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First written on January 06, 2005  Revised and Updated on June 16, 2007 Srimad Bhagavatham - Chapter 1 - Advent of Lord Krishna Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare Introduction: "Srimad Bhagavatham" is held in highest esteem in Vedic literature. It is about the life and times of Lord Krishna, who came into this world about 5500 to 6000 years ago. There are two aspects to stories on Lord Krishna. One is about his teachings as covered in the song celestial "Bhagvat Gita". The other is the story about him and his life, like a biography. Srimad Bhagavatham covers his life story in a biographical form. Bhagvat Gita is his teaching to his friend and pupil, warrior Arjuna just before the war with his cousins, covered in the greatest epic of all times "Mahabharata". This was written by sage Veda Vyasa. This covers the philosophy of life. There are enough literature and commentaries on this subject by very learned people and we are not covering it in our pages. Moreover, they are highly philosophical and needs great qualities and understanding of the subjects concerned. We are not qualified to write about his teachings. However, Srimad Bhagavatham is about his life and told in a story form. It has an universal appeal. According to Vedic literature, reading or listening to the story is enough to bring happiness, prosperity and peace of mind to any human being. We will try to keep it simple and devoid of any religious fervor. We will also try to eliminate complicated philosophies explained therein. We hope and pray to Lord Krishna to bless us and make this humble venture a successful one. Lord Krishna willing, we hope to publish one chapter every week and upload it on Sundays for universal readership. This story is told by sage Sukhdev Goswami, the son of Sage Veda Vyasa to King Parikshit, the descendant of the Pandavs. He was the grand son of Warrior Arjuna, son of Abhimanyu and was born posthumously after his father was killed in the Mahabharata war. His grand mother, Subhadra was Lord Krishna's sister, married to Arjuna. King Parikshit was cursed by a sage's son to die by snake bite within 7 days for insulting his father. King Parikshit did not do this deliberately, but that was pre ordained. He spent his last 7 days listening to Srimad Bhagavatham which is the only official version of Lord Krishna's birth and his deeds in this world. It must be remembered that though the Vedas mention millions of Gods, there is only one God and that is Lord Krishna. All the innumerable gods mentioned are angels or his agents called as Demigods. He has three primary plenary portions. Lord Brahma, the creator. Lord Vishnu, the protector and Lord Shiva, the destroyer. Whenever, the evil forces become too powerful and start persecuting innocent people, he descends to earth in some form, to protect the good and destroy the evil forces. This role is played by Lord Vishnu and we have 10 incarnations in all before the universe gets destroyed by a deluge and fire. Lord Krishna was the eighth incarnation. The beauty of this incarnation is that the supreme lord himself descended on this earth, unlike other incarnations, which were done by Lord Vishnu. Advent of Lord Krishna About 5500 years ago, the earth was overburdened with evil forces of various kings, who were mostly demons or their descendents. According to Vedas, demons are fallen angels. They, however, retain their mystical powers but use them for evil purposes. The ruling deity of earth is called "Bhooma" or mother earth. She approached Lord Brahma and informed him about the evil activities of these kings and how things were getting out of control. Lord Brahma accompanied by Lord Shiva along with other Demigods decided to approach Lord Vishnu, who is the protector. Lord Vishnu informed them that the supreme personality of Godhead will soon appear on the earth to annihilate the demons, protect the devotees and establish righteousness. He informed them that the incarnation would take place in the Yadu dynasty. He also informed them that all the demigods should take birth in the same dynasty to assist him in the mission. They were also informed that his other potencies would appear along with him, as his elder brother and younger sister. The leader of the Yadu dynasty was the King Surasen and he ruled the area called Mathura, which falls in the modern state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). His son was the pious Vasudeva. he married a princess called Devaki, daughter of King Devaka. As per custom, after marriage, the bride is taken in a procession by her brother to the grooms place accompanied by her maids and other dowry. Her brother's name Kamsa and he was not only powerful, he was also a demon, born as a prince. He was the son of King Ugrasen, the elder brother of King Devak and belonged to the Bhoj dynasty. Kamsa loved his sister Devaki very dearly. He undertook to personally drive the chariot. Suddenly, an ethereal voice sounded from the sky, informing him that the eighth child of Devaki will kill him and that he was a fool in rejoicing over the wedding of his sister. Immediately, Kamsa took out his sword to kill his sister. Vasudeva, her husband requested for his mercy and also promised that he would hand over all the children, as soon as they are born, to Kamsa for killing as he had no harm from his sister or himself. Kamsa relented knowing that Vasudeva was known for his word. He imprisoned them and year after year he killed all the new born children by throwing them against the prison wall, knowing fully well that it was only the eighth child that was destined to kill him. Being of demoniac nature, he also imprisoned his own father and declared himself the King. Since he was very powerful, he attacked anybody who dared to resist him and had all the kingdom to himself. He entered into agreements with other powerful and evil rulers and declared himself as an Emperor and leader of all Yadu dynasties. Written by Madhavan T Gopalachary The views, opinions and interpretations are personal. Sponsorship does not mean that the sponsors endorse them. Editorial Policy © Copyright, Jun-07 . www.madgopes.com . Without prejudice. All rights reserved www.mmgindia.com is the official website of Madras Management Group, Chennai, India. www.madgopes.com and www.mmg.name are personal websites and all editorials are published under their banner to retain editorial independence. We would highly appreciate feedback from readers and it may be sent to feedback@mmg.name