The great works of medieval Hinduism are the Itihasas (It-has-asa = 'So-was-it'), and the Puranas. The Itihasas are the two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, while there are many different Puranas (eighteen major and eighteen minor, plus many Samhitas and Purana-like compilations) The Bhagavata Purana or the Purana of the Lord became the most popular of the puranas. It dates from the eighth to ninth centuries AD. "The book is notworthy for its own unique way of dealing with the story of the Lord in His incarnation as Krishna and the ecstatic type of devotion exemplified by the cowherd lasses (gopis) for the Lord." [De Bary, p. 323].

Earth was again beset by demons in the form of arrogant kings. Earth went to Brahma and wept. Brahma said: "In the house of Vasudeva, the Supreme Being Vasudeva will be born; let the celestial damsels be born as cowherd women; let the sages be born as cows; let the serpent Sesha, who is a partial incarnation of the Lord, be born as his elder brother. The Mystic Power of the Lord (Yoga-Maya) will also be born to further the Lord's plan."

Surasena of the race of the Yadus was living at Mathura and one day Vasudeva, son of Sura, was driving in procession in his chariot with his newly married bride Devaki, daughter of King Ugrasena. Kamsa, brother of Devaki, drove the chariot. A celestial voice told Kamsa at that time that the eighth child of his sister would cause his death. Kamsa at once drew his sword to kill her, but Vasudeva prevented him; to pacify Kamsa, Vasudeva offered to hand over their children from whom Kamsa apprehended death. On reaching home, Kamsa cast his sister and her husband into prison. Kamsa also deposed and imprisoned his father Ugrasena and made himself King of the Yadus, Bhojas and Surasenas. He had a number of demon-associates with whose help he oppressed the Yadus. He also made an alliance with Jarasandha, his father-in-law, King of the Magadhas. He took every son that his sister gave birth to and killed him. When he had killed six of them thus, the serpent Sesha, who was a partial incarnation of the Lord, became the seventh child in Devaki's womb; the Lord directed His Mystic Power (Yoga-Maya) to transfer the child from Devaki's womb to Rohini, a wife of Vasudeva in the pastoral village of Nanda, and then he himself became the eighth child of Vasudeva and Devaki. With the Lord in her womb, Devaki wore an unusual effulgence, and Kamsa understood that Hari (Vishnu), his enemy, destined to slay him, had arrived; as it was a grave sin to kill a woman, a sister, and that too in pregnancy, he was awaiting the birth of Hari; his hatred of Hari became so intense that whether he sat or lay, walked, ate or thought, he saw only Hari everywhere.

Then came that blessed moment when the whole universe took an auspicious appearance; a mild fragrant breeze blew, the sky was bright and the hearts of the good became tranquil and happy; accompanying the rolling waves of the sea, the clouds rumbled. At midnight, Lord Vishnu, who lies indeed within the depths of the heart of everybody, appeared in the person of the divine Devaki, like the full moon in the east. To Vasudeva and Devaki, the Lord revealed His divine form; they prayed to Him: "You are born here to rid the earth of demon kings and save the world; you are the light in everybody's soul; save us from Kamsa; he will be here now with his weapon; withdraw therefore your transcendental form." The Lord took, as the parents were looking on, the form of a common baby and told them that, if they were afraid of a Kamsa they might take Him to the cowherd's village (Gokula) and bring back instead His own Yoga-Maya born there as a daughter of Yasoda. Vasudeva considered it more prudent to do so and as he decided, the guards and others fell miraculously asleep, the heavily locked doors opened, darkness waned, a fine drizzle set in, the serpent Sesha bent over the child in protection, and the deep overflowing Yamuna parted her waters; Vasudeva quietly came with the divine child to Nanda's Gokula; there Nanda's wife was asleep with a baby girl by her side; Vasudeva exchanged the children, returned to his prison-home, deposited the female child on Devaki's bed, replaced the iron fetters on his feet and awaited Kamsa's arrival.

Kamsa hastened to the prison of his sister as soon as the guards announced the birth of the child: "You have killed all my sons; this is a daughter, spare her," begged Devaki, clasping her brother. Kamsa threw Devaki aside, snatched the baby by the feet and flung her against a stone; the child, the divine Maya, ascended into the sky, revealed herself as the Goddess with eight arms, equipped with all weapons and addressed Kamsa: "Fool, of what avail is it for you to try to kill me? He who is to be your death has been born elsewhere; persecute not poor Devaki and Vasudeva." In the morning, Kamsa summoned his counsellors and informed them of the night's events. The ministers told him that if, as the Goddess said, the child that was to be his death had been born somewhere, they should search all the towns, villages and hamlets, and immediately put to death all newborn babies! They added: "Sages in penance, performers of sacrifices, cows, Brahmans, Vedas, truth, self-control, quietude, faith, compassion, forbearance -- these are Hari's visible forms; wherever these are, we shall destroy them; thereby Hari can be effectively harmed." Kamsa approved of their plan to begin a campaign of opposition to all that Hari stood for. His agents went about harassing the good and wrecking all acts of piety.

At Nanda's village, there was great rejoicing at the birth of a beautiful son. The cowherds decked the streets with festoons and played music; the cattle were bathed and decorated; when Lord Khrishna was born as their child, the cowherds knew no restraint to their joy and splashed each other with milk, curd and butter. Rohini too had conceived a divine child, which added to their happiness; from the time of the birth of these two children, there was a special charm and all-round prosperity in the Gokula.

Annually, Nanda had to pay his tribute to the King of Mathura; when he had been at Mathura on this work, Vasudeva met him and learnt about the welfare of the children. Vasudeva was however not easy in mind and he warned Nanda to beware of danger to the two boys.

At Kamsa's bidding, a female demon named Putana who was devouring children, a demon Sakata who had taken the form of a cart and another who took the form of a whirlwind, Trinavarta, stole into the Gokula to make away with Krishna; but the wonder-child did away with all of them instead.

Garga, the family priest of the Yadus, then came secretly to the Gokula to conduct the sacrament of naming the children; Rohini's son was given the name Rama because of his attractive qualities, Bala because of his exceeding strength and Sankarshana because of his drawing the Yadus together. "Yasoda's child," Garga said, "is to be named Krishna because the Lord who assumed different colours in successive ages, white, red, and yellow, now took a dark hue; really His name and forms are infinite; He shall bring you welfare and joy, and with His help, you shall surmount all difficulties."

Entering boyhood, the two brothers indulged in games and pranks, releasing the calves, and stealing curds and butter. Once some boys went to Yasoda and reported that Krishna had swallowed mud. The mother caught Krishna and enquired. "No, not I; look here," said Krishna, opening his little mouth; and lo! Yasoda saw there the entire universe, static and moving, heaven and the four quarters, the luminous bodies, and earth with all her continents, mountains and seas. Yasoda realised that the son she was fondling was none other but Hari, whom the Vedas and Upanishads and the paths of knowledge, action and devotion adored. Another time Krishna broke the churn and gobbled up the butter forming in it. Yasoda in her wrath tried to catch Him whom even the minds of yogins, directed by penance, were unable to grasp; and she seized the Lord and tried to tie with a cord, one for whom there was no inside or outside, this side or that, front or back. She tried to tie Him with a cord to a mortar, but every time she tried, the rope was two inches too short; Krishna, seeing His poor mother in distress, submitted to the bondage; thereby He came to be called Damodara. [Damadora - one having a rope round his waist.]

Now the brothers went out to the woods on the Yamuna and tended cows along with the cowherd mates of the Gokula. A demon-friend of Kamsa entered the herd disguised as a calf; Krishna discovered the trick and flung him away. When taking the cows to drink, another demon-friend of Kamsa was waiting there disguised as a crane to pounce upon Krishna; Krishna tore the demon in twain. When one morning the brothers and their herdsmen friends had gone to the woods for a picnic, the demon Agha took the form of a huge python and tried to swallow them all; Krishna entered its open mouth, and swelled up until the python burst.

Next they went down to the sands of the river for breakfast; the cowherds with beaming faces sat round Krishna and looked like the petals of a lotus round its pedicarp. Brahma wanted to enjoy further the glory of the Lord, and as the breakfast was going on in great merriment, the cows strayed and vanished, Brahma having hidden them away. Telling His friends not to stop their picnic, Krishna went out in search of the cows and calves; Brahma stole the cowherds in His absence. When Krishna saw how they had all disappeared, he multiplied Himself at once as cows, calves and cowherds, and gave each home its own cow, calf and cowherd.

Then a demon named Dhenuka in the form of an ass assailed them; Balarama, the elder brother, put an end to him. At another time, without Balarama, Krishna alone went with the friends and the cows to the Vrindavana on the banks of the Yamuna. Parched with thirst, they went to a river-pool where the water was poisoned; and cows and cowherds alike swooned on drinking the water. A serpent named Kaliya was infesting that pool and causing great damage to life. Krishna jumped into Kaliya's pool; Kaliya went in chase and coiled round Him; Krishna grew in size, and unable to hold Him with its coils, Kaliya released Him, but attacked Him with its lifted hood; the Lord mounted the serpent's hood and danced on it. Unable to bear the weight of the Lord's steps, Kaliya prayed that it might be pardoned and Krishna left it, commanding it to leave the river immediately and betake itself to the sea. The cows and cowherds then arose in joy from their swoon. Twice His cowherd friends and the cows were encircled by forest-flames and Krishna saved them by drawing the fire into Himself and miraculously transporting them in a moment to a safe place. Another time, a demon named Pralamba took the very guise of a cowherd with a view to carrying away Krishna; he was knocked down by Balarama.

The rains then set in; clouds hid the moon, even as egoism hides the soul. Rain poured down like the blessings of Brahmanas. The fresh water, like the service of the Lord, produced a fresh richness and beauty in all. Then autumn came; sky and water became transparent like minds in meditation; the mire of the roads slowly disappeared like the false notions of the ignorant; the sea was still like a self-realised soul; the moon shown like true knowledge.

Wearing yellow silk, with a peacock feather on his head and a garland of sylvan blossoms, Krishna went about in the Brindavana playing his divine flute. The magic music fell on the ears of the cowherd lasses who became jealous of the flute that drank the sweet breath from the jewel-lips of the Lord! Cows stood still, drinking the music of the Lord's flute with upturned ears; calves stood leaving their mothers' udder and grass; the sages sat as the birds on the boughs, listening in silence to those strains! The Yamuna eddied all the more and appeared to stretch her waves like arms to clasp the tender feet of the Lord.

Winter arrived, the time of special worship of the Lord; the milkmaids (Gopis) observed their vow of worshipping Mother Katyayani, sustaining themselves only on the sacred food that they offered to the Goddess. Bathing at dawn in the Yamuna, they made images of the Goddess with the river sand and worshipped Her, praying to Her, "O Goddess, the Mystic Power of the Lord! Make Krishna our husband; obeisance to you." Hand in hand, they sang of Krishna as they went down to bathe in the Yamana. They left their garments on the shore and sported in the waters. To teach them the lesson that especially those bound by vows ought not to bathe unclad, the Lord stole their garments and climbed up a tree on the bank. As they had prayed that He should become their husband, He granted their wish. He said: "The love that is directed to me can hardly be the mere desire for sensual enjoyment, for it is burnt in the fire of devotion and knowledge; burnt seeds sprout not. This vow of yours and adoration of Goddess Katayayani will be fruitful; you shall sport with Me on these autumnal nights."

Indra, the god of the heavens, was the object of an annual festival. The Gokula was busy preparing for the celebration. The Lord, desiring to humble Indra's pride, told them: "That by which one lives happily is one's deity; cows are our wealth, hills and forests are our homes; so let us worship the cows and this hill Govardhana." The enraged Indra made the clouds pour down a deluge and inundate the Gokula. The whole village turned as one man to Krishna; He raised the entire govardhana mountain on one hand, as it if were a mushroom, and told the village to take shelter underneath, remaining like that for seven days. Indra then descended to beg pardon of the Lord. Kamadhenu, the mother of cows, came, and with her milk, Indra, along with the gods and sages, performed the coronation ceremony of Krishna as the Lord of Cows (Govinda). [The cow-linked names of the Lord, Go-pala, Go-vinda, as also names based on lifting Mount Govardhana, are some of the most popular ones taken as personal names by Hindus.] ...

Marriages and Domestic Life

There was Bishmaka, King of the Vidarbhas, who had five sons and one virtuous daughter, Rukmini. Having heard of Krishna's beauty, heroism and rich endowments, she considered Him as a husband suitable for her. But Rukmin, the eldest brother, who disliked Krishna and was a partisan of Jarasandha and other enemies of His, wanted Rukmini to be given in marriage to Sisupala, King of the Chedis. Rukmini learnt with sorrow of her brother's decision and sent a message to Krishna through a Brahman. Krishna thwarted Rukmin's arrangements, carried her off to His own place Dvaraka and married her there.

Of Rukmini and Krishna was born Pradyumna, the God of Love, who as a child, had an adventure with the demon Sambara who carried him away into the sea. There Pradyumna not only killed the demon but secured Rati as his wife.

Krishna married also Jambavati, daughter of Jambavan, Satyabhama, daughter of Satrajit, Kalindi, daughter of the Sun, Mitravinda, princess of Avantis, Nagnajiti of the Kosalas who had to be won as the prize in a bull fight, Bhadra of the Kekayas and Lakshmana of Madras. The Lord was miraculously present with all, gratifying all.