8 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

soon as possible. He therefore informed Kamsa that personalities like
Nanda Maharaja and all the cowherd men and girls and the wives of the
cowherd men in Vrndavana, and, on the other side, Vasudeva, his father
Sirasena and all his relatives born in the family of Vrsni of the Yadu
Dynasty, were preparing for the appearance of the Lord. Narada warned
Kamsa to be careful of the friends and well-wishers and all the demigods
taking birth in those families. Karsa and his friends and advisors were all
demons. Demons are always afraid of demigods. After being thus informed
by Narada about the appearance of the demigods in different families,
Karsa at once became alert. He understood that since the demigods had
already appeared, Lord Visnu must be coming soon. He at once arrested
both his brother-in-law Vasudeva and Devaki and put them behind prison
bars.

Within the prison, shackled in iron chains, Vasudeva and Devaki gave
birth to a male child year after year, and Kamsa, thinking each of the
babies to be the incarnation of Visnu, killed them one after another. He
was particularly afraid of the eighth child, but after the visit of Narada, he
came to the conclusion that any child might be Krsna. Therefore it was
better to kill all the babies who took birth of Devaki and Vasudeva.

This action of Kamsa is not very difficult to understand. There are
many instances in the history of the world of persons in the royal order
who have killed father, brother, or a whole family and friends for the
satisfaction of their ambitions. There is nothing astonishing about this, for
the demoniac can kill anyone for their nefarious ambitions.

Karnsa was made aware of his previous birth by the grace of Narada. He
learned that in his previous birth he was a demon of the name Kalanemi
and that he was killed by Visnu. Having taken his birth in the Bhoja
family, he decided to become the deadly enemy of the Yadu dynasty;
Krsna was going to take birth in that family, and Kamsa was very much
afraid that he would be killed by Krsna, just as he was killed in his last
birth.

He first of all imprisoned his father Ugrasena because he was the chief
king among the Yadu, Bhoja, and Andhaka dynasties, and he also oc-
cupied the kingdom of Sirasena, Vasudeva’s father. He declared himself
the king of all such places.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the First Chapter of Krsna,
“Advent of Lord Krsna.”
