Wednesday, December 24, 2008
JANAMASHTAMI *
Once upon a time there was a king whose name was Kansa, and Kansa was so bad and cruel for his own people that the gods in heavens asked Lord Vishnu, the god of the gods:
"Kansa´s terrible atrocities are horrifying! Mankind is suffering! Dear Lord, do something, put a stop to Kansa´s cruelties!"
Lord Vishnu listened to their pleas and decided to descend on earth as the son of Devaki, King Kansa´s sister and her husband Vasudeva.
Unfortunately, Kansa was apprised of this by a voice from the skies:
"The eight child of your sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva shall be responsible for your prison"
"What? Her child will put me in jail? The invencible Kansa? Ha, not possible!"
Raising his sword, Kansa attempted to threat his sister:
" Aha, with your dead, how can your child be born!"
Vasudeva stalled kansa´s attempt by imploring,
"Please, do not kill her!"
"Why? How else can I save myself?" Kansa bellowed.
"Please spare her. I promise, whichever children are born to us, you may take them at birth!"
Kansa agreed and Devaki and Vasudeva were locked in a jail cell. One after the other, their children succumbed to Kansa´s wrath.
When the eight child was born to Vasudeva and Devaki, the prison doors opened themeselves and the guards fell into a deep sleep. The baby was born on a rainy and windy night at the stroke of midnight. Vasudeva said to Devaki:
"Our baby is no ordinary baby. She wore silk robes and a radiant crown! The glow from the crown fills the cell.
For some moments, Devaki and Vasudeva saw Lord Vishnu in his true form through the new-born baby. But the vision the vision quickly dispelled and the baby became a normal and ordinary one. Suddennly, a voice from the skies boomed:
"Vasudeva, carry this child across the river to Gokul where Yashodha has given birth to a baby girl just now! Replace your son with the girl and come back to here!".
Vasudeva obeyed. Placing the child in a wicker basket and carrying it on his head, Vasudeva walked through rain and wind but the blinding storm was making impossible for Vasudeva to proceed. Abruptly a cobra a cobra sprung from the raging waters. This was Ananta, Lord Visnu´s serpent. The cobra spread his hood like an umbrella protecting Vasudeva and his baby from the torrential rains.
After reaching Yashoda´s home, Vasudeva explained the entire story to Yashoda and her husband Nanda. They gladly gave up his baby and promised to keeep the exchange secret.
Vasudeva returned with the baby girl and when the girl cried the guards woke up and informed Kansa and he hurriedly came to kill the baby girl. But the little baby slipped from his hand and was transformed into Yogmaya, the energy aspect of Lord Vishnu. Meanwhile, Devaki and Vasuveva´s son grew up in Nanda an Yashoda´s home, and was called Krishna, one the ten dimensions of Lord Vishnu, the Preserver of the Universe.
When Krishna grew up he put Kansa in jail, thus putting an end to his uncle´s evil rule.
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(adaption from the traditional version)
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* Janamashtami is a festival celebrating the birth ot Lord Krishna.
Nowadays an idol of Krishna is his baby form kept in a cradle and the devotees take turns pulling its string to rock the baby krishna.
