Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.1929

c7.1929

In the meantime Devakī delivered six sons including Kīrtimān and all of them were killed by Kaṃsa by smashing their heads against the ground below. The seventh foetus of Devakī was aborted. (Instructed by Mahāviṣṇu, Māyādevī invoked the seventh foetus of Devakī and transferred it to the womb of Rohiṇī another wife of Vasudeva. The child thus born to Rohiṇī was Saṅkarṣaṇa or Balabhadrārāmā. Mahāviṣṇu then entered the womb of Devakī instructing Māyādevī to enter that of Yaśodā, wife of Nandagopa of Ambāḍi at the same time. Śrī Kṛṣṇa was then born in the figure of Viṣṇu. The watchmen were sleeping. Following directions from the new-born child Vasudeva took the child to Gokula and leaving the child there brought back the child of Yaśodā and p’aced it near Devakī. When the watchmen awoke and knew about the delivery of Devakī they immediately ran to Kaṃsa to tell him. Boiling with rage Kaṃsa rushed to the side of Devakī and taking the child by the legs raised it for smashing it against the ground. The child to the frightened dis may of Kaṃsa slipped from his hand and rising up in the air said "Hi, ill-mannered wicked Kaṃsa, do not waste your valour on women. Your killer has already been born on earth. Do search for him quickly." Kaṃsa went pale with fright on hearing this and went away to his palace.
7) *Conspiracy of Kaṃsa.* The thought that his killer was born somewhere made him restless. He let off Vasudeva and Devakī finding them innocent. Then he sat sadly pondering over the future. The courtiers then advised him to kill all the children who had been born within the past ten days and that would include the killer also. Kaṃsa accordingly sent to different parts of the country his secret agents to kill all children, ten days old. During this campaign Pūtanā, Śakaṭa, Tṛṇāvarta, Ariṣṭaka and Keśī tried to kill Śrī Kṛṣṇa also but Kṛṣṇa killed them all easily. For details see under each head separately. (10th Skandha, Bhāgavata).
8) *Kaṃsa is slain.* Ariṣṭaka was one of the prominent Asuras sent to kill Kṛṣṇa. He attacked Kṛṣṇa in the form of an ox. Śrī Kṛṣṇa killed it without any difficulty. Nārada who saw this incident informed Kaṃsa about it adding that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were the sons of Vasudeva only and the child who slipped out of his hands was the child of Yaśodā. Kaṃsa got furious and he again imprisoned Vasudeva and Devakī and brought to Mathurā Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balabhadrarāma and started thinking of ways and means to kill them. Kaṃsa arranged to conduct a grand celebration of Āyudhapūjā (worship of the weapons) and invited Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma for the same among many other gopas from Ambāḍi. He sent his chariot with Akrūra to fetch Kṛṣṇa and Rāma. Sitting on a platform privately informed Kṛṣṇa of the bad intentions of Kaṃsa. Nandagopa and many others from Ambāḍi started for Mathurā. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balabhadrarāma started their journey in the chariot the gopas and gopikās assembled there cried loudly. Some blamed Akrūra. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma reached Mathurā. There they slew a huge wild elephant and the five Asuras, Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, Kūṭa, Śala and Kosala whom Kaṃsa had kept ready to kill Kṛṣṇa and Rāma. Sitting on a platform watching this, Kaṃsa became frightened and restless and roared with rage thus "The sons of Nandagopa should be instantly sent away from this palace. All their wealth and all that of the gopas should be confiscated. Bind with ropes the rogue Nandagopa, and kill the wicked Vasudeva. Throw my father, Ugrasena, into the river Kālindī bound hand and foot. Even a father should be killed if he was a relative of one's enemy." Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma boiled with rage when they heard the orders of Kaṃsa and Kṛṣṇa, jumping on to the platform pushed Kaṃsa down and jumping down along with him killed him. (10th Skandha, Bhāgavata).
9) *Other details.*
(i) Kaṃsa had married the two daughters of Jarāsandha named Asti and Prāpti. (10th Skandha, Bhāgavata).