Devaki

File:Vasudeva and Devaki traveling in a carriage..jpg

During the nuptials of Vasudeva and Devaki following the former's wedding with his bride's six older sisters, Vishnu picked a lock of hair from his mount Shesha as well as his own, proclaiming that they would take be born as Devaki's seventh and eighth children, respectively.{{Cite book |last=Monaghan |first=Patricia |date=2014-04-01 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cj5OAwAAQBAJ&dq=devaki+story&pg=PA95 |title=Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines |publisher=New World Library |isbn=978-1-60868-218-8 |pages=95}} After the marriage ceremony, Kamsa volunteered to escort the newly-weds to Mathura and drove their chariot. A celestial voice, an aśarīrī, prophesied that the eighth child of Devaki would become Kamsa's death, and deliver the land from his wickedness. Angered, Kamsa rose to kill Devaki, but was stopped by Vasudeva, who promised to give each child to Kamsa, whom he would subsequently kill.{{cite book|chapter-url=http://bhagavata.org/canto10/chapter1.html#Text%2030|title=Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 10|chapter=1 |publisher=Bhagavata.org}}{{cite book|title=Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 10|chapter-url=http://bhagavata.org/canto10/chapter1.html#Text%2034 |chapter=1|publisher=Bhagavata.org}}{{cite book|title=Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 10|chapter-url=http://bhagavata.org/canto10/chapter1.html#Text%2054|chapter=1|publisher=Bhagavata.org}}

File:Birth & escape of krishna vmpa musueum.jpg

Devaki and Vasudeva were imprisoned by Kamsa due to the paranoia that had taken root in the tyrant's mind.{{cite web|url=http://mahabharata-resources.org/harivamsa/vishnuparva/hv_2_001.html |title=harivaMsha in the mahAbharata - viShNuparva: Chapter 1 - Advent of Narada and Kansa's Response |access-date=23 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425010154/http://mahabharata-resources.org/harivamsa/vishnuparva/hv_2_001.html|archive-date=25 April 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite book|chapter-url=http://bhagavata.org/canto10/chapter1.html#Text%2064|title=Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 10|chapter=1|publisher=Bhagavata.org}} Her six children were killed, while the seventh Balarama survived after being transferred by divine will into the uterus of Rohini, one of the other wives of Vasudeva.{{cite book|chapter-url=http://bhagavata.org/canto10/chapter2.html#Text%208|title=Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 10|chapter=2|publisher=Bhagavata.org}}{{cite book|chapter-url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp118.htm|title=The Vishnu Purana: Book V|chapter=I|pages=490–491}}

Devaki's six dead sons were named Kírttimat, Sushena, Udayin, Bhadrasena, Rijudasa, and Bhadradeha. According to the Harivamsa, they were the reincarnations of the sons of the asura Kalanemi. They had performed intense austerities to worship the creator deity Brahma, unbeknownst to their own grandfather, Hiranyakashipu. The latter, furious at their actions, cursed them to be born on earth and be slain by Kansa, who himself was a form of their father.{{Cite book |last=Debroy |first=Bibek |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BRnpDAAAQBAJ&q=harivamsa |title=Harivamsha |date=2016-09-09 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-93-86057-91-4}}

Devaki soon mothered Balarama through the surrogacy of Rohini.{{cite book|chapter-url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp120.htm#page_502 |title=The Vishnu Purana: Book V|chapter=III|page=502}}{{cite book|title=Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 10|publisher=Bhagavata.org |chapter=3|chapter-url=http://bhagavata.org/canto10/chapter3.html#Text%2051}}

When Devaki delivered Krishna, he revealed his divine form to his parents, and ordered Vasudeva to take him to Gokulam, placing all the prison guards under a spell of slumber, so that Kamsa would not realise that his prophesied killer had been born. Vasudeva swapped Krishna with Yogamaya, the daughter who had been born to Nanda and Yashoda on the very same day, and returned to the cell.{{Cite web |date=2014-08-30 |title=Yogamaya enters into the womb of Yashoda and Hari into Devaki [Chapter II] |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/vishnu-purana-wilson/d/doc116024.html |access-date=2022-09-12 |website=www.wisdomlib.org}}

When Kamsa stormed into the chamber after the spell had worn out, he deduced that Devaki had given birth to a girl. Devaki protested against the killing of the daughter of Nanda and Yashoda, but Kamsa hurled her against a rock, recognising that the gender of his prophesied slayer had not been specified. Yashoda's daughter transformed into an eight-armed goddess, and stated, "Fool, your destroyer has already been born elsewhere." She subsequently vanished into the heavens.

Devaki and Vasudeva's imprisonment came to an end after Kamsa's death.{{cite book|chapter-url=http://bhagavata.org/canto10/chapter44.html#Text%2050|title=Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 10|chapter=44|publisher=Bhagavata.org}}

Devaki, upon hearing how Krishna restored his Guru Sandipani's son, wished to see her own children.{{cite book|chapter-url=http://bhagavata.org/canto10/chapter85.html#Text%2032-33|title=SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 10|chapter=85 |publisher=Bhagavata.org}} Krishna acceded her request and brought the children to Devaki from Patala.{{cite book|chapter-url=http://bhagavata.org/canto10/chapter85.html#Text%2052|title=SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 10|chapter=85 |publisher=Bhagavata.org}} She nursed them with her milk and they attained heaven.

After the passing of Vasudeva after the Yadu massacre, Devaki cremated herself on Vasudeva's pyre, performing sati, along with his other wives, Rohini, Bhadra, and Madira.{{cite book|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m16/m16007.htm|title=The Mahabharata, Book 16: Mausala Parva: Section 7}}

File:Marianne Stokes - Devaki mother of Krishna.jpg

In the state of Goa, Devaki Krishna Sansthan temple is a unique temple, perhaps is the only temple in India where Krishna is worshiped alongside mother Devaki. The main deity Devakikrishna and affiliate deities of Bhumika Devi, Laxmi Ravalnath, Mallinath, Katyayani, Chodaneshwar and Dhada Shankar were originally located at Choodamani island (Chorão island of today). To avoid persecution during the Goa Inquisition they were taken to Mayem in Bicholim and from there shifted to the present location at Mashel. The garbhagriha (inner sanctum) of the temple has an idol of Devaki and Krishna. The idol of Devaki is in standing posture holding baby Krishna with her left hand. Mata Devaki is worshipped separately in a small temple dedicated to her inside the Dwarkadhish temple complex in Dwarka, Gujarat.{{cite web|title=Devkikrishna Temple, Marcel|url=http://www.goatourism.gov.in/destinations/temples/140-devkikrishna-temple-marcel|website=www.goatourism.gov.in|publisher=Govt of Goa|access-date=3 August 2019|ref=Goa}}

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