By: Vijay Kumar Verma, Editor-ICN Group
SHIMLA: Stage is all set for the birth of Lord Krishna. One after the other King Kans keeps on killing all the six children of Ma Devaki and Raja Vasudev. Each day of the devilish atrocities of Kans heightens the public hate for him. When the seventh child is to be born, the foetus is transferred to the womb of Rohini another wife of Vasudev living in Gokul, by heavenly intervention. This child grows into the elder brother of Krishna and is named Balram. In the prison it is pronounced that Ma Devaki had a miscarriage.
When the eighth child is to be born Ma Devaki gets restless. Vasudev asks her to pray God for blessings but she says which God should I propitiate as I am feeling that Lord Vishnu himself is within her. She is getting restless and Vasudev prays God to come and bless them. Just then Lord Vishnu appears in his original image, mesmerising smile on the face, four hands holding Sundarshan Chakra, etc. Ma Devaki protests and wants him to come to her as a child. It was a similar request that was made by Ma Kaushalya at the birth of Prabhu Ram.
God instantly obeys his mother and comes in her lap as a child. Devaki ma is too delighted to hold the child and starts playing with him. Vasudev requests her to hand over the child to him so that he could be taken to a safe place in Gokul where his friend Nand Rai had been blessed with a girl child.
Devaki protests but Vasudev pacifies her saying that if not shifted from the prison, King Kans will come the next day and kill the child. Everything falls in line, and the security soldiers are found in deep sleep. The prison doors are open and Vasudev silently moves out with the child in a basket on his head. As he steps in river Yamuna he notices that the current and flow is very strong. He is in deep waters touching his face.
Now we see that Ma Yamuna wants to touch the feet of Krishna while Krishna is raising his feet. There are three type of “HATH” known in the world. “Bal Hath” – of the child, “Raj Hath” – of the king, and “Triya Hath” – of the women. All the three Haths are at play now. While Raja Vasudev is determined to cross the river, Ma Yamuna is determined to touch the feet of Krishna, while child Krishna is determined not to let Yamuna touch his feet. Finally as the river is in spate child Krishna thinks that his father will drown, therefore he lowers down his one foot from the basket. Yamuna ma touches it and a satisfied river starts receding. Thus Vasudev crosses the river Yamuna with the child comfortably.
Dear all now we have to see what all is happening in Gokul.
The place Gokul was a group of 18 villages in a vicinity inhabited by Gops and gwalas . The Head or King of Gokul was known as Nand Rai. He was also a friend of Raja Vasudev. Till the age of 60 he had no offspring. The childless Nand Rai was told by astrologers that he would have the pleasure of a son. The child was pronounced to be born on Ashtami. Preparations of festivities were made to welcome the new born.
On the other side, before taking incarnation of Lord Krishna, God Vishnu had instructed Yog Maya to take birth to Ma Yashoda and the further plans of their exchange by Vasudev etc.
As Vasudev reached Gokul carrying Krishna in a basket on his head, he found that everyone in the household of Nand Rai was fast asleep. Silently Vasudev went to the chamber of Ma Yashoda and picked up Yogmaya and placed Krishna beside Yashoda. Carrying Yogmaya in the same basket Vasudev left back for Mathura.
Child Krishna found that his mother was fast asleep, so in order to get attention of others he started crying. By the cries of the child, Sunanda, the sister of Nand Rai woke up. She rushed to Ma Yashoda and found that a male child was lying beside her. In excitement she cried “Bhaiya, Lala bhayo”. Nand Rai came in rushing with delight to see his son. Sunanda Bua stood in the way and demanded gift for letting him see the child. Nand Rai was so excited that he promised to give her anything she wanted but let him see the child. Soon the news spread that “Nand ke Anand bhayo”. Jubilations started and all were merry making.
On the other side as Vasudev reached inside the prison with Yogmaya , the doors got locked automatically and the guards anounced that a girl child had been born to Ma Devaki.The very next morning Raja Kans came, pulled the child away from Devaki and dashed it on a stone in the prison cell.
But before touching the stone Yogmaya appeared in her real self and while flying away told Kans that his destroyer had already been born somewhere. And that he could no longer be saved.
On the other hand great celebrations and festivities are going on in Gokul to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna. The way we all too are celebrating as Janamashtmi all over the country.
