All Blogs · Theology Thursday ·Aug 18, 2022

Krishna & His Siblings

We've heard the story of Krishna's birth, but how much do we know about his siblings?

Balarama

Balaram is the elder half-brother of Krishna, born to the same father Vasudeva and a surrogate mother, Rohini. Balaram is sometimes considered to be an incarnation of Vishnu, intended to assist Krishna on his journeys.

Krishna

Our favorite protagonist, Krishna was born to the same father as Balarama, Vasudeva. His mother is Devaki, who was predicted to give birth to the child that would end up killing her evil brother, Kansa. In order to avoid this fate, Devaki switched Krishna as an infant with another child...

Yogamaya

The child who Krishna was exchanged with was named Yogamaya. Yogamaya is a deity believed to be associated with illusion and is an incarnation of the Goddess Durga. Upon hearing of the birth of Devaki's eighth child, Kansa makes his way over. Not knowing the child had been switched, he attempts to kill her. The baby frees itself from Kansa's grip and reveals herself as Goddess Durga.

Subhadra

Subhadra is the much younger half-sister of Krishna, who was born to the same parents as Balarama: Vasudeva and Rohini. Arjun (one of the Pandava brothers) had fallen in love with Subhadra -- who was technically his cousin -- but thanks to Krishna, the couple was able to elope and wed.

Why do we swing Krishna in a jhula during Janmashtami?

This tradition is inspired by one of Krishna and Radha's favorite pastimes, where the divine lovers would sit together and sway on a swing, in the cool monsoon season.

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