Kansa himself was a great force on the one hand and on the other, he had great help from king of Magadha Jarasandha. Thirdly, his companions were Pralambasura, Bakasura, Chanur, Trinavarta, Aghasur, Mushtika, Arishtasur, Dwivid, Putana, Keshi and Dhenuk and many demon kings like Banasura and Bhaumasur etc. were his assistants. Taking them with him, he started destroying the Yaduva people. They got scared and settled in kingdoms like Kuru, Panchala, Kekay, Shalva, Vidarbha, Nishadha, Videha and Kosala etc. Some people continued to serve him just for name sake, acting according to his intentions.
When Kansa killed Devaki’s six sons and Yogmaya placed the seventh son in Rohini’s womb and the time came for Devaki’s eighth pregnancy,Lord Krishna who is the remover of fear of the devotees. Who is everywhere in all forms, who does not have to go or come anywhere ( The one who is omnipresent). He appeared in the mind of Vasudeva with all his potencies. Though existing in him, The Lord expressed himself from dormant. Because of holding the light of the Lord, Vasudevji became as brilliant as the sun, seeing him people’s eyes would be dazzled. No one could suppress him by his power, speech or influence. On being transfused by Vasudevji, that luminous part of the Lord, who is the bestower of the world, was accepted by Goddess like Devaki. Just as the east direction embraces the moon , in the same way Goddess like Devaki, endowed with pure sattva, assumed the Supreme Self and the Supreme Personality of Godhead with a pure mind. At the same time, Bhagwati Yogamaya entered Yashoda’s womb by her own will ( as directed by the lord ) with the thought of accomplishing the work of the gods.
Supreme Lord Krishna is the abode of the whole world. Devaki became the abode of that supreme lord. But as the light of the lamp, which is locked inside the pitcher, and the light of the superior knowledge of the knowledge holder, who does not give his knowledge to others, does not spread all around, in the same way the luster of Devaki, who is in the prison of Kansa, did not spread all around. The Lord was seated in Devaki’s womb. There was a pure grin on her face and the brilliance of her body lit up the prison. When Kansa saw her, he began to say in his mind – ‘This time no doubt Vishnu, the taker of my life, has entered her womb; Because in her previous pregnancies Devaki was never like this. Now as soon as possible what should I do about this? It would not be right to kill Devaki; Because brave men do not tarnish their valor out of selfishness.
One is a woman, the other is my sister and the third is pregnant. By killing her, my fame, wealth and life will be destroyed immediately.That man who behaves very cruelly is like a dead person even though he is alive. After his death people abuse him. Not only this, he must also go to the cruelest of hell worthy of the prideful people . Although Kansa could have killed Devaki, he himself retired from the thought of this extreme cruelty. Now knotting in the mind a strong hatred for the Lord,he started waiting for his birth. While getting up, eating and drinking, sleeping and waking up and moving, he was always engaged in contemplating Shri Krishna.Wherever his eyes fell, wherever something would crackle, he could see Shri Krishna. In this way, the whole world began to appear him as filled with Sri Krishna.
After Lord Krishna entered the womb of devaki, Lord Shankar and Brahma came to Kansa’s prison. Going thither, with sages headed by Narada and gods accompanied by their attendants such as Gandharvas, Brahma and Siva (the Source of the universe), glorified ( praised ) in the following words Lord Visnu (who showers all desired boons). “We seek as our shelter You of true resolve, existing in the past, present and future (l.e., before, during and after creation), the (ultimate) Source of earth, water and fire (collectively referred to in the Vedic literature by the term ‘Sat’), as well as of air and ether (collectively known as Tyat”) and dwelling in the aforesaid (five) elements (called by the name of ‘Satyam’), as the Reality underlying them (all), the Prompter of truthful speech as well as of undifferentiating vision, and consistleg of truth, which is (at the same time) the highest means of attaining You.
This beginningless tree of creation indeed has one ground (In the shape of Prakṛti or Primordial Matter), a couple of fruits (in the form of pleasure and pain), three roots (in the form of the three modes of Prakrti viz., Sattva, Rajas and Tamas), four kinds of sap (in the form of the four objects of human pursuit, viz., religious merit, earthly possessions, sensuous pleasure and final Beatitude), five media of perception (in the form of the five senses of perception), six states (viz., birth, existence, growth, ripeness, decay and destruction or six forms of anguish, viz., hunger and thirst, grief and infatuation, old age and death), seven layers of barks (in the form of the seven constituents of a body, viz., chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen), eight boughs (in the shape of the five elements-viz., earth, water, fire, air and ether-mind, reason and ego) and nine hollows (in the form of the nine apertures of the body, viz., the two sockets of eyes, the two cavities of ears, the two fears, the two nostrils, the mouth and the organs of urination and defecation) and a pair of birds (viz., the Individual soul and the Inner Controller inhabiting wed with ten leaves (in the form of the and is endowed ten vital airs, viz., Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana, Samana, Nāga, Kürma, Krkala, Devadatta and Dhananjaya).
You alone are the Cause of the aforesaid tree in the form of the phenomenal universe; You are its resting-place and you are its preserver (too). Those whose Wisdom is clouded by Your Maya (deluding potency) look upon You as many. (but) not so those who are wise. Being the Spirit, which is consciousness itself, You repeatedly assume (reveal) for the welfare of the mobile and the immobile creation forms constituted of Sattva (unmixed with Rajas and Tamas), which bring delight to the righteous and are harmful (bring destruction) to the wicked. With their mind fixed through concentration on You, the embodiment of pure Sattva, O lotus-eyed Lord, the select few (those endowed with intelligence) cross the ocean of mundane existence like the foot-print of a calf with the help of the vessel in the form of Your feet, made available (shown) by the exalted.
Having themselves duly crossed the terrible ocean of metempsychosis, (so) very difficult to cross, O self-effulgent Lord, and leaving behind the bark of Your lotus-feet (setting an example of their devotion) here (on this side of the ocean) the aforesaid (wise men), full of unbounded compassion (for the afflicted), have reached the other shore (without any exertion), gracious as You are to the righteous. Others (those treading the path of Knowledge unmixed with Devotion), who regard themselves as liberated, O lotus-eyed One, and whose mind is not very pure due to lack of devotion to You and because they have failed to adore Your feet, fall down from their position even on attaining with (great) difficulty a high state (in the form of noble birth, learning and asceticism, so favourable to Liberation.)
Those devotees of Yours, who have fastened their (deep) affection on You, O Spouse of Laksmi, do not, under any circumstance, stray in that way from the path (of Devotion). Protected on all sides by You and therefore rid of all fear (on the other hand), O Lord, they move about freely, setting their foot on the heads of the commanders of gods presiding over obstacles. For the continuance of the world You assume (reveal) a form-consisting of pure Sattva and fruit of actions dispensing the fruit of embodied beings-through the medium of which people (belonging to the four Ashrams or stages of life) offer worship You (severally) through (a study of) the Vedas, the practice of rituals, asceticism and concentration of mind. Had this (divine) personality of Yours, consisting of Sattva (unmixed with Rajas and Tamas) not been manifest, O Maker of the universe, saving knowledge, which wipes out ignorance and the (resulting) notion of diversity (and which follows from the worship of Your personality) would not have been possible (at all). (If it is urged that the existence of Brahma would still be concluded from the light shed by the intellect and other faculties which, being material, possess only reflected light, our reply is that) You are only inferred (but not directly perceived), through the light shed by material organs, as one in relation to whom and presided over by whom the material organs shed their light. (Through Your worship however, the mind gets attuned with You and Your truth is realized by Your grace).
O self-effulgent Lord, who is the witness of the mind etc., and the means of whose realization can (only) be guessed, Your names and forms, associated with Your excellences, births and deeds, can neither be conceived with the mind nor extolled in words. Nevertheless, as is well-known, those engaged in the act of Your worship do recite Your names and perceive Your forms.Hearing and reciting, contemplating on and helping others remember Your auspicious names and forms, he whose mind is fixed on Your lotus-feet (even) when he is engaged in activities (of various kinds) no longer deserves to be reborn. O Hari, the burden of this earth, which represents Your feet, has been removed by Your (very) descent. Luckily (enough), we shall perceive the earth and heaven adorned with Your lovely footprints bearing auspicious marks and (thus) favoured by You, its (supreme) Ruler. O Lord, that constitutes a haven free from (all) fear, we conceive no ground for Your descent other than love for sport, birthless as You are; for birth, life and death are attributed (even) to the (individual) soul through ignorance about You. O Lord, relieve the burden of the earth on this occasion (even) as You have protected us as well as (all) the three worlds (at other times), having desconded in the form of a fish, a horse (Lord Hayagriva), tortoise, man boar, swan, Ksatriya prince (Sri Rama), a Brahmana (Lord Parasurama) and a god (the man-lion. divine Dwarf), Hail to You, O Jewel among the Yadus! (Addressing Devaki, they said). fortunately, O mother, the almighty Lord, the Supreme Person has Himself entered your womb alongwith (all) His (divine) potencies (constituting so many parts of His being) for our welfare. Let there be no more fear of Kamsa (the chief of the Bhojas), who is courting his own death (by persecuting you and your husband): (for) your (prospective) son will prove to be the Protector of the Yadus.”
Having thus glorified the Supreme Person, whose essence is, really speaking, other than (different from ) this visible universe, and placing Brahma and Siva at their heads, the gods returned to heaven.
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Categories: Bhagwat Puran, Krishna Avataar, Lord Krishna
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