The Life of Krishna Beyond Kansa

The Life of Krishna Beyond Kansa

(Collected from the Bhāgavata Purāṇa – Skandha 10–11, Harivaṁśa – Viṣṇu Parva, Viṣṇu Purāṇa – Book 5, and episodes from the Mahābhārata by Lokanath Mishra)

After Kansa’s Fall

When Kansa fell lifeless in the arena, Mathurā rejoiced. Vasudeva and Devakī were freed from their long captivity, and Krishna, along with Balarāma, bowed before their parents. Ugrasena, Kansa’s aged father, was restored to the throne of the Yādavas.

But the danger was far from over. Kansa had been the son-in-law of Jarasandha, the powerful king of Magadha, who ruled with twenty-one divisions of soldiers. Enraged at the death of his son-in-law, Jarasandha vowed vengeance against Krishna and the Yādavas.

Jarasandha’s Attacks

(Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.50–52; Harivaṁśa Vishnu Parva 54–55)

Jarasandha marched against Mathurā seventeen times, each time bringing huge armies. Each time, Krishna and Balarāma destroyed his forces but deliberately spared Jarasandha himself, knowing that destiny had reserved him for another.

During one such invasion, Jarasandha was aided by Kālayavana, a fierce Yavana king whose army was beyond number. Outmatched by sheer numbers, Krishna employed strategy: he lured Kālayavana into a cave where the ancient king Muchukunda lay in deep slumber. When Kālayavana kicked the sleeping Muchukunda, the king awoke and, by his fiery gaze, burned the Yavana to ashes.

Thus Mathura was spared, but Krishna realized that the city, being on open plains, was too vulnerable to constant siege.

The Founding of Dvaraka

(Bhagavata Puraṇa 10.53; Vishnu Puraṇa 5.23)

At Krishna’s command, Viśvakarma, the celestial architect, built a fortified city on the western coast by the sea. This was Dvārakā, a marvel of architecture, with shining palaces, gardens, and wide avenues. To this new stronghold, Krishna moved all the Yādavas, ensuring their safety from Jarasandha’s relentless campaigns.

Krishna Marries Rukmiṇi

(Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.52–54; Harivaṁśa Vishnu Parva 94–99)

In Vidarbha lived Princess Rukmiṇī, famed for her beauty and virtue. Though her heart was devoted to Krishna, her brother Rukmī arranged her marriage to Śiśupāla, the king of Chedi and Krishna’s cousin but sworn enemy.

On the appointed day, as Rukmiṇī prayed at the temple of Ambā (Durgā), Krishna arrived in a golden chariot. Seizing her by the hand, he placed her beside him and sped away, defeating Rukmī and Śiśupāla’s forces in battle. Thus Rukmiṇī became Krishna’s chief queen in Dvārakā.

Krishna’s Other Marriages

(Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.55–61; Vishnu Purāṇa 5.27–28)
• Jāmbavatī: Krishna fought a long battle with Jāmbavān, the bear-king of Rāmāyaṇa fame, for the Syamantaka jewel. Realizing Krishna’s divinity, Jāmbavān offered his daughter Jāmbavatī in marriage.
• Satyabhāmā: The spirited daughter of Satrājit, who also had possession of the Syamantaka jewel.
• Kalindī: The goddess of the Yamunā river, who undertook penance desiring Krishna as her husband.
• Mitravindā, Nagnajitī (Satyā), Bhadrā, Lakṣmaṇā, and others—Krishna married eight principal queens (the Aṣṭabhāryās).
• Later, after slaying Narakāsura of Prāgjyotiṣa, Krishna rescued 16,100 captive princesses and married them, granting them honor and dignity.

Thus Krishna’s household at Dvārakā was vast, filled with joy, laughter, and divine play.

Slaying of Narakasura

(Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.59; Harivaṁśa Vishnu Parva 103)

The demon-king Narakāsura, son of Bhūmi Devī, had seized the earrings of Aditi, mother of the gods, and imprisoned 16,100 princesses. At Indra’s appeal, Krishna rode forth with Satyabhāmā. In the battle, Satyabhāmā herself slew Narakāsura, fulfilling a boon that only his mother (the Earth-goddess, in Satyabhāmā’s form) could end his life.

The liberated maidens were wedded to Krishna, who expanded himself into many forms to give each princess a palace and equal companionship.

The Defeat of Jarasandha

(Mahābhārata – Sabhā Parva 21–24; Harivaṁśa Vishnu Parva 33)

Years later, when Yudhiṣṭhira prepared for the Rājasūya sacrifice, he needed to defeat Jarasandha, who still held sway over many kings. Krishna, along with Bhīma and Arjuna, went to Magadha disguised as Brahmins.

They challenged Jarasandha to single combat. A terrible duel followed between Jarasandha and Bhīma, lasting twenty-seven days. At last, by Krishna’s subtle hint, Bhīma tore Jarasandha apart, separating the two halves of his body that had once been joined at birth. Thus Jarasandha was slain, and the captive kings were freed.

This act made Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya possible, where Krishna was honored as the Supreme Guest of the sacrifice.

Krishna and Sisupala

(Mahābhārata – Sabhā Parva 38–44; Bhagavata Purāṇa 10.74)

During the Rājasūya, the assembly honored Krishna above all kings. Enraged, Śiśupāla hurled insults at him, mocking his cowherd origins. Krishna bore a hundred abuses patiently, but when Śiśupāla crossed the limit, Krishna unleashed his Sudarśana Chakra, severing his head. Śiśupāla’s soul merged into Krishna, for he had been born with a destined number of offenses to the Lord.

Role in the Mahābhārata

From here, Krishna’s story intertwines with the epic of the Pāṇḍavas:
• He became charioteer and guide of Arjuna, delivering the immortal teaching of the Bhagavad Gītā on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra (Bhagavad Gītā; Mahābhārata – Bhīṣma Parva).
• He offered his Nārāyaṇī Sena (army) to the Kauravas, while himself vowing not to lift a weapon, siding with the Pāṇḍavas as a non-combatant.
• He performed countless acts of diplomacy, wisdom, and strategy that shaped the war’s outcome.

The Later Years and Departure

(Bhāgavata Purāṇa 11.30–31; Harivaṁśa Vishnu Parva 113)

After the war, Krishna ruled long in Dvārakā. But in time, the Yādava clan, cursed by sages, destroyed themselves in drunken conflict on the seashore.

At last, seated in meditation in the forest, Krishna was struck on the foot by the arrow of a hunter named Jara, mistaking him for a deer. Knowing his time had come, Krishna withdrew his divine presence, returning to Vaikuṇṭha.

Arjuna and the Pāṇḍavas mourned deeply, and soon after, the great epic age drew to its close.

Conclusion

Thus, from birth in a prison cell, through playful childhood in Vṛndāvana, to kingship in Dvārakā and guidance of the Mahābhārata war, Krishna’s life unfolded as the supreme manifestation of the Divine on earth.

📖 Sources of Collection:
• Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 10–11 (esp. chapters 6–90, and 11.30–31 for departure).
• Harivaṁśa, Vishnu Parva (for Kansa, Jarasandha, Narakāsura, and Dvārakā).
• Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Book 5.
• Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva, Bhīṣma Parva, and Mausala Parva.

The Life of Krishna Beyond Kansa