Krishna Narayana

Maharishi Śuka continued, “Having killed the demon, Krishna the Lord who showered bliss upon the Gopikas, stepped into his hamlet along with brother Balarama”.

From here on, comes the story of Kamsa.

“When the demon Arishta was slain by Krishna, the celebrated celestial sage Nārada approached Kamsa and formally informed him of the slaying of demon Arishta, who happened to be a close acquaintance of Kamsa.

Maharishi Nārada is a supreme celestial sage, who has obtained the vision of the Supreme Lord and who always aids his devotees in attaining this supreme vision. His actions, speech and penance are all laudable. More importantly, he burns down the sins in his devotees. Upon approaching Kamsa, Maharishi Nārada said,

‘O Kamsa, in reality, Nanda’s wife Yashoda had given birth to a daughter and not to a son. Krishna is the eighth child of Devaki while Balarama is the son of Rohini. Fearing you, Vasudeva left both his sons in safe custody of his friend Nanda. These two brothers are solely responsible for the slaying of all your friends and acquaintances’.”

So long Kamsa was suspicious of their activities but lacked the definite proof to declare that they were the reason behind the death of his friends. Maharishi Nārada now appraised him of the facts.

“Hearing these words uttered by the great sage, Kamsa’s mind and senses were unduly agitated. His senses trembled. His wisdom depleted. He was pained to know that he had been cheated all along. Fear accompanied by indignation took control of him. Snatching a sharp-edged sword he instantly hastened to kill Vasudeva. However Maharishi Nārada forbade him saying, ‘What is it that you gain by killing Vasudeva? It is his sons that you should try to kill.”

There are many who bite their lip in anger. What do they gain by punishing themselves? Instead of uselessly biting the tongue, it is better to chant the name of the Lord when overcome by intense anger. Silence is the best remedy. Quietly reflect over the happenings. When in anger the person loses control over his senses. He forgets his surroundings and his family. He tries to take revenge on those who have helped him in the past. In certain cases, the person goes to the extent of murdering the people who are beside them. they break objects, scatter things, break walls of the home and the like. After their anger subsides, they regret having broken objects and walls. They lament at their loss.

When overcome by anger, sit in Padmasana or Sukhasana and meditate upon the Lord. Count from 1 to 100. By then anger would have slightly subsided. The sin associated with this anger would have melted away. The mind calms down slightly.

Do not act hastily when in anger. Think for a while calmly. The pitfalls of anger are many. The person loses track of what he speaks. Hurtful and sinful words are hurled upon others. Therefore, it is best to close the eyes and remain like statue. Think of God.

“Kamsa who learnt from Nārada that death had approached him in the form of Balarama and Krishna immediately bound Vasudeva and Devaki with heavy iron chains”.

How Vasudeva could manage to smuggle Krishna out of this impenetrable iron fort was beyond his understanding. The prison was guarded by seven layers of huge, solid walls. Within this enclosure made of seven walls and seven heavy iron gates, Vasudeva had been imprisoned. To open a gate, twenty hefty men were required. A week’s stock of groceries would be supplied and then the gates would be closed, only to be opened the following week. The prisoners inside will be deprived of ventilation and air. This prison building also had seven storeys with no easy passage to reach the ground. The prison itself was a complex structure.

Narayana Narayan