HEY KRISHNA

In the Yadava Kingdom, King Surasena ruled over Mathura City. His descendant was Ugarasena, and his son was the notorious Kamsa, feared for his tyranny over the land. Ugrasena's younger was Devaka, who had a daughther called Devaki. She was married to Vasudeva, son of Sura a noble of Mathura. After the wedding ceremony, the couple return to Vasudeva's home. Devaki's elder cousin Kamsa himself took the reins and escorted his sister.

As they were going through the forest, a voice from the sky laughed and spoke to Kamsa. "O foolish king, who do you ride home? The very sister and her husband whose eighth son who is going to kill you?" Kamsa became petrified with fear and that very moment he stopped the chariot and took his sword to kill Devaki. Vasudeva entreated with Kamsa and begged him to spare her, in turn he promised to hand over all their children to Kamsa as soon as they were born. Kamsa relented and threw the couple into the dungeon with fetter on their hands and feet.

Vasudeva and Devaki begot of six sons, each of whom Kamsa killed. Such a cruelty and such was the fear of his own impending death. When Devaki conceived the seventh child, who was none other than Sesha the Serpant Couch of the Vishnu, the lord commanded Yogamaya the power of his trance sleep to appear and remove the womb of Devaki and plant it in Rohini, Vasudeva's other wife who was living in Braj on the other bank of Yamuna, under the care of the cowherd Vassai Chieftain Nanda. When Devaki lost her womb, they all thought that the child was dead even before birth, but in fact, he was born to Rohini as Balarama and was growing up with Nanda.

Devaki conceived her eigth child.This was Krishna, on the asterism of Rohini in the monsoon season . Krishna was born at midnight when all the guards had fallen asleep. So radiant was his frame, complete with Shanka, Chakra and all the divine ornanments that Devaki immediately recongnized the child as none other than the Lord Vishnu himself, born to her in human form. She feared that Kamsa too may recongnize the child, so to appease her fear, the Lord withdrew the Shanka, Chakra and four arms and appeared as an ordinary child.

A miracle happened. The doors of the dungeon opened and the Lord commanded Vasudeva to transfer him to the home of yhe cowherd Chieftain Nanda and his wife Yasoda across the river. Vasudeva placed the child on a winnow basket and waded across the swollen river. The river would rise alarmingly, but subside immediately on the touching of the Lord's feet.

Vasudeva reached Nanda's home Brindhadvana on the outskirts of Braj. At the same time, Devaki begot Krishna; Yasoda too begot a female child, who was none other than Yogamaya. Exhausted from the labour, Yasoda lay sleeping. Vasudeva placed the child Krishna bye her side and returned with the female child Yogamay. He re-entered the dungeon and the doors closed. The child cried and guard woke up. They ran to Kamsa and told him birth of another child to Devaki. Kamsa hastily entered the dungeon all disheveled and cruelly picked up the child by its feet, to hit it against a rock. But Lord and behold, the child did not fall down but flew up laughing. "O fool, the child who is destined to kill you is alive and living elsewhere". Kamsa's fears grew worse and he thought of ways to kill his tormentor. He ordered that all childeren born then before or after should be killed all over the land.