(Krishna and Devaki: Wikimedia Commons)
Once there was a powerful king. A king that ruled over the sad city of Mathura. His name was Kansa. Kansa was a selfish, greedy man, and all who lived in Mathura despised his rule. All except his sister. Kansa and his sister, Devaki, had a very close relationship. Their bond was unlike any other. Kansa loved his sister so much that when it was time for her to be wed, he made it priority to find her the best suitor. He thought about his favorite noble, Vasudeva, and believed that they would make a happy couple. Kansa introduced Devaki to Vasudeva, and they had an immediate spark. Shortly after, Devaki and Vasudeva wedded, and Kansa was there to give his blessing. It was a happy day.
That night, Kansa went to sleep with the biggest smile on his face. He was so glad that he was able to witness the his sister's wedding ceremony. And with that peaceful thought his fell asleep.
"NO!", Kansa cried out.
Kansa woke up from his deep sleep, startled, disgruntled, and in panic. The guard outside his door came running in shouting,
"Are you alright, your majesty?"
Kansa reassured him, "Yes. I am quite alright."
But if fact, Kansa was not alright. What had awoken him was a voice. A voice that stated that Devaki and Vasudeva's eighth child was destined to bring Kansa his rightful fate. Unmerciful death. The voice echoed that this was Kansa deserved for his lifetime of tyranny and unforgiving nature. With that voice ringing in his head and making him nauseous, Kansa knew he had to do something. All his love for his sister and his noble shattered into a million pieces as he gave these orders to his guard.
"Tell the general to issue a unit to kill Devaki and Vasudeva. Tell him it needs to be done first thing in the morning."
And with that order, Kansa went back to peacefully back to sleep.
Authors Note
In the original story, Kansa throws Devaki and Vasudeva into prison and then kills each of their children individually. I did not really understand why Kansa went through the whole trouble of doing that when he could have just ordered their execution. And that is exactly what I did in my story.
Bibliography
Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita
Elena, way to punch a plot hole right in the mouth. Your version of Kansa is certainly expressed as a ruthless character who loves only one person up to the point that it threatens him and then its “see ya later” to his sister. I wonder what would have happened if he had just separated Devaki and Vasudeva so they couldn’t produce children?
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