Best of Krishna’s Tales

Mitravinda was the princess of the kingdom of Avanti. Rajadhidevi, Vasudeva’s sister, was her mother. Mitravinda was deeply in love with Lord Krishna, but was scared of her brothers Vinda and Anuvinda.They arranged a Swayamvar or a ceremony of choosing a husband for Mitravinda. Mitravinda’s father had called an assembly of kings at his capital […]

One day, Lord Krishna and Arjun went to hunt in the nearby forests of Indraprastha, accompanied by an army. They reached the banks of River Yamuna to quench their thirst. Suddenly, they saw a very pretty girl walking by. Curious to know more about her, Lord Krishna sent Arjun to talk to her.Arjun asked her,

A nobleman of Dwarka, Satrajit, was a devotee of Surya, the Sun-god. Pleased with Satrajit’s devotion, Surya gifted him the Syamantak gem. This gem could magically produce eight measures of gold a day. Thus, Satrajit suddenly became a very wealthy man.Lord Krishna approached Satrajit and asked him to share the gem with the other people

Lord Krishna’s wife Rukmini was His main consort or Patrani. She was also very humble and pious. Rukmini’s father, King Bhishmaka and brother, Rukmi wanted her to marry Shishupal. However, she was so in love with Lord Krishna, and He with her that He stole her away on her wedding day and took her to

Lord Krishna’s palace in Dwarka was adorned with the presence of His several wives. Among them, eight were His chief wives or Ashta-Bharyas. They were Rukmini, Jambavati, Satyabhama, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti, Bhadra and Lakshmana. The remaining women belonged to a demon-king named Naraka (Bhaumasur). He had held them captive until Lord Krishna killed him. When

The Rajasuya Yajna started by the Pandavas was on the verge of completion. The last rite was to confer honours upon the kings who had participated in the yajna. Before starting this, it was customary to worship the best participant according to the manner prescribed in the religious scriptures.Sahadev, ruler of Magadha, proposed the name

Lord Krishna’s five cousins, the Pandavas, had a kingdom named Indraprastha. The eldest of them, Yudhishthir, wanted to perform the Rajasuya Yajna. He went to Lord Krishna and said, “For the Rajasuya Yajna, a king has to be declared an emperor and all the surrounding kingdoms have to recognise him as their overlord. I have

Bhishmaka, the king of Vidarbha, had two children, Prince Rukmi and Princess Rukmini. He had heard many stories of Lord Krishna’s valour and secretly wished him to be his son-in-law. Bhishmaka knew that it might not be possible as Kansa’s father-in-law, Jarasandha, was their overlord and Lord Krishna was his sworn enemy. In fact, Prince

Jarasandha was a very powerful demon. He had given both his daughters in marriage to King Kansa of Mathura. After Lord Krishna had killed Kansa, his two wives went back to their father Jarasandha and lied, “Father, Krishna killed Kansa by unfair means and we will not be satisfied until the death of our husband

After Lord Krishna had killed Kansa, He made his grandfather, Ugrasena, the king of Mathura. Then, Lord Krishna and Balarama went through a sacred thread ceremony called Yajna-pavitra. Earlier, all students lived and learnt in gurukul. So, Lord Krishna and Balarama, too, left for the gurukul of Sage Sandipani, who lived in Kashi.Lord Krishna and

Meanwhile, evil Kansa was performing the yajna in the arena in the palace. A bow was to be worshipped there. Lord Krishna and Balarama entered the arena and Lord Krishna broke the bow in a challenge to evil Kansa. Angry Kansa thundered, “Kill Him at once!” Chanura and Mushtika heard him and attacked the two

When the two brothers arrived in Mathura, Akrura went to the palace while Lord Krishna and Balarama roamed the city on foot. They met a garland-seller, who knew at once that they were divine. He worshipped them with flowers and Lord Krishna blessed him.Further on, the brothers met a young woman named Kubja. She was

Narada, the mischievous celestial sage, had been watching the events at Vrindavan with interest for some time now. “Alak Niranjan!” Narada called out his greeting as he reached Kansa’s palace. He then narrated Lord Krishna’s exploits before evil Kansa. The demon-ruler got worried and started plotting how to kill Lord Krishna and Balarama. Kansa knew

Sometime later, Kansa again sent an evil demon Arishta to Vrindavan to kill Lord Krishna. ‘I will kill You, Krishna. Consider me Your deliverer,’ the vile bull-demon thought as he entered Vrindavan. Arishta’s eyes glowed with an angry red light and his mighty hooves thudded on the floor as he charged ahead. The demon was

As Lord Krishna and Radha grew up, they became very close friends. Once, Radha grew jealous that Lord Krishna talked to a gopi named Sridhama. Lord Krishna was sitting with His friend Sridhama when Radha rushed towards them. Seeing her anger, Sridhama exclaimed, “Radha, don’t insult my Lord or I will curse you.”Hearing this, Radha