Krishna’s birth, and the events that followed it have been described by sage Suka and sage Parasara. But the night of Krishna’s birth finds an even grander description in Vedanta Desika’s Yadavabhyudaya, said V.S. Karunakarachariar, in a discourse.
Vasudeva carried Krishna in a basket, and stepped out into the dark night. It was drizzling gently, when Vasudeva left the prison. But it must have rained heavily in the vicinity of the Yamuna, for the river was in spate. How was this dark night illumined? Adisesha was following father and son, spreading his hood over them, so that not a drop of rain fell on them. The gems on his hood sent out thousands of rays to light up the path. So Adisesha served as umbrella and torch! Now Adisesha had already taken birth as Balarama. So how could he accompany the new born Krishna? That is because Nityasuris like Adisesha are not limited in any way, and can be present wherever they please.
Despite illumination, one can lose one’s way in the dark. Besides, Vasudeva had been imprisoned for long, and was also in a state of hurry, for he had to get Krishna to safety. At this crucial juncture, the graha devatas ensured that he did not get lost. They served as his guides. The processional deity of a temple is always accompanied by a group of pandits chanting the Vedas. Desika, who had witnessed many such processions, includes a further detail in Krishna’s trip to Gokula. He says that as Vasudeva carried Krishna, Vedic chants were heard. Where did they come from? They came from Garuda,who was also accompanying Vasudeva and Krishna. Garuda was flapping his wings, and from this came chants of Sama Veda. Such is the rich description given by Desika about the events on the night of Krishna’s birth.
