The Exchange That Saved Two Lives
Did you miss the Yamuna River miracle? Catch up on the last part of Vasudeva’s escape. For the full story of the Shesha Naga and Krishna’s birth, read from the first part.
While Mathura lived in fear, on the other side of the Yamuna, in the peaceful village of Gokula was the opposite – pure joy and love. The cows were happier, the milk was sweeter, the butter tasted like heaven, and everyone smiled more.
According to the ancient stories, Nanda, the village chief, was actually a celestial being who had come to earth specifically to be Krishna’s foster father. His wife Yashoda was the embodiment of motherly love – so pure that the universe itself chose her to raise the divine child.
Yashoda, the wife of Nanda Maharaja, had just given birth to a baby girl. But Yasoda was so exhausted from childbirth that she fell into a deep sleep immediately. This tiredness was Yoga Maya’s magic, preparing the scene for the divine switch. Due to the divine influence of Yogamaya, both she and her husband, Nanda, were in a deep, peaceful sleep.
Vasudeva reached their home as the first hints of dawn began to colour the eastern sky. Time was running out – he had to return to the prison before the guards woke up and discovered his absence.
With a heart full of both joy and sorrow, Vasudeva placed his divine son beside the sleeping Yashoda and picked up her newborn daughter. He knew he was leaving Krishna in the hands that would love the child as much as any parent could, but the pain of separation was still overwhelming.
This little girl was Yoga Maya herself, incarnated to play a crucial role in the divine plan.
As he looked one last time at his son, who would grow up thinking Nanda and Yashoda were his biological parents, Vasudeva whispered a prayer: “May you be safe, my child. May you grow up happy and loved. And when the time comes, may you fulfil the purpose for which you have taken birth.”
The Return and the Reckoning
Getting back to prison was just as miraculous. The river parted again, the guards stayed asleep, and the doors opened silently. But this time, Vasudeva was carrying his heart back to prison while leaving his soul in Gokula.
As soon as he placed the baby girl in the prison cell, everything went back to normal. The magical light faded, the guards started waking up, and it was just an ordinary night again.
When dawn broke, the baby’s cries reached the guards. “Your Majesty, the eighth child is born!”
Kamsa rushed to the prison, sword ready, expecting to finally kill the child who would destroy him. But when he got there, he saw a baby girl!
“Wait, this is a girl! The prophecy said a boy would kill me. Maybe this isn’t the right child?”
Devaki, once again, pleaded with him. “Kamsa, this is just a girl. She cannot harm you! Please, have mercy! Do not kill her.”
But his paranoia won. He decided to kill her anyway. As he grabbed the infant and lifted her high, something incredible happened.
The child slipped from his grasp and rose into the air. She started growing and glowing. She transformed into the eight-armed magnificent Goddess Yoga Maya, fierce and beautiful. “You fool!” she thundered. “The one who will destroy you is already born and safe far from here. You can’t escape your destiny by murdering innocent children!”
With those words, she vanished, leaving only flower petals and the sweet smell of jasmine.
Kamsa was trembling and more terrified than ever.
The Aftermath: When Evil Doubles Down
You might think that encountering a goddess would humble Kamsa, make him reconsider his ways, perhaps even seek redemption. But some souls are too far lost in darkness to find their way back to the light.
Instead of repenting, Kamsa became even more ruthless. If the eighth child was already born and hidden somewhere, then he would find and kill every male child in his kingdom. His soldiers spread across Mathura and the surrounding areas with orders that chill the blood: execute every boy child under the age of ten days.
It was a genocide driven by one man’s paranoia and fear.
Meanwhile, in Gokula, something beautiful was happening. Yashoda had awakened to find a beautiful baby boy in her arms, and her heart filled with a love so pure and complete that she never questioned how this miracle had come to pass. Nanda, too, was overjoyed, and the entire village celebrated the birth of the child who would bring such joy to their lives.
They named him Krishna – “the dark one” – because of his beautiful dark complexion. But they had no idea that they were raising the Supreme Personality of Godhead himself.
Fell in love with him? Find stunning Krishna paintings and wall art for your home.
The battle between good and evil is heating up. Read the next part of Lord Krishna’s tale here.
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