Studies in the Epics and Puranas c12.78

c12.78

To turn now to a brief outline of the life of Kṛṣṇa, after eschewing incidents which appear to have no basis in historical facts, we find, as already stated, that Kṛṣṇa was the son of Vasudeva (of the Yādavas) and Devakī the daughter of Devaka, brother of king Ugrasena of Mathurā. Before the birth of Kṛṣṇa, Kaṃsa, the son of Ugrasena, had usurped the Mathurā throne and had imprisoned Ugrasena and his minister Vasudeva. Relying on the prophecy of his royal astrologers that Devakī's eighth child would kill him, Kaṃsa used to kill the children of Devakī. Kṛṣṇa was born in the prison cell at Mathurā, but immediately after birth, was removed to Gokula, to the other side of the Yamunā with the aid of the prison warders and others who were dissatisfied with the tyrant Kaṃsa. He was brought up in Gokula as the child of Nanda and Yaśodā, whose daughter was substituted for Kṛṣṇa, and the baby daughter was later killed by Kaṃsa.