Was Krishna Born to Devaki or Yashoda?

It is a well-known fact that Kṛṣṇa was born to Devakī in the prison of Kaṁsa in a four-handed form holding a conch, lotus, club, and disc. He had all the insignia of Viṣṇu on His body. His parents recognized Him as Bhagavān and recited prayers to Him. Then Kṛṣṇa spoke and reminded them of their previous two lives. He asked Vasudeva to carry Him to Gokula and exchange Him with the newly-born daughter of Nanda Mahārāja. After that, He turned Himself into a newborn child. As instructed, Vasudeva carried baby Kṛṣṇa to Gokula and brought back the daughter of Nanda. This is described in the third chapter of the Tenth Canto of the Śrimad Bhāgavata Purāṇam.

The fourth chapter describes Kaṁsa’s attempt to kill the girl brought from Gokula, whom Kaṁsa thought to be the eighth child of Devakī. The girl, however, slipped from his hands into the sky and informed Kaṁsa that his slayer had already been born. So then Kaṁsa decided to kill all the newborn babies as well as the saintly people in Vraja.

The fifth chapter begins with the description of the celebration of Kṛṣṇa’s birth by Nanda Mahārāja. The first two verses are given below:

śrī-śuka uvāca—
nandas tv ātmaja utpanne jātāhlādo mahā-manāḥ |
āhūya viprān veda-jñān snātaḥ śucir alaṅkṛtaḥ ||

vācayitvā svastyayanaṁ jāta-karmātmajasya vai |
kārayām āsa vidhivat pitṛ-devārcanaṁ tathā ||

Śrī Śukadeva said: “[O Parikṣit,] when a son was born to highly munificent Nanda, the latter became extremely blissful. He bathed, purified, and dressed himself nicely. He called the brāhmaṇas, who were well-versed in Vedic ceremonies. He had them recite auspicious mantras and perform the birth-ceremony as per śāstric injunctions. He also made them worship his forefathers and the devas.”

Gauḍiya ācāryas like Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī, while commenting on these verses, deduce that Kṛṣṇa was also born to Yaśodā. Their arguments and explanations are presented below.

The main focus of their analysis is the first quarter of the first verse (10.5.1)—nandas tv ātmaja utpanne. According to Amarakośa (3.3.109), the word ātmā means “effort, fortitude, intellect, disposition, Brahman, body, and the inner self,” and the word ātmaja means “a son” (Amarakośa 2.6.27). Literally, it means “born from one’s body.”

The indeclinable tu is used to show a distinction between Vasudeva and Nanda. Although Kṛṣṇa was born to both of them, Vasudeva was not able to truly enjoy His birth because he was anxious that Kaṁsa would come and kill Kṛṣṇa. Nanda did not have such fear; thus, he was full of bliss, jātāhlāda. He is called mahāmanāḥ or broad-minded; his heart or mind expanded out of happiness. Vasudeva remained constricted in his mind due to his fear of Kaṁsa. The second distinction is that Vasudeva could not celebrate Krṣna’s birth, but Nanda did. Vasudeva did not do the jāta-karma, the Vedic ritual performed at the birth of a child. Nanda, however, did an elaborate ceremony for Krṣṇa’s birth. He invited brāhmaṇas and made them do svasti-vācana, the chanting of auspicious mantras. The whole of Vraja knew that a son was born to Nanda, but Vasudeva tried to keep it a secret even from the guards outside his room. All this is signified by the indeclinable tu.

Śrī Śukadeva clearly states that Kṛṣṇa was born to Nanda, utpanne. Utpanne means born. He did not say that Nanda thought that a son was born to him. If Krsna were not actually born to Yaśodā and Nanda, he would have said that they thought that a son was born to them. But he makes it very clear that Kṛṣṇa was born to them by use of the words ātmaja and utpanne.

There is a technical reason to support the fact that Kṛṣṇa was born to Nanda and Yaśoda. Nanda did the jāta-karmaceremony, which must begin before the umbilical cord of the newborn child is cut. If Krṣna were not born to Yaśodā, then there would have been no umbilical cord and thus no jāta-karma ceremony. Śukadeva, however, clearly states that the ceremony was performed. In the case of Vasudeva and Devaki, Kṛṣṇa manifested in His four-handed Viṣṇu form. Therefore, there was no umbilical cord. Later on, Kṛṣṇa turned into a baby (see 10.3.46). Thus, truly speaking, Kṛṣṇa was born as a human child only from Yaśoda and not from Devakī.

Here a doubt may be raised. It is described in Śrimad Bhāgavata that Vasudeva carried Kṛṣṇa from Mathurā to Gokula. Either His umbilical cord was already cut, or there was no umbilical cord. So by the principle stated above, how could Nanda do the jāta-karma ceremony? It is clearly stated that Vasudeva carried Kṛṣṇa from Mathurā to Gokula and that Kṛṣṇa was born to Nanda. Because śāstra cannot be wrong, then by anyathānupapatti (there is no other possibility), it has to be accepted that the Kṛṣna who came from Mathurā merged into the Kṛṣna with an umbilical cord who was lying next to Yaśodā. This means that Yaśoda gave birth to twins. That is why the girl who was brought from Gokula is called the younger sister of Kṛṣṇa, anujā ( SB 10.4.9).

One may raise a doubt: Why did Śukadeva not describe all this elaborately? Although he clearly said that Kṛṣṇa was born to Nanda, why did he not elaborate as he did in the case of Vasudeva? The commentators reply that he is speaking the Bhāgavatam to King Parīkṣit, Arjuna’s grandson. Arjuna is related to Vasudeva, his maternal uncle. Kṛṣṇa’s sister was also married to Arjuna. So King Parīkṣit is related to Vasudeva and not to Nanda Mahārāja. Thus Śukadeva Goswāmī doesn’t want to say openly that Kṛṣṇa is born from Nanda Mahārāja. He wants King Parīkṣit to think that Kṛṣṇa is his relative. If Parikṣit thinks that Kṛṣṇa was born to Nanda Mahārāja, he would then have no relationship with him. Therefore Śukadeva did not speak elaborately, but he also did not avoid the point altogether. Thus he says: nandas tu ātmaje utpanne jātāhlādo mahā-manāh.

There are also other references to Kṛṣṇa being born to Nanda Mahārāja. One was mentioned above that the girl born to Yaśodā was called Kṛṣṇa’s younger sister, ānujā. She can be called ānujā only if Kṛṣṇa was also born to Nanda Mahārāja.

Gargācārya was a jyotiṣ ācārya and did the name-giving ceremony of Kṛṣṇa. He would have seen that Kṛṣṇa was not born to Nanda. Instead, he says that earlier, this son of yours, ātmaja, was also born to Vasudeva. He calls Kṛṣṇa “Nanda’s ātmaja.” Thus Gargācārya could see that Kṛṣṇa was born to both Vasudeva and Nanda. Brahmā, in his prayers, calls Kṛṣṇa paśupāṅgajāya (SB 10.14.1), one who is born to the protector of cows, Nanda Mahārāja. So Brahmā also knew that Kṛṣṇa had taken birth from Nanda Mahārāja. While describing Dāmodara-līlā, Śukadeva clearly says Kṛṣṇa is the son of a gopī, gopikāsuta (10.9.21). Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Brahmā, and Gargācārya are not confused or ignorant people. They are āptapuruṣas. Their words cannot be false. There are also similar references in Gautamīya-tantra and Krama-dīpīkā. From all this, it is proven that Kṛṣṇa is born to both Devakī and Yaśodā. Thus, He is rightly called “Devakīnandana” and “Yaśodānandana.”

There is another consideration as to why Kṛṣṇa is the son of Yaśodā. In Bhagavad Gītā (9.17), Kṛṣṇa says, “I am the father, the mother, and the grandsire of this cosmos.” He also says, “I am the source of everything, and everything proceeds from Me.” (10.8). All this implies that no one can be His father or mother. He is unborn, yet He takes birth by His own will (Gītā 4.6). Therefore, His relationship is not based upon His birth. His relationships are only based on prema, love, and it is due to His love for His devotees that He becomes their relative. Without prema, there is no relationship even if He takes birth in a particular family. He was born as Narasiṁha Deva from a pillar in the assembly hall of Hiraṇyakaśipu. But He is not called “the son of pillar,” stambha-nandana. Varāhadeva appeared from the nose of Brahmā, but no one says that Varāhadeva is the son of Brahmā. Why? Because Brahmā did not have any sense of being the father of Varāhadeva. Nārada Ṛṣi, however, appeared from the lap of Brahmā and is counted as one of the sons of Brahmā because they have mutual feelings of father and son.

Similarly, the Kumāras, Dakṣa, and many other sages appeared from different parts of Brahmā’s body. They are all considered Brahmā’s sons because he had such a bhāva towards them. Kṛṣṇa even enters into the womb of Uttarā to protect Parīkṣit, but He is not called “the son of Uttarā” because she did not have such a bhāva.

Therefore, the real cause behind Kṛṣṇa’s relationships is not based on birth but on prema. And when prema is there, He may also perform the līlā of taking birth. Thus birth is secondary to prema. In the material world also, it is seen that relationships disappear when love disappears. Sometimes parents disown even their children.

Since Yaśodā has a deep love for Kṛṣṇa as her child, then it must be accepted that Kṛṣṇa must have taken birth from her. Kṛṣṇa says, “I reciprocate according to the bhāva of a person who approaches Me” (Gītā 4.11). If Yaśodā has the bhāvaof being Kṛṣṇa’s mother, then Kṛṣṇa must become her son. Thus, Śukadeva rightly said, nandas tv ātmaja utpanne—the bhāva of Yaśodā is more pure and intense than the bhāva of Devakī. The bhāva of Devakī is mixed with aiśvarya. She considers Kṛṣṇa as her son but is also aware of His being īśvara. When Kṛṣṇa appeared in front of her with four hands, both Devakī and Vasudeva recited prayers to Him, describing Him as īśvara (SB 10.3.24-28). Later in the same chapter, Kṛṣṇa acknowledges the mood of Devakī and Vasudeva as putra-bhāva and brahma-bhāva (SB 10.3.45).

Yaśodā, however, never thought of Kṛṣṇa as īśvara even after seeing the whole cosmos in His mouth. For Yaśodā, He is just her son. Kṛṣṇa performed many superhuman acts, from killing Pūtanā to lifting Govardhana hill. Yaśodā witnessed these līlās, yet she never gave up the bhāva of being His mother. Śukadeva said that Kṛṣṇa, whose glories are praised by the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Sāṅkhya, Yoga, and Pāñcarātra, was considered by Yaśoda as her son (10.8.45). King Parikṣit also acknowledged the superior position of Yaśodā while wondering at her great fortune. He did not consider Yaśodā as great because she saw the whole cosmos in Kṛṣṇa’s mouth but because Kṛṣṇa drank milk from her breasts (10.8.46). Even Brahmā, who is born from the navel of Viṣṇu, Śiva, the guṇāvatāra of Viṣṇu, and Rukmiṇī, the wife of Kṛṣṇa, did not get the grace that Yaśodā received (SB 10.9.20).

From these statements, two things are clear. First, Kṛṣṇa is the son of Yaśoda irrespective of whether He is born from her or not. This is so because Kṛṣṇa’s relation with His devotee is based on the bhāva of His devotee and not on His taking physical birth. Thus Varāha Deva is not called “Brahmā’s son,” although born from Brahmā’s nose.

Secondly, Kṛṣna was undoubtedly born from Yaśodā. Therefore, if He took birth from Devakī, whose bhāva is inferior to that of Yaśodā, then by the a fortiori principle, kaimutya-nyāya, He must be born from Yaśodā also. This is supported by Śukadeva’s statements—nandas tv ātmaja utpanne (10.5.1), as well as his allusion to Kṛṣṇa being the son of gopī, gopikāsuta (10.9.21), and by Brahmā’s addressing Kṛṣṇa as the son of a cowherd, paśupāṅgajāya (10.14.1).

The Bhāgavatam’s intention is to establish prema as the supreme dharma, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ (1.1.3). For that reason, it does not stress that Kṛṣṇa was born to Yaśodā. A mother naturally loves her child. Thus, if Kṛṣṇa is born to Yaśodā and she loves Him, there is nothing unusual about that. The Bhāgavatam wants to show that prema is superior to even blood relations. That principle is established by downplaying Kṛṣṇa’s being born to Yaśodā. Yaśodā’s love is so supreme that although He was born to Devakī, He left her to be with Yaśodā. He is controlled by the love of His devotee, ahaṁ bhakta-parādhīno hy asvatantra iva dvija (SB 9.4.63). It is Yaśodā, not Devakī, who witnessed the most sublime childhood līlās of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa drank the nectar-like milk from Yaśodā’s breast, not from Devakī’s breast. It is she who could chastise and bind Him with the ropes of love.

By this, one should not conclude that Devakī is not a great bhakta. On the contrary, she is the eternal mother of Kṛṣṇa, and no one can take her place. This comparison between Yaśodā and Devakī is made only to show the greatness of prema and not to downplay the position of Devakī. It shows that the real sambandha is based on prema and not on a blood relationship. Therefore, prema is the highest puruṣārtha, beyond even mokṣa. That is the supreme message of Śrīmad Bhāgavata.