Chapter 1 · Narada's Prophecy of Kansa's Death
Once, the divine sage Narada told Indra the story of Kansa, the wicked king of Mathura. Narada recounted that Kansa had once asked an astrologer about the manner of his own death. The astrologer said, 'O Kansa, the eighth child born to your sister Devaki, wife of Vasudev, shall be the one to slay you.'
Terrified by this, Kansa imprisoned his own beloved sister Devaki and her husband Vasudev, and vowed to kill every child born to Devaki the instant it was born. True to this cruel vow, he killed her first six children as soon as they were born. The seventh child, Balaram, was transferred by the power of Yogamaya from Devaki's womb to Rohini's, so that Kansa believed it had simply been a miscarriage.
Chapter 2 · The Birth of Shri Krishna
On the Ashtami of Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha, at midnight amid thunderclouds, with the Rohini Nakshatra shining in the sky, Lord Vishnu himself was born from Devaki's womb in his complete, divine form. The moment he was born, the infant revealed his four-armed form to Devaki and Vasudev, reminding them of the purpose of his incarnation.
The instant the child was born, every door of the prison swung open on its own, the chains fell away, and every guard standing watch sank into a deep sleep. Vasudev prayed to the Lord to take once more the form of an ordinary infant, so that he could carry him to safety. The Lord granted Vasudev's prayer.
Chapter 3 · The Journey to Gokul and the Exchange of Infants
Placing the infant in a basket, Vasudev set out for Gokul that very midnight. On the way, he came upon the swollen Yamuna river, but the moment its waters touched the infant's feet, the river grew calm and made way for him. Reaching Gokul, Vasudev found Nanda Baba and Mother Yashoda both deep in sleep, and that Yashoda too had given birth to a daughter that very night. Vasudev quietly placed his own son beside Yashoda, and taking her newborn daughter, returned to the prison in Mathura.
The next morning, when Kansa learned of the birth of Devaki's eighth child, he rushed to the prison in fear. Snatching the newborn girl from Devaki's arms, he tried to dash her against a rock, but she slipped from his grasp and rose into the sky, appearing as a goddess who declared, 'What use is it to kill me, O Kansa, the one destined to slay you has already been born safely, elsewhere.'
Chapter 4 · The Defeat of Putana and Other Demons
Hearing this divine warning, Kansa began trying to have every infant born in Gokul killed. He first sent the demoness Putana, who would smear poison on her breasts and kill infants by nursing them. Baby Krishna, while drinking her milk, drew out her very life instead, granting her liberation even as he destroyed her.
After this, Kansa sent Trinavarta as a whirlwind, Aghasura and Arishtasura as a python and a bull, and the serpent Kaliya into the Yamuna, but the child Krishna, through his own divine play, destroyed every one of these demons. In this way, the people of Gokul and Vrindavan were freed from one fear after another, and Krishna's glory grew greater with each passing day.
Chapter 5 · The Journey to Mathura and the Death of Kansa
When all his demons had been defeated, Kansa deceitfully summoned Krishna and Balaram to Mathura, planning to have them destroyed along the way. But the two brothers broke the great bow set up at the city's entrance, and slew the maddened elephant Kuvalayapida as well.
Kansa then set his mighty wrestlers, Chanura and Mushtika, to fight Krishna and Balaram. In this bout, Krishna slew Chanura, and Balaram slew Mushtika. Enraged at this, Kansa ordered Krishna and his parents seized, but Krishna at once leapt onto Kansa's own platform, seized him by the hair, and hurled him to the ground, killing him.
After Kansa's death, Krishna freed his parents Devaki and Vasudev from prison, and restored the kingdom of Mathura to Ugrasena, Kansa's own father. Thus did the tyranny of the wicked Kansa come to an end, and dharma was established once more.
Chapter 6 · The Glory of the Vow
The Janmashtami vow is observed on Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami, especially when Rohini Nakshatra coincides with Ashtami tithi, called Jayanti Yoga, since this was the very configuration at Shri Krishna's own birth. On this day, a fast is kept through the day, and at midnight the infant Krishna is bathed in panchamrit, dressed and adorned, offered makhan-mishri, and worshipped with aarti, the fast being broken only after this worship.
It is believed that whoever observes this vow with devotion, and hears or reads this story of Shri Krishna's birth, has all their sins destroyed, and attains happiness, prosperity, and, in the end, the grace of the Lord himself.
How to Read Shri Krishna Janmashtami Vrat Katha
Keep a fast through the day on Janmashtami. At midnight, bathe an idol of the infant Krishna in panchamrit, dress and adorn it, offer makhan-mishri, and perform the aarti. Be sure to hear or read this story, and break the fast only after the worship.
About Shri Krishna Janmashtami Vrat Katha
The Shri Krishna Janmashtami Vrat Katha is told across six chapters. The first has Narada recounting to Indra the prophecy of Kansa's death. The second and third tell of Shri Krishna's birth, the journey to Gokul, and the exchange of infants. The fourth describes the defeat of Putana and other demons, and the fifth, the journey to Mathura and the death of Kansa. The sixth chapter describes the glory of the vow.
This vow is observed on Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami, at midnight. This page presents the full text of all the chapters in plain Hindi, with adjustable text size and print support.
No old printed original text for the Shri Krishna Janmashtami Vrat Katha could be found on archive.org, the related sources found there were only audio-video discourses or handwritten Sanskrit worship booklets, with no authoritative Hindi narrative text available. The story given here is therefore based on the universally well-known Puranic legend of Shri Krishna's birth and Kansa's death, as told in the Tenth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, among the most widely known and recited stories in all of India. Its wording has been composed independently, so that it is not a word-for-word copy of any single website's or publication's text.
Frequently asked questions
How many chapters does the Shri Krishna Janmashtami Vrat Katha have?
It has six chapters in total, traditionally read or heard together as one complete text.
What is the significance of Krishna being the eighth child?
As the story describes, an astrologer told Kansa that Devaki's eighth child would kill him, this very prophecy is why Kansa began killing her children, and Shri Krishna was born as that eighth child.
Why was Krishna taken to Gokul?
As described in the story's third chapter, Vasudev carried the infant Krishna to Nanda and Yashoda in Gokul at midnight to protect him from Kansa, bringing back their newborn daughter to the prison in his place.
How was Kansa killed?
As described in the story's fifth chapter, Krishna leapt onto Kansa's platform during the wrestling assembly in Mathura, seized him by the hair, and hurled him to the ground, killing him.