KRISHNA'S
BIRTH
Artist: Jadurani Devi
Dasi
The cruel King Kamsa had imprisoned Vasudeva
and Devaki when he heard an omen from the sky exclaiming that the eighth son of Devaki would kill him. Kamsa killed the first
six children born of Devaki, and the seventh child was transferred from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Vasudeva's second
wife Rohini, who was living in Vrindavana under the care of Nanda Maharaja. Yogamaya, the potency of Lord Vishnu, transferred
the child. The child born was the all-powerful Lord Balarama. Kamsa thought that Devaki had a miscarriage. Kamsa was anxiously
waiting for the birth of the eighth child to kill him. When the pregnancy of Devaki was mature, in the middle of the night,
Lord Krishna appeared outside of the womb of Devaki in a four-armed Vishnu form to encourage Vasudeva and Devaki that He would
protect them. The Lord ordered Vasudeva to take Him to Gokula and exchange the child that had just been born to Yashoda. The
Lord then turned Himself into a small baby. Vasudeva picked up the infant child, slipped past the sleeping guards and took
Krishna in the rain to Gokula. This pastime is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam,
10th canto, 3rd chapter.
