Vasudeva

According to Hindu scripture, Vasudeva (Devanagari वसुदेव, IAST Vasudeva), also called Ānakadundubhii ("Drum", after the sound of drums heard at the time of his birth),^[1]^[2] is the father of the Hindu deities Krishna (Vāsudeva, i.e. "son of Vasudeva"), Balarama and Subhadra. He was king of the Vrishnis (Gopas) and a Yadava prince.^[3] He was the son of the Yadava king Shurasena. He was also the brother of Nanda, the foster-father of Krishna.^[4]^[5]^[4]^[6] His sister Kunti was married to Pandu. Kunti plays a big role later in the war Mahabharata.

According to the Harivansa Purana, Vasudeva and Nanda (who took care of Krishna during his early years as a child) were brothers. Nanda was a Kshatriya and a King.^[7]

Sage Kashyapa incarnated as Vasudeva

Sage Kashyapa is said to have incarnated as Vasudeva, the father of Krishna due to a curse of the god Brahma. Once, the sage performed a yajna (a Vedic sacrifice) in his hermitage for the welfare of the world. Kashyapa sought the help of the god Varuna for the offerings of milk, ghee etc. Varuna granted the sage a holy cow which will provide the offerings on the condition that the sage returns the same to Varuna after the sacrifice. After completing the sacrifice after several days, Kashyapa was overcome with greed, realizing the miraculous power of the cow, and refused to return the cow arguing that whatever is offered to a Brahmin like Kashyapa should never be sought back, and whoever does that would turn out to be a sinner.

Varuna requested Brahma for intervention. Brahma told the sage to get rid of his greed which is capable of destroying all his virtues, but Kashyapa remained adamant. The enraged Brahma cursed Kashyapa that he would be born on earth again as a cowherd and his two cows Aditi and Surabhi would be his two wives. This was King Vasudeva with his wives Rohiņi and Devaki. Kashyapa repented for his mistake and pleaded Brahma for mercy. Brahma blessed Kashypa that he would still be born as a cowherd in the Gopa (Ahir) clan.^[8] and the god Vishnu would be born as his son.^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]

References

↑ Garg, Gaṅgā Rām (1992). Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World. Concept Publishing Company. p. 408. ISBN 978-81-7022-375-7.
↑ Ph.D, Lavanya Vemsani (2016). Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names. ABC-CLIO. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-61069-211-3.
↑ Williams, Joanna Gottfried (1981). Kalādarśana: American Studies in the Art of India. BRILL. p. 129. ISBN 978-90-04-06498-0.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Gopal Chowdhary (2014). The Greatest Farce of History. Partridge Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 978-1482819250.
↑ Sanghi, Ashwin (2012). The Krishna key. Chennai: Westland. p. Key7. ISBN 9789381626689. Retrieved 9 June 2016.^{[permanent dead link]}
↑ Lok Nath Soni (2000). The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, Delhi: Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, 2000 Original from the University of Michigan. p. 16. ISBN 978-8185579573.
↑ Soni, Lok Nath (2000). The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture. ISBN 978-81-85579-57-3.
↑ Kumar, Ravinder (1984). Philosophical Theory and Social Reality. Allied. ISBN 978-0-8364-1171-3. Ahirs, Gopas, Gollas, and other cognate castes were and are cowherds. Hence all these castes are Yadavas . Further, in Mahabharata all these castes are used as synonyms of Yadavas.
↑ Taṇḍana, Pallavī (2005). Harivaṃśa-Purāṇa meṃ vaṃśa aura manvantara (in Hindi). Klāsikala Pabliśiṅga Kampanī. ISBN 978-81-7054-372-5. वरूण के ऐसा कहने पर मेरे श्राप से पृथ्वी पर महर्षि कश्यप एक अंश से गोप तथा दूसरे अंश से गौओं व गोपों के अधिपति 'वसुदेव' नामक ग्वाले के रूप मथुरा में जन्म ग्रहण कर गायों का पालन कर रहे हैं।
↑ Debroy, Bibek (2016-09-09). Harivamsha. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-93-86057-91-4.
↑ Preciado-Solis, Benjamin; Preciado-Solís, Benjamín (1984). The Kṛṣṇa Cycle in the Purāṇas: Themes and Motifs in a Heroic Saga. Motilal Banarsidass Publishe. ISBN 978-0-89581-226-1.
↑ Mani, Vettam (2015-01-01). Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0597-2.

[1] Garg, Gaṅgā Rām (1992). Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World. Concept Publishing Company. p. 408. ISBN 978-81-7022-375-7.

[2] Ph.D, Lavanya Vemsani (2016). Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names. ABC-CLIO. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-61069-211-3.

[3] Williams, Joanna Gottfried (1981). Kalādarśana: American Studies in the Art of India. BRILL. p. 129. ISBN 978-90-04-06498-0.

[GBook1-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Gopal Chowdhary (2014). The Greatest Farce of History. Partridge Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 978-1482819250.

[tkk-5] Sanghi, Ashwin (2012). The Krishna key. Chennai: Westland. p. Key7. ISBN 9789381626689. Retrieved 9 June 2016.^{[permanent dead link]}

[Lok_Nath_Soni-6] Lok Nath Soni (2000). The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, Delhi: Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, 2000 Original from the University of Michigan. p. 16. ISBN 978-8185579573.

[7] Soni, Lok Nath (2000). The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture. ISBN 978-81-85579-57-3.

[8] Kumar, Ravinder (1984). Philosophical Theory and Social Reality. Allied. ISBN 978-0-8364-1171-3. Ahirs, Gopas, Gollas, and other cognate castes were and are cowherds. Hence all these castes are Yadavas . Further, in Mahabharata all these castes are used as synonyms of Yadavas.

[9] Taṇḍana, Pallavī (2005). Harivaṃśa-Purāṇa meṃ vaṃśa aura manvantara (in Hindi). Klāsikala Pabliśiṅga Kampanī. ISBN 978-81-7054-372-5. वरूण के ऐसा कहने पर मेरे श्राप से पृथ्वी पर महर्षि कश्यप एक अंश से गोप तथा दूसरे अंश से गौओं व गोपों के अधिपति 'वसुदेव' नामक ग्वाले के रूप मथुरा में जन्म ग्रहण कर गायों का पालन कर रहे हैं।

[10] Debroy, Bibek (2016-09-09). Harivamsha. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-93-86057-91-4.

[11] Preciado-Solis, Benjamin; Preciado-Solís, Benjamín (1984). The Kṛṣṇa Cycle in the Purāṇas: Themes and Motifs in a Heroic Saga. Motilal Banarsidass Publishe. ISBN 978-0-89581-226-1.

[12] Mani, Vettam (2015-01-01). Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0597-2.

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