather was in his tuft of hair. He was dressed in pītāmbara (yellow silk) and adorned with the śrīvatsa mark, the kaustubha jewel, and a garland that fell to his feet. His face was like the full autumn moon, and his lips were red like the tondaphaṇḍu. His smile drew the hearts of all beings. He had the form of a young child of five years or less, yet he showed himself as the supreme Bhagavān Kṛshṇa, beyond even Brahmā and Rudra.

Vasudeva’s stotra and Kṛshṇa’s instruction

Vasudeva was overwhelmed with devotion. He stood with tears of joy (ānanda) running from his eyes and the hairs of his body standing up, and together with Devakī he offered a great stotra. He praised Bhagavān Kṛshṇa as avyakta (unseen, beyond the senses). He praised him as nirguṇa (without qualities), who still takes a form by his own will. He praised him as sarvavyāpaka (all-pervading), who now stood before them as their child. This was the same Bhagavān Kṛshṇa who had come as Vāmana in the womb of Aditi, when Vasudeva was the Prajāpati Kaśyapa in an earlier age. Vasudeva said that even Ananta with his thousand mouths, Sarasvatī, five-faced Bhagavān Śiva and Brahmā himself cannot praise him fully. He humbly begged him to put aside this divine form and appear as an ordinary baby.

Bhagavān Kṛshṇa was pleased and told Vasudeva who he was: “In the past you were the Prajāpati Kaśyapa, a great tapasvin. You worshipped me and asked for a son equal to me. Because of that tapas you are now Vasudeva, and Devakī is that same Aditi. In an earlier age I was born as Vāmana in your home. Now I am born as your son in my fullest and most complete form (paripūrṇatama). Take me now to the home of Nanda in Gokula. Leave me there, take the baby daughter of Yaśodā, and bring her here.” With these words the divine child took the form of a helpless newborn baby lying on the ground.

Vasudeva crosses the Yamunā

Vishṇumāyā veiled the mind of Vasudeva, so that he remembered only the instruction of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa. He lifted the baby and set out for Gokula at midnight. Mist and heavy rain covered Mathurā, and the guards lay as if dead. Vasudeva pushed on through deep mud and driving rain. The flooded Yamunā roared before him, and her banks could not be seen. Yet he stepped in. Ādiśesha spread his thousand hoods over the baby like an umbrella against the downpour. The Yamunā herself knew Prabhu Kṛshṇa in the form of a baby and made a path for him. Her current touched the child’s feet in reverence.

Vasudeva crossed quickly and reached the home of Nanda in Gokula. He found Yaśodā asleep after the birth of her child. Nanda and everyone in the house were also in deep sleep, by the māyā of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa. In the dark room Vasudeva saw a newborn girl with a golden colour, lying with a smile on her face and looking up at the ceiling. She was Yogamāyā, who had been born as the daughter of Yaśodā. Vasudeva laid the baby Kṛshṇa beside Yaśodā, took up the girl, and hurried back across the Yamunā to Mathurā. There he laid her beside Devakī.

The baby girl began to cry at once. Her cries woke the guards. They rushed in, seized the child and ran to Kaṃsa. Devakī and Vasudeva followed them in fear and sorrow.

Yogamāyā’s words and Kaṃsa lets her go

Kaṃsa saw a girl and not the boy he feared, but he was not relieved. He decided to kill even this child. He seized her and raised her to dash her against a stone. Devakī and Vasudeva begged him to show mercy. They told him that killing a woman, and especially his own niece, would add to his evil. Kaṃsa did not listen.

But as he raised his arm, the child slipped from his hand and flew up into the sky. She showed her eight-armed divine form. Then a divine voice rang out: “O fool, Kaṃsa! Why kill this girl? The one who will kill you is already born elsewhere.” In terror Kaṃsa let the child go.

She is known as Ekānaṃśā, an aṃśa of Pārvatī. Later Vasudeva gave her in marriage to the ṛshi Durvāsa, when Kṛshṇa married Rukmiṇī in Dvārakā.

Devakī and Vasudeva took the girl back and returned to their rooms. Vasudeva gave gifts to brāhmaṇas in thanks, as if a dead child had been brought back to life.

Nanda Putrotsava: the celebration in Gokula (Chapter 9)

After Vasudeva had gone, Yaśodā and Nanda found the dark, lovely baby lying in the room of birth, looking up at the ceiling. His colour was like a fresh rain cloud. His face was like the full moon of śarad (autumn). His eyes were like dark lotuses. He cried and smiled by turns and held a small flute in his tiny hands. When Yaśodā and Nanda saw him, their hearts overflowed with joy. The room of birth became auspicious and victorious.

When Nanda saw his son, he was so full of joy that he bathed in his clothes. Then he put on fresh, washed clothes and carried out all the rites that the śāstra gives. He fed the brāhmaṇas richly and had them recite maṅgalavādyas (auspicious music) and the puṇyāhavācanam (the blessing rite). He gave gifts to all the vandi-jana (bards) who had come. Then in his great joy he gave dāna (gifts) to qualified brāhmaṇas. The gifts were jewels, corals, diamonds, seven mounds of sesame, one hundred gold coins, flour, grain, clothes, one thousand cows with their calves, milk, curd, butter, ghee, śarkarā (sugar), honey, pakvaānna (cooked food), laḍḍus, good land, swift horses, tāmbūla (betel) and sweet-smelling oils.

Older gopikās and women who knew the rites of protection were chosen to guard the baby. The Vedas were recited (Veda pārāyaṇa) and the names of Śrī Hari were sung (Śrī Hari nāmāvali). All the devas were honoured through the brāhmaṇas. Paṇḍitas of Jyautiḥśāstra (the science of the stars) came with their books to cast the child’s horoscope and write down his auspicious marks. Groups of brāhmaṇa women, younger gopikās and friends of Yaśodā came to bless the child and his mother. Some took him on their laps and kissed him. Others sat nearby in wonder.

Rohiṇī had recently given birth to Balarāma in the same house. She too took part in the joy and gave out sindūra (red powder), sesame oil, tāmbūla and wealth to all who came. The two boys, Balarāma born of Rohiṇī and Kṛshṇa born of Yaśodā, grew like the waxing moon of the bright half of the month (śuklapaksha). Day by day they filled the house of Nanda with more and more delight.

The earlier lives of Yaśodā and Nanda (Chapter 9)

Nanda was Droṇa, a great tapasvin among the vasus, and Yaśodā was Dharā, the loyal wife of Droṇa. The two did tapas for ten thousand years on Mount Gandhamādana, beside the āśrama of Gautama, at the river Suprabhā. They prayed to see Śrī Hari. Even after such great tapas the sight did not come, and they were ready to enter the fire. Then a voice from the sky (ākāśavāṇī) commanded: “O best among the vasus, you cannot see him now in this state. In another birth in Bhāratavarsha you will see Śrī Hari as your own son in Gokula.” They left in peace. In time they were born as Nanda and Yaśodā, so that this promise would be kept.

Rohiṇī was Kadrū, the mother of the serpents. In an earlier age Aditi had given her a śāpa (a curse), and she had cursed Aditi in return. Both had to take birth as humans. Kaśyapa comforted Kadrū and told her that in her new birth she would see the face of Śrī Hari. So Aditi became Devakī, Kadrū became Rohiṇī, and Kaśyapa became Vasudeva. All of this came about to fulfil the web of old karma and the plan of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa himself.

Sources

• Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 7 (the family of Devakī and Vasudeva, the birth, the crossing of the Yamunā, Yogamāyā and Kaṃsa)
• Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 9 (Nanda Putrotsava and the earlier lives of Yaśodā, Nanda and Rohiṇī)