Bhagavatha Vahini, Chapter 43 - The Message of Krishna's Advent

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Chapter 43The Message of Krishna's Advent

 

The King who had achieved the destruction of the agitations caused by desire and

thus succeeded in the elimination of 'mind' folded his palms together and

prayed, with just one last desire urging him, "Master! Time is fast nearing its

end, so far as this body is concerned. The culmination of the curse of the Sage

is rushing fast towards me. Of course, I am prepared in every way to welcome

it, most gladly. Nevertheless, so long as I am resident in this physical

habitation, I have vowed, I will engage myself in thoughts divine,

recapitulation of the divine,

listening to the divine; let that vow be not broken to the slightest degree. May

the short balance of the allotted time be spent in imprinting on my heart the

charming lotus face of Nandanandana, the lovely Divine Child that illumined the

home of Nanda. May that sportive Form fill my consciousness and overflow,

conferring on me immeasurable Ananda. Describe to me the shower of

auspiciousness that must have marked the hour when He was born. What were the

miraculous events and happenings that revealed to the world at that time that

God had come to earth? How did Kamsa develop the cruel determination to kill

the Divine Child and how was that determination fanned into a raging flame as

the days passed? Tell me the Story of the birth of that Kamsa and of the Lord

as Krishna. May the final hour be blessed by that sacred story. It will

certainly render my breath so holy that it will find consummation in Gopala."

At this, Suka became even more happy. "Maharaja!" he said, "I am also filled

with joy at the prospect of spending the few remaining hours in reciting the

wondrous birth and the divine sports of Gopala. Gopala took birth for the sake

of establishing Dharma or Righteousness. It is fraught with great mystery. Only

those who have become ripe in wisdom, through the chastening process of divine

activity can unravel that mystery and grasp its meaning. For others the world

itself is a whirlpool of vile sin; they revel in its depths, they sink and

float and finally dissolve themselves in it. We are under no compulsion to

spend a thought on such persons.

Maharaja! Long long ago, the world was ruled by a king of the Yadu dynasty,

named Ahuka. A large band of feudatories surrounded his throne and awaited his

orders and paid him reverential homage, seeking peace and prosperity through

his beneficent overlordship. He had two sons, Devaka and Ugrasena. When they

grew old enough to assume the responsibilities of administration, the king had

them married and he placed on their heads a share of his own burden. Years

slipped by. Devaka had seven daughters and Ugrasena had nine sons. Devaki is

the eldest of Devaka's daughters; and, Kamsa is the eldest of the sons of

Ugrasena. These two play vital roles in the story in which we are both

interested.

In olden days, Mathura was the capital city of the Yadu dynasty. Within the

precincts of this city, there lived the tributary ruler of Yadu, Prince

Surasena by name. He had ten sons and five daughters; the eldest son was named

Vasudeva. Kunthi was his eldest daughter. These princely families lived side by

side, and the children grew. The flow of time sped fast, and urged by the force

of historic cause, produced epoch-making consequences. Devaki, the daughter of

Kamsa's paternal Uncle, was given in marriage to Vasudeva; the marriage was

celebrated on a grand scale. Rulers, kings and emperors, scholars, sages and

saints assembled in large numbers. The city was packed with distinguished

princes and personages. Kamsa took special interest in dealing out prolific and

pompous hospitality to every one; he had no sisters of his own, he loved Devaki

as his dearest self; so, he dowered her with costly raiments, precious jewels,

and all the paraphernalia of regal glory. Every one was delighted at the

grandeur of the festival. On the third day, the bride had to be sent to the

groom's home with all customary presents and gifts; so, Kamsa himself drove the

newly weds in a magnificent chariot. When they were proceeding in a colourful

procession through the decorated streets of the City, suddenly there was a

brilliant lightning flash over the chariot; there was a

blast of terrific sound as if the world was being destroyed by a deluge all in

one gulp. The flash and the blast stunned prince and peasant into pillars of

immobility. All music was silenced that very moment. That instant, the silence

was broken by a few clear words that exploded through the sky.

The words were: "0, Emperor Kamsa! You are behaving like a fool, unaware of

coming events! This very sister, whom you love as your own self, whom you are

now taking so affectionately in this chariot with so much pomp and pleasure -

she will bear as her eighth child the person who will deal you death! Reflect

on that coming calamity."

The shining figure that spoke these ominous words disappeared from the sky. The

populace, the princes and the scholars who listened to the dreadful news of

doom lost all trace of joy. (See also the "Krsnabook", Chapter 1: The Advent of

Lord Krsna) Kamsa on the chariot was filled with the fury of fire. He lost

control of himself; he was overcome by confusion; the reins fell off his grasp.

His heart was aflame with hate. His thoughts fled fast into fiercer and fiercer

fears. At last, they took a decisive turn. With the sister alive, the killer

will be born; when the sister's life is cut she cannot bring

forth the person who can deal him death!

 

 

Thinking in this strain, he lifted the sister from her seat at the back of the

chariot, grasping her plaited hair! Forcing her to stand up, he pulled his

sharp sword from out of its scabbard with the vile intention of slicing off her

head. (See also Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 1)

Even the hardest heart recoiled from the awful sight. What a frightful thing was

this: that he should attempt to kill the very sister whom he loved so long so

deeply and whom he was escorting with such gusto, was so stunning by its

contrast. No one could do anything to avert the disaster.

Meanwhile, the bridegroom Vasudeva, rose and held both the hands of Kamsa tight

in his grasp. "Dear brother-in-law! I too heard the Voice from the sky. If harm

comes to you, we too are sharers, we do not like any harm affecting you. We pray

for your welfare, without intermission. We shall never seek to inflict injury on

you. For a brother like you, it is not proper to indulge in grievous disaster,

when everyone is reveling in joy. Release your sister from the hold. If you

have such firm faith in the Voice which declared that you will suffer death

from the child that is to be born, I solemnly assure you that I shall entrust

to your care every child that is born of her. I swear I shall do so. Let me

tell you that this will solve your fear; if on the other hand, you become a

party to the slaughter of your sister, while this my offer is there, it will

bring about disaster to you and the kingdom, as reaction to this monstrous sin.

When Vasudeva pleaded thus most piteously, Kamsa felt a little relieved,

realizing that there was some validity in what his brother-in-law was saying.

He loosened his hold and let Devaki fall into her seat. He said. "Well! Be

warned. Keep the word that you have now given me." With this, he directed his

younger brother to take charge of the reins, and returned to his palace. Of

course, he returned; but, he was torn between fear of death, and affection for

his sister. Though his bed was a soft bed of feathers, he suffered as if he lay

on a bed of hot cinders. He had no appetite, no inclination to sleep. He was

plunged in the terror of death. Kamsa spent one full year in this state. The

brothers-in-law were in constant contact with each other.

Meanwhile, Devaki became enceinte, and the nine months drew to a close. She

delivered a son. "I have given word, to save your life," said Vasudeva to

Devaki, when he handed over the new born babe, rolled in warm clothing, to the

tender mercies of Kamsa.

However, Kamsa had no mind to kill the tender baby; he was delighted that his

brother-in-law had kept his word. He said, "My dear brother-in-law, this babe

can cause me no harm! The Voice from the Sky warned me only against the eight

child! Therefore, take back this child." Thus Vasudeva got the baby alive and

placed it in the hands of Devaki. The mother was happy that her first born was

restored to her; she poured out her heart in gratitude to God for this

blessing. She conceived again and the parents were afflicted with grief at the

fear of Kamsa and what he might do to the child; they wanted children, but,

dreaded the fate that might befall them.

 

 

Meanwhile, the sage Narada, who roams wide from world to world, singing the

praise of the Lord, appeared in Kamsa's Court; he inquired from the Emperor

whether he was well and whether the kingdom was safe and prosperous. During the

conversation, Narada revealed that the Yadavas were the gods come as men, and

that Kamsa was an incarnation of Kalanemi, a famous Asura. He also said that

the son to be born as the eighth son of Devaki will undermine the brood of

Asuras and be the destroyer of the life of Kamsa himself. This acted like the

pouring of oil or fuel on fire. Not content with this, he said, while taking

leave of Kamsa, "Take every day that you manage to live as equal to a decade or

more. Do not disregard death, as a distant contingency!" (See also SB, Canto 1,

Chapter 1: The Advent of Lord Krishna: Introduction)

Hearing this warning, Kamsa was plunged into deeper anxiety. He feared that even

little babes might bring about his death, and sent word for Vasudeva to come to

him. Poor Vasudeva came shivering in mortal dread, lest some dire calamity

might descend upon his head. When he put in his appearance, Kamsa flew into a

rage, and roared the question at his face, "How many children have you now?"

Vasudeva had no tongue to answer; fear that something terrible may happen if

his answers overpowered him; his lips quivered, as he replied, "Now, I have

six!" Kamsa yelled. "Well! Tomorrow morning, at dawn, you must bring all the

six and hand them over to me!" He uttered

no word in return. He had to honour his word. But, attachment to his offspring

drew him back. He moved as if he was but a corpse that had managed to be alive!

He came to where Devaki was fondling the six sons on her lap! When he told her

that Kamsa had asked that the sons be given over to him, she held them in fast

embrace and suffered agony that passes imagination.

Maharaja! For the sake of prolonging one single life, see how many innocent

lives are sacrified! You may wonder why this horrid sin! But, who can unravel

the mystery of the Divine? To the outward eye, it appears to be unpardonable

infanticide. The inner eye may perceive in it the fruition of the sins

committed by those very babes in the past or the culmination of some curse that

was pronounced on them! It may well be their passing into a superior level of

birth. Who knows what lies in the recesses of their past, or in the caves of

their future? Who knows why they were born, why they live and why they die? The

world observes only the interval between birth and death; they concerned

themselves only with

that limited period. But, the Master and Sovereign of all the Worlds, past,

present and future, does not do like that. He has more compassion than all men.

He showers Grace, weighing the three tenses of time, the three tiers of space,

and the three traits of character. He knows best, more than any man; so, the

only recourse for man is to believe that everything is His Will and be at

peace, and immerse himself in the contemplation of His Glory and Grace.

Maharaja! Next day, as soon as the sun rose above the horizon, Vasudeva took the

children most unwillingly, with the help of attendants, and, with eyes firmly

closed, he gave them over to Kamsa, and burst into tears. The ego-centered

maniac caught hold of each of them by the leg and beat them out of shape on the

hard floor! Helpless to interfere and prevent, the unfortunate Vasudeva retraced

his steps home, with a heavy heart, lamenting over the gigantic sin that brought

about this woeful recompense. The royal couple were wasted in body through the

terrific agony they underwent and bore it silently together. They felt every

moment of living as an unbearable burden. "God's Will must prevail; one has to

live, until life lasts" they consoled themselves; toughened by this feeling,

they were dissolving their strength and physique in the streams of tears that

grief engendered.

Meanwhile, the seventh pregnancy! And surprisingly, it was aborted in the

seventh month! Was it necessary to inform Kamsa? If yes, how? They could not

find the answer. When Kamsa knew about this, he suspected that the sister was

capable of some stratagem to deceive him and so, he put her and her husband in

a closely guarded prison.

Bhajan: Mahamantra

Contents of this Vahini

Source: http://www.vahini.org/bhagavata/chapter43.htmlVahini.org: 'Vahini' Books

written by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

 

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