Krsna Kirtana Songs est. 2001 www.kksongs.org
Appreciating the Pastimes of Sri Krsna
As the month of Bhadra makes an auspicious start on
In celebrating these holidays centered upon Sri
Krsna’s pastimes, it is important to know His pastimes on earth. In order to
allow devotees to appreciate the Lord and understand Him better, Srila
Prabhupada has written a detailed summary of the Tenth Canto of the Bhagavata
Purana, known as Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead (“Krsna book”).
Even though the entire Srimad Bhagavatam is written to glorify Krsna, the Tenth
Canto has the pastimes of His earthly lila. Beyond the devotional context, Sri
Krsna’s pastimes have become integrated into the culture of
The prelude of the lila takes place nearly 5,200
years ago in a city called
To spend the future nights at a jail cell was not
all in store for the newlywed Devaki and Vasudeva. Kamsa made a condition
saying that anytime a child was born, the child must be surrendered to Kamsa.
Upon the advice of his sinful ministers, Kamsa decided to kill any child born
from Devaki’s womb, until the eighth child was born. Devaki gave birth six
times, and as Vasudeva and Devaki tried to keep the child, Kamsa would
mercilessly grab the newborn baby and throw him against the wall, thus killing
him. It pained Devaki and Vasudeva very much to see how they are constantly
reminded of the death of their six children by seeing six big blots of dried
blood on the walls.
The seventh child was to be born in Devaki’s womb.
By the orders of Lord Krsna, Yogamaya (the Lord’s external energy) transferred
to the pregnancy from Devaki to Rohini’s womb. Rohini is another wife of
Vasudeva. Since Vasudeva was imprisoned, Rohini was sheltered for by Nanda
Maharaja and Mother Yasoda, chiefs of the
On a stormy night, Devaki was to give birth to her
eighth son. Lord Krsna, who saw that sinful kings were on the rise, decided it
was time to appear on earth. Lord Krsna entered into Her womb. At this moment,
demigods and angelic beings showered flowers in the dungeon, as the Lord has
finally come. At
Kamsa was so cruel that he would not even spare a
girl’s life. As he picked up the baby girl, the baby girl flew into the sky and
became the eight-handed form of Durga. She laughed at Kamsa and said, “Oh foolish
Kamsa! I am not the one you seek. Your killer has already taken birth and is
safely secured. It is in your best interest to release Devaki and Vasudeva.”
Then, Durga disappeared leaving Kamsa in a multiplex of emotions. He first felt
fear as his killer can be anywhere. He also felt apologetic to Devaki and
Vasudeva, as he murdered their children based solely on the prophecy. He begged
their forgiveness, released them from jail, and welcomed them into their home.
Kamsa immediately set journey on finding out who his killer was. He ordered
that all babies born that same night be killed. Meanwhile, Vasudeva met his
family’s spiritual master, Garga Muni. Garga Muni was the only link between
Vasudeva’s family in
In Gokula, Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yasoda were
overjoyed on the appearance of their new child. The entire town of Gokula
danced and chanted songs of festivity, seers came to bless the child, and many
demigods took form as cowherd men and women just to get a glimpse of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of a baby. However, the resident’s
did not know him as the Supreme Lord. The residents just knew him as the son of
Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yasoda. Garga Muni came to Gokula for the name-giving
ceremony. Garga Muni knew exactly who the two boys (Rohini’s son who was
Devaki’s seventh child) were. He appropriately named the elder son, Rama.
However, since he was going to be a person of great strength, he was named
“Balarama.” (bala = strength). He is also named Sankarsana, due to the method
of transfer that took place from Devaki’s womb to Rohini’s womb). After
celebrating in his heart of the naming of Balarama, he was very happy to know
who the younger one was. He offered obeisances many times give the younger baby
His name used on His earthly lila, Krsna – The All-Attractive One.
This article mentioned the appearance of the advent
of Balarama, Krsna, and the celebration that took place. What follows from here
is a grand plethora of pastimes that gives pleasure to all souls. Kamsa pinpoints
the location of where his killer could be located at and sends a variety of
demons to kill Krsna. However, Krsna kills them, thus releasing them of their
worldly miseries. It is highly recommended to view the various forms of Krsna
throughout His earthly lila from the Butter Thief to the Protector of Vraja;
from the one who loved Radharani to the one who enchanted the minds of the
cowherd girls (gopis).