The Birth of Krishna-

The circumstances under which Krishna was born are as gripping as the various tales and events that occurred in the life of his blue-god. Krishna maternal uncle Kansa was an evil king, who had a list of atrocities to his name, the most famously infamous of which was his imprisoning his own father, King Ugresena, and ascending the throne. When Kansa sister Devaki (who was Krishna’s mother) was married to Vasudeva, a divine voice prophesied that their eight child would kill Kansa. Furious and secretly terrified, Kansa immediately imprisoned them both in the dungeon, and subsequently killed the first six infants born to them, within a minute of their birth. The seventh child who grew up to be Bal ram, was mysteriously transferred to Gokul, Where Vasudeva’s other wife, Rohini, lived and was brought up by her. At the time of the birth of the eight child, both Deviki and Vasudeva were severally hand cuffed and chained by their ankles to the ground and the cellar gates too had numerous locks and bolts, with several well- secured gates leading to the main cellar. The number of guards too had been doubled. However, when Krishna was born- late at night- not only did the infant not make a single sound. The guards too were deep in slumber land to pose any threat. Carrying Krishna in a basket , Vasudeva walked miles and miles in the dark of the night, in a thunderstorm and placed the basket on his head when he had to cross the river Yamuna at its full spate. Finally , Vasudeva reached Gokul, wher he quietly kept the baby Krishna to be raised in the house of Nanda and Yashoda. It was in here Gokul Krishna spent her childhood. Temple of Krishna abound in India, and one is sure to come across one is in Mathura.