Authored Article by D Srinivas, a devotee of Lord Sri Krishna
HYDERABAD, SEPTEMBER 03, 2026: Devotees celebrate the holy day on which Sri Krishna appeared on earth every year as Sri Krishna Janmashtami. The Supreme Lord appeared on the Ashtami Tithi of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Shravana.
In present-day Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, the Lord appeared as the 8th child of Vasudeva and Devaki, inside the prison of Kamsa, the king of the Bhoja dynasty. The story of Krishna’s appearance is found in the Srimad Bhagavatam.
It is also described in detail in “Krishna – The Supreme Personality of Godhead” by ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada. On the occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, 4th September 2026, let us once again reflect on how the Lord appeared. In ancient times, Mother Earth was distressed by the atrocities of demoniac kings.
To present her grievances, Mother Earth approached Lord Brahma. Hearing about the condition of the earthly planets, Brahma also became disturbed and went along with all the demigods to the Kshira Sagara to pray to Lord Vishnu, who was lying there. Hearing their plea, the Supreme Lord sent His divine message through Brahma. Following the Lord’s instruction, all the demigods then took birth in the Yadu dynasty as ordained.
At that time, Shurasena, the head of the Yadu dynasty, was ruling the Mathura region. His son was Vasudeva. Devaki was the daughter of a Kshatriya king named Devaka. Vasudeva, another king of the Yadu dynasty, married Devaki. After the marriage, Kamsa himself drove the chariot and happily took his sister and brother-in-law forward. Suddenly, a voice from the sky addressed Kamsa: “Soon, the 8th son of your sister will kill you.”
In reality, Kamsa was the son of Ugrasena of the Bhoja dynasty. Among all in that dynasty, Kamsa was notorious for his most demonic nature. Frightened by the voice from the sky, Kamsa forgot that she was his sister and tried to kill Devaki. Astounded by his behaviour, Vasudeva tried to stop Kamsa. He gave him good counsel in many ways and begged him not to kill her. With the intention of saving his wife’s life, Vasudeva promised: “I will hand over to you all the sons that will be born to me.” Pleased with Vasudeva’s words, Kamsa gave up his attempt to kill Devaki. As promised, Vasudeva handed over his firstborn son to Kamsa.
Expressing happiness that Vasudeva kept his word, Kamsa declared: “There is no danger to me from this child, so you need not give him.” Narada Muni was there, with the intention of hastening Krishna’s appearance. Considering it the right time, Narada Muni appeared there and explained how the demigods had taken birth in various dynasties and narrated Kamsa’s history. Hearing this, Kamsa trembled in fear. Thinking that the demigods had already taken birth and that Vishnu would soon appear, he took a harsh decision and imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva. In the prison, Kamsa mercilessly killed every child born to Devaki and Vasudeva. Because he thought “any child could be Krishna”, he decided it was best to kill them all.
Earlier, out of greed for the kingdom, Kamsa had thrown his own father Ugrasena into prison. One who behaved so cruelly with his own father could not be expected to behave differently with his sister and brother-in-law. Thus Kamsa killed six sons born to Devaki and Vasudeva one after another. Even when relatives and friends went to Kamsa and pleaded not to kill innocent infants, they could not stop the child murders.
When Devaki conceived for the 7th time, Ananta Shesha, a plenary expansion of the Supreme Lord, entered Devaki’s womb. Hearing this, Devaki was happy on one side, and on the other side she lamented, thinking Kamsa would kill the child as soon as it was born. Taking pity on those who were victims of Kamsa’s atrocities, the Lord ordered His Yogamaya to appear in Vrindavan. Then, as per the Lord’s direction, Yogamaya transferred Ananta Shesha from Devaki’s womb to the womb of Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva who was living in Nanda’s house in Vrindavan.
The Lord had already informed Yogamaya that Rohini’s son would become famous as Balarama. The people thought that Devaki’s 7th pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage. Now remained the Lord’s birth appearance. For this, first the Supreme Lord entered Vasudeva’s mind, then Devaki’s mind, and then her womb. When Kamsa noticed a kind of divine effulgence on Devaki’s body, he realised that Krishna, who would kill him, was soon to be born, and became agitated. The auspicious time awaited by the entire universe arrived. The demigods prepared the setting needed for the Lord’s birth. Nature, the directions, the sky, the atmosphere, the stars, rivers, and the planetary system all became auspicious. Auspicious signs and auspicious moments were everywhere.
Vasudeva saw a wonderful child with four arms, holding a conch, disc, mace and lotus, and effulgent. Seeing the extraordinary form of the child, Vasudeva understood that He was Lord Vishnu and offered prayers and glorifications. Then Devaki also offered prayers. The birth of those who saw the Lord’s divine form became sanctified. Sri Krishna also told them about their past life and why He had to take this incarnation. He also explained His duty to free them from Kamsa and gave necessary guidance.
Then the Lord transformed into a normal infant. As per Sri Krishna’s instruction, Vasudeva immediately took the child to Gokul and placed Him in place of the daughter who had just been born to Yashoda in Nanda Maharaj’s house. He brought that daughter back to Mathura and placed her in Devaki’s lap as her child. At midnight, when Vasudeva was transferring Sri Krishna, by the Lord’s Yogamaya, all of Kamsa’s servants and soldiers fell into deep sleep. The prison doors opened on their own. Vasudeva’s shackles broke. The dark night turned bright. It was raining with thunder and lightning. At that time, Adisesha covered Vasudeva with his hoods so that the rain would not obstruct. The Yamuna River, which was an obstacle between Mathura and Gokul, made a clear path for Vasudeva to cross. Everyone in Gokul was also in a deep sleep.
As soon as the Lord withdrew His Yogamaya, the servants woke up to the crying of the infant and informed Kamsa of the child’s birth. Kamsa immediately came to the prison. Devaki pleaded that the child born was a daughter and that she posed no danger to him, so he should not kill her. Even then, Kamsa mercilessly threw the baby girl on a stone. The girl slipped from his hands and appeared in the sky with eight arms as Goddess Durga. She warned: “O wicked one, the one who will kill you has already been born elsewhere. You cannot escape death at his hands,” and disappeared. Frightened by Goddess Durga’s words, Kamsa released Devaki and Vasudeva from prison.
Meanwhile, there was jubilation in Nanda’s house in Gokul. Hearing that Yashoda had given birth to a son, the gopas and gopis came to Nanda’s house and participated in the Krishna Janmotsava. Thus the appearance of Sri Krishna took place.
Upholding Dharma
The appearance of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna for the establishment of Dharma is very significant. He killed the cruel Kamsa and protected the Yadu dynasty. Through His childhood pastimes He killed Putana. He lifted Govardhan Hill with His little finger for seven days and protected all the Yadavas. He subdued the pride of Kaliya, the poisonous serpent, and danced on his hoods. He killed many demons like Jarasandha and Shishupala. He bestowed His mercy on many like Kuchela, Queen Kunti, and Draupadi. In the Mahabharata war, he
always protected the Pandavas and finally became Arjuna’s charioteer. On the battlefield, He taught the Bhagavad Gita with the truths of life to Arjuna, who was hesitating to perform his duty. This scripture is the greatest guide for all of humanity. He displayed causeless love for the gopas, gopis, and especially for Radharani. What to do on Janmashtami Day: To come closer to the Lord, devotees observe fasting. Until midnight, the time of Krishna’s birth, they perform bhajans and kirtans and hear about Sri Krishna’s pastimes. They perform abhishekam to Krishna’s deity and offer poha, butter, and sweets as ‘naivedyam’. Dahi Handi (utti), cultural programmes, and Krishna decoration are conducted as a feast for the eyes. Thus, the Lord’s birthday is celebrated as a great festival that brings auspiciousness to all of humanity.
Authored Article by Devishetty Srinivas, I&PR Department, Hyderabad
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