Stories from The Bhagawatham - Krishna Avatar - Events Set In Motion
A child was born to Devaki and Vasudeva after a year. They named him Kirtiman.
With a heavy heart, Vasudeva carried the child to give him to Kamsa. “Here is my first born, as I had promised.”
Kamsa was pleased with Vasudeva’s sense of honor and gave the child back to him. “Please take him back. I am not going to kill this child. I have been told that it is your eighth child who will kill me. I do not have to kill your first-born.”
Vasudeva carried the child with him, not entirely satisfied, for he knew that people like Kamsa could change their mind in an instant.
How different would have been the history of the world if Kamsa’s actions had stopped here!
Rishi Narada visited Kamsa and shared with him the news about a place called Gokula.
“The cowherds there, whose leader is Nanda and the numerous yadavas and their wives are all devas born on the earth on the command of Maha Vishnu.” The sage told Kamsa. “The only purpose of their arrival on earth is the destruction of the Asura clan.”
Kamsa was startled on hearing this.
“Do not be too lenient with the children of Devaki. The voice said it would be the eighth child. What if it is the eighth from the last? That would make the first born the eighth one!” The sage planted the seeds of doubt in Kamsa’s mind and went away.
Kamsa rushed into Devaki’s chamber and snatching the baby from her hand, he killed it.
Then started a series of horrific killings of infants of Vasudeva and Devaki. How great must have been their grief in watching their newborns die before their very eyes!
Kamsa’s mistrust about the Yadava clan grew and he imprisoned Ugrasena, his own father who was the kingdom of Yadu that belonged to the Yadavas.
Six of Devaki’s children had been killed. The seventh child in her womb was none other than Adisesha, the great serpent of Maha Vishnu, who decided that the time had come to descend to the earth.
He called Yogamaya, the Goddess of the Illusory world and told her, “Go to Gokula where Rohini, the wife of Vasudeva is in hiding, inside the home of Nanda. Adisesha has entered the womb of Devaki. Through your yogic prowess, extract the child from her womb and transfer it to Rohini’s womb. You have to enter the womb of Yashoda, the wife of Nanda.”
Yogamaya descended to the earth and keeping all the people in a trance, she effectively completed the transfer of the child. The next morning, Devaki and everyone assumed that her child had died in her womb itself.
Meanwhile, the incarnation of Adisesha, whom Maha Vishnu addressed as Sankarshana, grew in the womb of Rohini. Yogamaya grew in Yashoda’s womb and the scene was all set for the arrival of one of the greatest incarnations of Maha Vishnu.
Even as the Lord entered the womb of Devaki, she glowed with an ethereal illumination. Vasudeva too looked radiant. How blessed is this couple to become parents to none other than Krishna!
Kamsa looked at Devaki’s glowing countenance in a mixture of wonder and concern. She has never looked like this before. He thought in silent consternation. It appears as if the prophecy of the voice is coming true, and Narayan himself will be born as the eighth child. I could kill her now and stop this. His mind was at a war with itself. But she is a woman! Not only that, she is my sister! She is with child! I have already committed the unforgiveable sin of killing not just one but six infants! The world will condemn me forever if I kill pregnant Devaki.
It was with great effort that Kamsa desisted from killing Devaki. Her unborn child became an obsession for him and everywhere he started seeing a child. While trying to sit on his throne, he would see a child there and would stop, scolding himself for almost sitting on a child. While lying on his bed, he would perceive a child sleeping beside him. While standing, he would suddenly look down and see a child sitting beside his feet. While sitting to eat, he would perceive a child beside him. Everywhere around him, Kamsa felt the presence of the omnipresent Narayan in the form of a child!
As the time for the arrival of the lord came, all the devas from the celestial realm appeared before Devaki and offered salutations to the incarnation growing in her womb. “Oh Lord, how many times have you saved the world!” They said. “And here you are, yet again, saving the world one more time! We bow to you.”
The devas then addressed Devaki. “You are fortunate and blessed to become a mother of none other than Maha Vishnu Himself. Your child will be the savior of the world. Have no more fear of Kamsa, for his days are numbered.” Having comforted Devaki thus, the devas left for their realm.
The earth was preparing herself to welcome the lord. It was as if all the seasons had come together to create a wonderful atmosphere. Stars and planets aligned auspiciously. The star Rohini started ascending. Stars shone brighter, rivers ran with more force and flowers bloomed more in numbers than usual. While Kamsa’s mind became agitated day by day, the rest of the people in the world found themselves happy for reasons they could not explain.
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