Vishnu Puran Fifth Ansh: The Complete Life of Shri Krishna

The fifth part is the heart of the Vishnu Puran. It tells the whole life of Shri Krishna, the complete avatar of Vishnu, in order. It is counted among the oldest detailed accounts of Krishna, older than the tenth skandh of the Bhagwat.

Chapters 1 to 3: the earth's prayer and the birth

Burdened by asuras, the earth took the form of a cow and went with the gods to Brahma and then to Vishnu. Vishnu plucked two hairs, one white and one dark, and said they would descend to remove her burden; the white became Balarama and the dark Krishna. (This detail is distinctive of the Vishnu Puran.)

Kamsa, king of Mathura, heard a voice from the sky that the eighth son of his sister Devaki would kill him. He imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva and killed their six sons. Yogamaya transferred the seventh pregnancy to Rohini's womb, and the child became Balarama (Sankarshana). At midnight on Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami, Krishna appeared as the eighth son. Vasudeva carried him across the Yamuna to Nanda's home in Gokul and brought back Yashoda's daughter, Yogamaya. When Kamsa tried to kill her, she rose into the sky and said: "The one who will kill you is already born."

Chapters 4 to 7: childhood in Gokul

• Putana: Kamsa sent the demoness Putana with poisoned breasts; the infant Krishna drew out her life with the milk.
• The cart: baby Krishna overturned a heavy cart with a kick.
• The twin arjuna trees: Yashoda tied him to a mortar for his mischief; dragging it between two arjuna trees, he uprooted them, freeing Nalakubara and Manigriva from a curse. From this he is called Damodara.
• To Vrindavan: because of the disturbances Nanda moved everyone to Vrindavan.
• Kaliya: the venomous serpent Kaliya lived in a pool of the Yamuna. Krishna jumped in and danced on his hoods, then at the prayer of the serpent's wives let him go, ordering him to the sea.

Chapters 8 to 13: the leelas of Vrindavan

• Dhenuka and Pralamba: Balarama slew Dhenuka, who came as a donkey, and Pralamba, disguised as a cowherd.
• Govardhan: Krishna told the people of Braj to worship Mount Govardhan and the cows instead of Indra, for they sustain us. Enraged, Indra sent seven days of torrential rain. Krishna lifted Govardhan on one hand and all sheltered beneath it. Indra admitted defeat, anointed Krishna and named him Govinda.
• The rasa: on the night of Sharad Purnima, hearing Krishna's flute, the gopis left everything and came to the forest. Krishna danced the rasa with them, a leela seen as the love of the soul and God.
• Arishta and Keshi: asuras in the forms of a bull and a horse were slain.

Chapters 14 to 21: Mathura and the slaying of Kamsa

Kamsa sent Akrura to bring Krishna and Balarama to Mathura on the pretext of a bow festival. Amid the grief of the gopis the brothers went. In Mathura:

• They punished Kamsa's washerman, who refused them clothes; the gardener Sudama gave them flowers, and Kubja anointed them with sandal paste, and Krishna straightened her bent back.
• Krishna lifted and broke the festival bow.
• At the gate of the arena he killed the elephant Kuvalayapida.
• In the wrestling Krishna killed Chanura and Balarama killed Mushtika.
• Then Krishna leapt onto the dais, seized Kamsa by the hair, threw him down and slew him.

Krishna restored Ugrasena to the throne and freed Devaki and Vasudeva. The brothers then studied with the sage Sandipani in Ujjain, learning the sixty-four arts in sixty-four days, and as their fee brought back the teacher's dead son from Yama's realm.

Chapters 22 to 25: Jarasandha and Dwarka

Jarasandha, Kamsa's father-in-law, attacked Mathura seventeen times and was defeated each time. Then Kalayavana attacked. Krishna built the city of Dwarka in the sea and moved all the Yadavas there. He then led Kalayavana into a cave where King Muchukunda slept, who had a boon that whoever woke him would be burned by his gaze. Kalayavana kicked him, thinking him Krishna, and was burned to ash. Muchukunda praised Krishna and went to perform austerities. Balarama married Revati.

Chapters 26 to 33: marriages and battles

• Rukmini: Rukmini of Vidarbha sent Krishna a letter; her brother Rukmi wished to marry her to Shishupala. Krishna carried her off in his chariot and married her. Their son was Pradyumna, an incarnation of Kamadeva.
• Pradyumna and Shambara: the asura Shambara threw the infant Pradyumna into the sea; swallowed by a fish, he reached Shambara's own kitchen, where Mayavati (Rati) raised him. Grown up, Pradyumna slew Shambara.
• The other queens: Jambavati, Satyabhama, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti (Satya), Bhadra and Lakshmana, eight chief queens in all.
• Narakasura: Naraka of Pragjyotishapura had imprisoned sixteen thousand princesses. Krishna slew him with Satyabhama and freed and honoured them all.
• The parijata: Krishna brought the parijata tree from heaven for Satyabhama, leading to a quarrel with Indra that was later settled.
• Bana, Usha and Aniruddha: Krishna's grandson Aniruddha and Bana's daughter Usha fell in love, and Bana imprisoned Aniruddha. When Krishna attacked, Shiva fought on Bana's side. Krishna cut off Bana's arms but, at Shiva's request, spared his life, and Usha and Aniruddha were married.

Chapters 34 and 35: Paundraka, Dvivida and Samba

King Paundraka wore an imitation conch and discus and called himself Vasudeva; Krishna slew him. Balarama killed the ape Dvivida, and to free Krishna's son Samba, captured by the Kauravas, began dragging Hastinapura towards the Ganga with his plough until the Kauravas begged forgiveness.

Chapters 36 to 38: the end of the Yadavas and the return to the supreme abode

Young Yadavas dressed Samba as a woman and mockingly asked some sages what "she" would give birth to. The sages cursed: an iron club would be born that would destroy the Yadavas. The club was filed down and thrown into the sea, but from its dust grew eraka grass, with which the Yadavas killed one another in a quarrel at Prabhasa. Balarama left his body through yoga.

Krishna sat in meditation under a tree; the hunter Jara, mistaking the sole of his foot for a deer's face, shot an arrow. When the hunter begged forgiveness, Krishna forgave him, sent him to heaven, and returned to his own abode. Arjuna led the Yadava women towards Indraprastha but was defeated by robbers on the way; even the Gandiva's power had gone. Vyasa explained that with Krishna's departure the strength he had given also departed; the age had changed. The sea swallowed Dwarka and the Kali age began. The Pandavas gave the kingdom to Parikshit and went to the Himalayas.

What this part teaches

• God's childhood is full of butter-stealing and play; God is won by love, not fear.
• The message of Govardhan Puja: honour the nature (mountains, cows, rivers) that sustains us.
• Respect for the teacher: even God learned humbly in a gurukul and paid his fee.
• Mocking sages in arrogance brought ruin to an entire clan.
• Our strength is God's gift; when it was withdrawn even Arjuna's Gandiva failed.