The Birth of Lord Krishna
(AZADI KE PANKH CREATIONS )
A long time ago in ancient India, there
lived King Ugrasen. He had two children, prince Kansa and princess Devaki.
Prince Kansa was evil by nature. When Kansa grew up, he imprisoned his own
father Ugrasen and made himself king.
Soon, his sister Devaki was married to King
Vasudev. However, after the wedding, Kansa heard a divine warning from the sky,
"O King! Your sister’s eighth son will grow up to kill you." After
Kansa heard this, he was afraid. Immediately he imprisoned his own sister
Devaki and her husband king Vasudev, and kept them under continuous watch.
Each time Devaki gave birth to a child in
the prison, Kansa arrived personally and killed the child. When Devaki became
pregnant for the eighth time, King Vasudev’s friend’s (King Nanda’s) wife
Yashoda was also pregnant. The eighth child, Lord Krishna, was born to queen
Devaki at midnight in the prison. As soon as the child was born, Lord Vishnu
appeared in divine form and the prison was filled with a dazzling light. Both
Devaki and Vasudev prayed to Lord Vishnu. At the same time as Lord Krishna was
born in the prison, the divine energy of Lord Vishnu was born in Gokul, as a
baby girl to queen Yashoda.
A divine message came to Vasudev soon after
the birth of Lord Krishna, "Take this child across the Yamuna River to
Gokul and exchange him with Yashoda’s daughter. You will return to the prison
before anyone comes to know about the birth of this child."
Vasudev immediately followed the advice. As
he carried the child in his arms, he found that the prison doors opened
automatically and the guards were put to sleep by God. Vasudev approached the
Yamuna River, which was very turbulent due to fierce winds and rain. However,
as soon as Vasudev reached the riverbank, the river parted and made way for
Vasudev carrying the divine child. Vasudev reached the opposite bank of the
river safely and found all the people of Gokul fast asleep. He entered the palace
of king Nanda and queen Yashoda, and put the baby Krishna in the place of
Yashoda’s baby girl. Then Vasudev returned to the prison with the baby girl.
As soon as Vasudev laid the baby girl by
Devaki’s side, the prison doors shut automatically. The guards were now awake
and were startled by the cries of the baby girl. The guards ran to Kansa and
announced the birth of the eighth child.
Kansa rushed to execute the child in the
prison, remembering the divine warning that the eighth child would kill him. Devaki
appealed, "O Kansa, this baby is a girl, and not the boy that the divine
warning told you about. How can this child harm you?" However, Kansa
ignored her, snatched the child from her lap, and hurled the child against the
prison wall.
The child did not fall down; instead, she
flew up and appeared in the sky as a Goddess with eight arms, each arm carrying
a weapon. She said, "O evil king! You will gain nothing by killing me. The
one who will destroy you is elsewhere." Then the Goddess disappeared. Kansa
freed Vasudev and Devaki from prison.
Meanwhile, there was great rejoicing in
Gokul, hailing the birth of a son in the household of Nanda. Nanda named the
child Krishna. Entire Gokul wore a festive appearance. The streets were swept
clean and all the houses were decorated with flags and flowers. Cows were
smeared with turmeric, and adorned with peacock feathers and garlands. All
people of Gokul danced in joy and flocked to Nanda’s house to see baby Krishna
and to offer gifts.
Moral: The story of Lord Krishna's birth
shows how powerful and loving God is. Whenever evil in the world like Kansa’s
wicked rule becomes unbearable, God Himself comes to save us in the form of an
Incarnation like Lord Krishna. Against God, not even the mightiest evil can do
anything. Hence, daily we should pray to God and remember Him by chanting*
(repeating) His Name in everything we do – be it getting ready, eating,
walking, playing or going to bed.
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