The Story of Krishna’s Childhood and Youth
(collected from the Bhagavata Purana, Harivamsha, and Vishnu Purana by Lokanath Mishra)
The Infancy in Gokula
After Vasudeva placed Krishna in Yashoda’s care, the child grew among cowherds in the village of Gokula. Though appearing as an ordinary infant, his divine play (lila) soon revealed itself.
• Putana’s Death (Bhagavata Purana 10.6):
Kansa, determined to destroy the prophesied child, sent the demoness Putana, skilled in deception. She came disguised as a beautiful woman, entered Nanda’s house, and placed the infant Krishna on her lap to nurse him. Her breasts were smeared with deadly poison. But Krishna, the lord of life itself, sucked not only the milk but also her very life force. Putana shrieked, revealed her gigantic demonic form, and fell lifeless. The villagers were astonished but attributed the child’s survival to divine grace.
• Shakatasura and Trinavarta (Bhagavata Purana 10.7):
One day, while lying beneath a cart, Krishna kicked with his tiny feet. The cart, possessed by the demon Shakatasura, overturned and shattered. Soon after, another demon, Trinavarta, assumed the form of a whirlwind, lifted Krishna high into the sky, and tried to dash him to the ground. But Krishna clutched the demon’s throat until Trinavarta suffocated and fell dead.
• Other Early Demons (Bhagavata Purana 10.8–10.12):
As the days passed, Krishna killed Vatsasura (in calf form), Bakasura (a giant crane), and Aghasura (a monstrous serpent). Each time, the cowherd boys thought their beloved playmate was saved by divine intervention, not realizing that Krishna himself was that divinity.
Krishna the Butter-Thief
(Bhagavata Purana 10.9–10.10)
In his childhood, Krishna’s playful nature charmed the Gopis (cowherd women). He and Balarama would steal butter, break pots, and even share the stolen butter with monkeys. Though Yashoda often tried to catch and punish him, she was overcome by his innocence and beauty.
One day, when Yashoda tied him to a wooden mortar (damodara lila), Krishna crawled between two arjuna trees. With a tug, the trees were uprooted, and from them emerged two divine beings—Nalakuvara and Manigriva, sons of Kubera—freed from a curse by Krishna’s touch.
The Move to Vrindavana
Because of the constant dangers in Gokula, Nanda decided to move the entire settlement to Vrindavana, a forest on the banks of the Yamuna. There, Krishna’s youthful pastimes unfolded more wondrously.
The Cowherd Boy and the Flute
(Bhagavata Purana 10.21)
In Vrindavana, Krishna became the darling of the Gopis. As he grazed cows with Balarama, he played enchanting notes on his flute. The music bewitched all beings—men, women, animals, even rivers and trees. The Gopis, leaving aside all household duties, rushed to hear him. This was the beginning of the divine love between Krishna and the Gopis, most especially Radha, though the Bhagavata speaks more subtly of her than later traditions.
Lifting Govardhana Hill
(Bhagavata Purana 10.24–10.27)
Once, the cowherds prepared to worship Indra, the rain-god, for abundant pastures. But Krishna taught them to instead honor Govardhana Hill, which truly nourished their cows. Offended, Indra sent torrential rains and storms to destroy Vrindavana. Calmly, Krishna lifted Govardhana Hill with his little finger, sheltering the villagers beneath it for seven days and nights. Humbled, Indra descended, bowed before Krishna, and recognized him as the Supreme Lord.
The Kaliya Serpent
(Bhagavata Purana 10.16–10.17)
The Yamuna River was once poisoned by the serpent Kaliya, whose venomous coils had driven away all life. Krishna leapt into the river, danced upon the serpent’s thousand hoods, and subdued him. The serpent’s wives pleaded for mercy, and Krishna spared Kaliya’s life, banishing him to the ocean. Thus, the Yamuna was purified.
The Rasa Lila
(Bhagavata Purana 10.29–10.33)
In the full moon of autumn, Krishna played his flute, summoning the Gopis into the forest. Abandoning all worldly ties, they joined him in the divine dance known as the Rasa Lila. Each Gopi thought Krishna was dancing with her alone, for by his power he multiplied himself among them. This mystical union symbolized the soul’s eternal love for the divine.
The Call to Mathura
Eventually, Kansa, still tormented by fear, sent Akrura, a noble Yadava, to bring Krishna and Balarama to Mathura. The brothers bid farewell to Vrindavana, promising to return, and entered Mathura to face their destiny.
The Death of Kansa
(Bhagavata Purana 10.43–10.44; Harivamsha Vishnu Parva)
In Mathura, Kansa organized a grand wrestling festival. Krishna slew his wrestlers Chanura and Mushtika, while Balarama defeated Kuta and others. Then Krishna leapt upon the royal platform, seized Kansa, and hurled him down, ending his life before all.
With Kansa’s death, Vasudeva and Devaki were freed from prison, Ugrasena was restored to the throne of Mathura, and peace returned to the Yadava kingdom.
✨ Thus ends the chapter of Krishna’s childhood and youth, as narrated in the Bhagavata Purana (Skandha 10, Chapters 6–44), expanded with details from the Harivamsha (Vishnu Parva) and Vishnu Purana (Book 5).
⸻( to be continued)
The Story of Krishna’s Childhood and Youth