Today we bring to you a story about how Krishna killed a demon or Rakshas sent by Kans. This is the tale of Krishna and the calf demon called Vatsasur.
Krishna’s father Nanda was the village chief of Gokul village. He had many cattle – cows and their younglings. Krishna and his elder brother Balram used to help their father by taking the cattle for grazing. Every morning, they used to take the herd out in the outskirts of Gokul. While the cattle would graze, Krishna would watch them and he used to play melodious tunes on his flute happily. You may know that no image of Krishna is complete without a flute in his hand. The melodious music that he used to play was loved by the gopis and the cattle equally. Many a times, Krishna used to play with his friends or Sakhas.
One day, while the cattle were grazing in the fields, Krishna was playing with his friends. From a young age, Krishna was very sharp eyed and smart. While playing, kept a watchful eye on the herd of cattle. Suddenly, he noticed a new calf in the herd. He got suspicious and called his elder brother Balram. He said, “Dau”. do you know that Krishna used to
refer to his elder brother as Dau? So Krishna asked Balram, “Dau, do you see the new calf among the cattle? Does it not look different and rather.. un familiar? Balram also noticed a new calf and agreed that indeed it was different compared to the rest of the herd. Both the brothers were alarmed.
This calf was none other than the demon Vatsasur, who was sent by Kans to kill Krishna. Vatsasur had taken the form of a calf, and quietly tried to joined the herd that the two brothers were tending to. He thought that that nobody would notice him among the herd of the cattle, but nothing could escape the sharp eyes and wit of Krishna.
Do you know what Krishna and Balram did next? They quietly, approached the calf. Krishna held the calf by its tail. Then, he swirled it around with all the strength and it threw him into a nearby lake.
Have you seen how Olympic players throw a discus ? They hold a discus in their hand and then spin around and round and round till they have built up sufficient momentum .
Finally, they throw the disc into the air with all their might. Krishna threw Vatsasur into the lake in a similar fashion. Who knows, maybe Krishna’s act inspired the sport of discuss throw? Anyways, as the demon Vatsasur hit the water, it took its original form. Next, with a loud shriek, it fell into the lake and drowned and died.
Did you like today's story? If so, let us know. This story was adapted and edited by Amar Vyas for Devgatha podcast and narrated by Sheerali Biju.We hope you liked both our stories that we narrated to you in this episode of the Devgatha podcast, available exclusively on Spotify.
Children, this month we will bring to you stories of young Krishna, who was known for his playful and mischievous acts when he was a child. These stories are known as Baal leela, which literally mean acts performed as a child. A major part of his Bal Leela revolves around slaying of the different demons, or Rakshas that his uncle Kans had sent to kill him. Recently, you might have also listened to the story of Krishna and Kalia the Snake and how Krishna lifted the Govardhan mountain and saved the villagers in Gokul. These stories can be heard in English and Hindi exclusively on Spotify.