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Devaki and Yashoda are two Divine Mantras

25 Tiruppavai Stories

Vishnu is ‘Antaryami’, invisibly protects us all. If he comes out and appears before us, we may not identify him. We may even argue that he is not the God. This is one of the Bhakti Sutra, which Goda explained in 25th Pashuram.

To explain the virtue of Devaki and Yashoda, Jeeyar Swamy and Sri Bhashyam Appalacharya explainthat the nectar emerged when Angels and Asuras churned the ocean of Milk. But Dasaratha got such nectar from the sacrifice called Putra Kameshthi and got four great sons.

Also read: Rama tried to invoke wisdom in Ravana!

Here, Devaki, Vasudeva, Nanda and Yashoda performed penance for long to have a wonderful kid –Sri Krishna. 

Devaki has the fruit of penance as her child in the womb. He is born with four hands holding Conch (Sankha), Disc (Chakra) and mace (Gada). Devaki was afraid of Kamsa’s cruelty after knowing the birth of eighth son, and requests Him to hide his two extra hands and become an ordinary child. She reconciles to the reality that she cannot have the pleasure of watching the growth of Krishna, overcomes the pangs of separation of her lovely son to hand over Him to husband to be taken to somewhere, away from Madhura. Vasudeva takes Him out of jail and Mathura, crosses Yamuna, to reach Nanda’s Vrepally, all the way on foot, silently places the Child in the bed of Yashoda and takes the just born child of Yashoda to Mathura jail. It all happens peacefully as all the people around were found asleep at both the places Mathura Jail and Nanda’s palace. The route was cleared and furious Yamuna gives the way to Vasudeva.

Also read: Hail the fame of Krishna’s limb that kicked off the demon-cart

Though she had the divine blessings to give birth to Narayana Himself, Devaki could not enjoy the fantastic childhood of enchanting Balakrishna. Yashoda has that fortune, which is unimaginable and immeasurable. We cannot find any personalitiesparallel to Devaki or Yashoda anywhere, anytime. One gave birth to Krishna, and the othercontrolledtheParabrahman who commands all the 14 Universes.

Godamma and her team sing the glory of Krishna, who was born to one mother (Devaki), and brought up as the son of another mother (Yashoda). The demon Kamsa was poised to kill the infants to protect himself from eighth son of Devaki. Both of them fear even to name the child. Goda also fears and hence does not take his name in this Pashuram also. She begins the song with expression “one who is born to a mother and transformed to another mother….”, so that Kamsa does not know about it. But the little Krishna retaliated by created a terror in Kamsa’s mind that caused fire in his stomach, ever since the divine voice warned Kamsa that eighth son of Devaki would cause his death. Kamsa was tense, fearful, spends entire time planning to avoid his death and in the process dies every day and finally succumbs to fist strokes of Krishna.

Also read: Rama tried to invoke wisdom in Ravana!

Kamsa, born out of Rape?

We all know Ugrasena as a very pious and generous king. How could he give birth to a demon like Kamsa? One Asura called Vimaluduin guise (body) of Ugrasena cheated his wifeand raped her. Thus, Kamsa was born out of rape by a demon, with cruel qualities. He grew intoapowerful demon, marries daughter of Jarasandha and usurps the kingdom from his father and imprisons him. He was notorious administrator who terrorised the subjects of his rule.

Goda says “We are here to sing of your Glory and if you bestow grace on us and fulfil our wishes, we will rejoice for ever, relieved of all our sorrows. 

After He wakes up, Goda sings five songs glorifying the virtues of Krishna. This is the second of those five verses. In all these five verses she is invoking the great qualities of Krishna with appropriate episodes of his life. They hesitate to tell the desire till the end of vrata. But they ask for bestowing the grace and fulfil the desires.

Sri krishna has two mothers. Similarly, the Narayana philosophy is revealed in two Mantras – one is Narayana Ashthakshari – eight syllable Mantra, and the second – Dwadashakshari – Mantra of 12 syllables. In Ashthakshari the Narayana concept brightens, while in Vasudeva Mantra it is dormant. Other scholars say one mother is Gayatri Mantra and the other mother is Narayanakshari.

Also read: Hail the fame of Krishna’s limb that kicked off the demon-cart

Prof. M. Sridhar Acharyulu
Prof. M. Sridhar Acharyulu
Author is Dean, Professor of law at Mahindra University at Hyderabad and former Central Information Commissioner. He published a number books in English and Telugu.

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