Devakinanadana Gopala

Krishna’s mother Devaki is the Hindu goddess of childbirth. Devaki’s brother is the evil king Kamsa. When Devaki and her soon-to-be husband Vasudeva were traveling to their wedding, Kamsa received a vision which revealed to him that a child of his sister Devaki would overthrow him. He sought to kill her immediately to prevent this outcome, but Vasudeva begged for her life. 

Imprisonment of Krishna’s Parents
Kamsa agreed to allow Devaki to live if he would be given each of her male children. Devaki and Vasudeva were imprisoned by Kamsa after their wedding. As each of their first seven male children were born, Kamsa killed them. Finally they came up with a way to save their eighth son.

Saving the Baby Krishna
Around that time, a girl relative was born in the country. She was smuggled into the prison just as Devaki gave birth to Krishna. The guards miraculously fell into a deep sleep. The children were switched. Krishna was safely taken to live in obscurity in a rural area. The female child was also safe because she was not a threat to the king.

Symbolism of Krishna’s Early Life
Krishna grew up in the country with surrogate parents who raised cows. For this reason, Krishna was a cow herder as a child, protector of the sacred animal. Symbolically, Krishna is the one who protects the sacred truth. His childhood is replete with tales of his mischievous fun and his friendship with the milkmaids, especially his beloved Radha.

Meaning of the Names Govinda and Gopala
Because Krishna grew up living an idyllic rural life as a cow herder, known by the names of Govinda and Gopala.“Go” means cow, a sacred animal that may also symbolically represent sacred scriptures or sacred truth. “Go” is sometimes translated as “light.”