According to the Bhagavata Purana, long, long ago, the city of Mathura was ruled by King Kansa. Kansa was a cruel tyrant. He had thrown his own sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva into prison.
A divine voice had foretold that Devaki's eighth child would one day end Kansa's rule. So Kansa had already killed Devaki's first six children the moment they were born. Devaki and Vasudeva were overcome with grief. But their patience never broke.
It was the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada — the darkest part of the night. Heavy clouds filled the sky. Rain poured down. And at midnight, a child was born to Devaki. The Bhagavata Purana tells us that in that moment, a divine light filled the prison cell.
Vasudeva looked at the child. A clear thought came to him. That very night, in the village of Gokul, his friend Nanda Baba's wife Yashoda had also given birth — to a daughter. Vasudeva knew what he had to do.
The prison doors opened on their own. The guards fell into a deep sleep. Vasudeva placed the baby in a basket, lifted it onto his head, and stepped out into the night. The darkness was thick. The river Yamuna was in full flood.
Vasudeva stepped into the Yamuna. The water rose high — but he did not stop. The Bhagavata Purana tells us that Shesha Naga, the great serpent, spread his hood over them like a sheltering roof. The river slowly quieted. Vasudeva crossed to the other side.
In Gokul, Vasudeva placed his son beside Yashoda and carried the newborn daughter back to Mathura. The prison doors closed behind him.
In the morning, when Kansa heard that Devaki had given birth to a girl, he came to take the child. But the baby girl slipped from his hands and rose into the sky. A voice rang out — 'The one destined to end your reign has already been born.' Kansa trembled.
And in Gokul, Yashoda held that beautiful baby boy close. Nanda Baba's eyes filled with happy tears. Lamps were lit all through the house. The child who would come to be called Kanhaiya, Gopal, and Shri Krishna — he had come home.