Continued
From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2014/01/srimadh-bagawatham-krishnavataram-part-3.html
In due course a son was born to Vasudeva and Devaki. The parents felt
immense sorrow and were unable to rejoice. Vasudeva took their first born to
Kamsa. At times even the cruelest men surprise everyone by displaying
compassion; Kamsa was satisfied that Vasudeva had kept his promise. He returned
the child to Vasudeva and told him that he wanted only the 8th
child.
Vasudeva returned to his home and Devaki embraced her son with joy. She
felt that her brother might have had a change of heart. They named their son
Kîrtimân. Vasudeva was never at ease since he knew that Kamsa was capable of
changing his mind again. Thus six sons were born to Vasudeva and Devaki. They
were Kîrtimân, Udgîtha, Parishvanga, Patanga, Kshudrabhrit and Ghrinî.
In the meantime Sage Narada paid a visit to Kamsa. The sage was welcomed
by Kamsa. After exchanging pleasantries, Sage Narada asked Kamsa, ‘Why
have you spared the sons of Devaki? I thought you believed in the prophecy!’
‘Of course I believe in the prophecy! But, I have to kill only the
eighth child’
‘I had no idea that you were deluded! How do you plan to tell the
children apart? They could easily switch the eighth child with the seventh or
the sixth. Being just a year apart, children look alike. How can you be sure
that Vishnu will take birth as the eighth child? He might have misled you and
may have already been born as one of the 6 sons. Have you heard of “shifting the
origin” in Mathematics? Eight from what? The prophecy did not mention if it is
the eighth child counted from the first child or the eighth starting from the
second and so on. Don’t you see that Narayana might have misled you and may
have already been born as one of the 6 sons! Can you be absolutely sure that He
will take birth as only the eighth child counted from the first? ’ questioned sage Narada.
Sage Narada knew the history of the conditioned souls who had taken
birth as Devaki’s six children. In their previous birth they were sage Marici’s
sons. Due to a curse they received from Brahma, they were born as the grandsons
of Asura Hiranyakashipu. Their father was the Asura Kalanemi. The six grandsons
of Hiranyakashipu, abandoned him and went to meditate on Brahma. Hiranyakashipu
feeling betrayed by his own grandchildren, in turn cursed them that their
father would kill them by crushing their skull. As a result of this curse,
Kalanemi was born as Kamsa and his six sons were born as the sons of Devaki.
Sage Narada in his effort to uplift all souls urged Kamsa to kill them so as to
release the six persons from their curse. The sage also wanted Lord Krishna to
incarnate as soon as possible.
Kamsa looked dumbstruck. ‘What should I do now?’ he
enquired.
‘Kill all the six children with your own hands.
Don’t leave such important task to others. You never know who might be a spy of
Vasudeva. The person you assign to kill the children might let them escape and
lie to you that they had been killed. Kill the children with your own hands. Do
not trust anyone!’
Thus
urged by the Sage, Kamsa killed Vasudevar and Devaki’s six children.
Lord
Balarama incarnated as the seventh child in Devaki’s womb but Lord Vishnu
instructed His maya to relocate Balarama to the womb of Vasudevar’s other wife
Rohini. People thought that Devaki miscarried the seventh child. The Lord
intentionally transferred balarama in order to confuse Kamsan. Kamsan wasn’t
sure if he had to count this pregnancy as the seventh child or not.
‘Should the miscarriage be considered as one child
or not? Will the next child be the seventh or the eighth?’ he asked them.
‘The miscarriage should be counted as ½ a child,’
said one Asura.
‘Fool!’ thundered Kamsa. ‘The next child will then
be 71/2 and then the one folllowing 81/2! Counting the number of children
should be a discrete value not a continuous variable!’
‘I would say that this child should not be included
in the count,’ said another asura.
‘I don’t agree,’ interposed a third. ‘What if it is
a ploy to confuse us and the next child is the eigth child!’
Thus Kamasa spent his time in profound confusion.
Confusing Kamsa was a leela performed by Lord Krishna.
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