Krishna's Birth - The Divine Child in the Prison

Dadi: "Guddu beta, tonight I'll tell you how the greatest god was born in the darkest prison."

Guddu: "A prison? Shouldn't gods be born in palaces?"

Dadi: "That's what makes this story so powerful, beta. Lord Krishna chose to be born in chains, in darkness, to parents who were prisoners."

Guddu: "Who imprisoned them?"

Dadi: "King Kansa of Mathura. He was a terrible tyrant who had heard a prophecy: his sister Devaki's eighth child would kill him. So Kansa did something horrible - he threw his own sister and her husband Vasudeva into prison."

Guddu: "But why didn't he just let them go and watch them?"

Dadi: "Because he was terrified and cruel, beta. Every time Devaki gave birth, Kansa came personally to the prison and killed the baby."

Guddu: "That's horrible!"

Dadi: "Six children died this way. The seventh child, Balarama, was mystically transferred to another mother. And then came the eighth - the one the prophecy spoke of."

Guddu: "Krishna!"

Dadi: "On the darkest night imaginable - not a single star in the sky - Devaki gave birth. The guards outside had fallen into a mysterious sleep. And when baby Krishna opened his eyes..."

Guddu: "Yes?"

Dadi: "They weren't baby eyes, Guddu. Vasudeva saw oceans in them, the light of a thousand suns, the calm of eternity. For a moment, the prison transformed - he saw his son in cosmic form, four-armed, with divine weapons and ornaments!"

Guddu: "The baby was already showing his god form?"

Dadi: "He spoke to Vasudeva - not out loud, but directly to his mind: "Carry me across the Yamuna to Gokul. A woman named Yashoda has just given birth to a daughter. Exchange us. Bring the girl here.""

Guddu: "Exchange babies? In the middle of the night?"

Dadi: "Vasudeva was worried. "But the chains... the guards... the river in flood...""

Guddu: "Good point!"

Dadi: "Krishna simply said, "Have faith. All will be arranged." And the vision faded. The god became just a baby again - small, vulnerable, needing protection."

Guddu: "What happened to the chains?"

Dadi: "Vasudeva looked down, and they fell open. The cell door swung wide. The guards slept on. He put baby Krishna in a basket and stepped into the terrible night."

Guddu: "And the river?"

Dadi: "The Yamuna was in full flood - monsoon waters churning wildly. There was no boat, no bridge. Vasudeva waded in, holding the basket above his head."

Guddu: "That's terrifying!"

Dadi: "The water rose to his knees, his waist, his chest, his chin. Still he walked, faith his only guide. And then - the baby extended one tiny foot from the basket."

Guddu: "Why?"

Dadi: "The river wanted to touch Krishna's feet, to worship the divine baby! The moment it touched that little foot, the flood calmed completely. A path appeared. And above, the great serpent Shesha spread his thousand hoods over the basket, sheltering the baby from rain."

Guddu: "The river and the snake both helped!"

Dadi: "Even nature bows to divinity, beta. Vasudeva crossed safely, made the exchange at Nanda's house, and returned with the baby girl."

Guddu: "Did Kansa try to kill her too?"

Dadi: "He seized the infant at dawn, ready to smash her. But the baby slipped from his grasp and rose into the air, transforming into the goddess Yogamaya - eight arms, divine weapons, terrible beauty!"

Guddu: "Whoa!"

Dadi: "She thundered, "Fool! The one who will destroy you is already beyond your reach. He grows in Gokul, surrounded by love. Your death approaches, Kansa!""

Guddu: "Kansa must have been so scared!"

Dadi: "He was, beta. But in Gokul, Yashoda woke to find the most beautiful baby boy beside her - dark as a thundercloud, eyes like lotus petals. She didn't know he was God. She just knew he was her son."

Guddu: "And that's how Krishna's life began - with love instead of fear."

Dadi: "Yes! The prison had chains, but love has none. Kansa had power, but love is more powerful. Krishna could have destroyed him immediately, but he chose to grow up first - to be loved, to play, to experience being human."

Guddu: "Born in darkness but brought into love."

Dadi: "That's the message, beta. Even when things seem darkest, divine help is on the way. Faith can calm floods. Love can overcome tyranny. And sometimes the greatest power comes in the smallest form - a baby in a basket."

Guddu: "Goodnight, Dadi. I'll dream about baby Krishna!"

Dadi: "May his protection always surround you, just as Shesha's hoods sheltered him. Sweet dreams!"