Kamsa, who wanted to kill Devaki, was convinced by Vasudeva’s words, and spared her life. Why did Kamsa pay attention to Vasudeva? That was Krishna’s leela. And even assuming he listened to him, a sensible person would have kept Devaki and Vasudeva apart from each other, thereby ensuring that they would have no children. But Kamsa did not. That too was Krishna’s leela, said V.S. Karunakarachariar, in a discourse. Devaki’s first son was named Kirtiman and Vasudeva took the infant to Kamsa. Kamsa did not kill the baby. But Narada arrived, and addressed Kamsa. He said that the message given to him by the voice had spoken of the eighth child of Devaki. But which way was the count to begin? If one took the eighth child as the first, and counted in reverse, then the first child would become the eighth child. If this reverse counting was resorted to, then the child now before Kamsa would be the killer he had been warned of! Even otherwise, this child, if allowed to live, would only help the rest of Devaki’s children.
Convinced by this argument, Kamsa killed the child Kirtiman. Why did Narada do something so wicked, we might ask. Actually, Narada was only doing the first six children of Devaki a favour! Hiranyakasipu had a cousin called Kalanemi, and the latter’s sons were all Narayana bhaktas, like Prahlada. Hiranyakasipu cursed them that they should be killed by Kalanemi. But Kalanemi refused to kill them. So they were born as the sons of Devaki, and were killed by Kamsa, for it was Kalanemi who was born as Kamsa. With this killing, they were rid of Hiranyakasipu’s curse, and attained moksha. To attain moksha quickly is what such devoted souls would want. Narada’s words ensured their quick exit from this world, and could only have pleased such bhaktas.
