Lord Krishna
as retold by matthew brooks
It was a mystical night
indeed. All one had to do was look to the sky to see all the
constellations, along with all the planets and other celestial bodies,
lined up for an auspicious night. Not only were the heavens
smiling, but so was the earth. The rivers flowed abundantly and
the animals sung with glee.
While most all the world was gleeful, there existed a dark corner of earth. King Kansa held his sister, Queen Devaki, and her husband, King Vasudeva, captive in his castle.
King Ugrasena was father to both Kansa and Devaki. Ugrasena was a noble king. One day when Kansa was grown, his evil nature was revealed. He imprisoned his father, and declared himself king. It was shortly after he imprisoned his father that his sister, then Princess Devaki, married King Vasudeva, and became a queen herself. A voice from the sky warned King Kansa that the eighth son of Vasudeva and Devaki would grow up to destroy Kansa. King Kansa's response was to imprison them both, and slaughter their children to prevent this revelation from occurring.
It was at midnight of this mystical night that the eighth child, Lord Krishna, was born. His birth was mystical in and of itself. He was born with four arms and fully clothed in yellow silk. In each of his four baby hands he held: a conchshell, a club, a disc, and a lotus flower. He radiated intense beauty, as was marked by the Shrivasta, a decoration of beauty, and wore a necklace made of jewels. He had earrings and many other adornments. It was plain to his father that he was divine.
So divine, in fact, that he was a manifestation of the god Vishnu, one of the trinity of Hindu Gods. At the same time as Lord Krishna was born, another queen, Queen Yashoda, had a daughter who was also the divine essence of Lord Vishnu. It was shortly after his birth that Lord Vishnu appeared to King Vasudeva and commanded he take the baby across the Yamuna River and exchange the baby for the daughter of Queen Yashoda.
King Vasudeva did as he was told, and found the way mysteriously unbarred and all the people of the realm asleep. He returned with the baby girl. As soon as he laid her down next to his wife, the baby screamed out and the guards summoned King Kansa. He came, and saw that this eighth child of theirs was a girl, not a boy who had been foretold as his demise. Devaki pleaded with him to remember the revelation and spare the child since it was not male. Kansa ignored her, picked up the baby girl, and threw her against the stone wall.
Immediately the child rose up in the air and became a Goddess with eight arms, each bearing a weapon. She cursed Kansa and told him that the eighth son was elsewhere and surely would still be his demise. Kansa freed Vasudeva and Devaki when the Goddess left.
Krishna, meanwhile, as Queen Yashoda had named her supposed son, was celebrated by the entire town.
Author's Note:
I have used the third-person omniscient narrator storytelling style. This same storytelling style will be continued in further stories. I have read several accounts of the birth of Lord Krishna, sometimes spelled Krsna, and synthesized the main points. What i have attempted to include here are the aspects that i found consistent throughout the different tellings of his birth. Wikipedia states that the first recorded appearance of Lord Krishna is around 900 BCE, in the Chandogya Upanishad, and that he was born over five thousand years ago. Krishna is a central figure in the Hindu faith. The Bhagavad-Gita is the central book for the Hare Krishna faith. It tells Krishna's divine revelations to Arjuna on a battlefield as Arjuna ponders their meanings.
Storybook Home
Soma: Cycles of a God
Lord Ganesha
Giver of Knowledge: Narada
Krsna Book: Chapter 3
The Story of Lord Krishna's Birth
While most all the world was gleeful, there existed a dark corner of earth. King Kansa held his sister, Queen Devaki, and her husband, King Vasudeva, captive in his castle.
King Ugrasena was father to both Kansa and Devaki. Ugrasena was a noble king. One day when Kansa was grown, his evil nature was revealed. He imprisoned his father, and declared himself king. It was shortly after he imprisoned his father that his sister, then Princess Devaki, married King Vasudeva, and became a queen herself. A voice from the sky warned King Kansa that the eighth son of Vasudeva and Devaki would grow up to destroy Kansa. King Kansa's response was to imprison them both, and slaughter their children to prevent this revelation from occurring.
It was at midnight of this mystical night that the eighth child, Lord Krishna, was born. His birth was mystical in and of itself. He was born with four arms and fully clothed in yellow silk. In each of his four baby hands he held: a conchshell, a club, a disc, and a lotus flower. He radiated intense beauty, as was marked by the Shrivasta, a decoration of beauty, and wore a necklace made of jewels. He had earrings and many other adornments. It was plain to his father that he was divine.
So divine, in fact, that he was a manifestation of the god Vishnu, one of the trinity of Hindu Gods. At the same time as Lord Krishna was born, another queen, Queen Yashoda, had a daughter who was also the divine essence of Lord Vishnu. It was shortly after his birth that Lord Vishnu appeared to King Vasudeva and commanded he take the baby across the Yamuna River and exchange the baby for the daughter of Queen Yashoda.
King Vasudeva did as he was told, and found the way mysteriously unbarred and all the people of the realm asleep. He returned with the baby girl. As soon as he laid her down next to his wife, the baby screamed out and the guards summoned King Kansa. He came, and saw that this eighth child of theirs was a girl, not a boy who had been foretold as his demise. Devaki pleaded with him to remember the revelation and spare the child since it was not male. Kansa ignored her, picked up the baby girl, and threw her against the stone wall.
Immediately the child rose up in the air and became a Goddess with eight arms, each bearing a weapon. She cursed Kansa and told him that the eighth son was elsewhere and surely would still be his demise. Kansa freed Vasudeva and Devaki when the Goddess left.
Krishna, meanwhile, as Queen Yashoda had named her supposed son, was celebrated by the entire town.
Author's Note:
I have used the third-person omniscient narrator storytelling style. This same storytelling style will be continued in further stories. I have read several accounts of the birth of Lord Krishna, sometimes spelled Krsna, and synthesized the main points. What i have attempted to include here are the aspects that i found consistent throughout the different tellings of his birth. Wikipedia states that the first recorded appearance of Lord Krishna is around 900 BCE, in the Chandogya Upanishad, and that he was born over five thousand years ago. Krishna is a central figure in the Hindu faith. The Bhagavad-Gita is the central book for the Hare Krishna faith. It tells Krishna's divine revelations to Arjuna on a battlefield as Arjuna ponders their meanings.
Storybook Home
Soma: Cycles of a God
Lord Ganesha
Giver of Knowledge: Narada
Krsna Book: Chapter 3
The Story of Lord Krishna's Birth