In Hindu mythology, the
evil king of Mathura who is regarded Krishna's uncle and brother of Devaki, the
divinity Krishna's mother.
According to legend,
Kamsa is born when a demon assumes the shape of Ugrasena, Devaki's father, and
has sexual relations with Kamsa's mother while in this guise.
A holy voice informs
Kamsa on the day of Devaki's wedding that his sister's eighth child would
ultimately kill him.
He murders all of
Devaki's children as soon as they are born in order to prevent the prophesy
from coming true.
However, on the night
Krishna is born, the palace's residents fall into a profound slumber, the
closed doors miraculously open, and the child is whisked away to his foster
parents, Nanda and Yashoda.
When Kamsa discovers
what has occurred, he orders his warriors to slaughter all of the country's
newborn infants.
When that fails, Kamsa
dispatches different demon assassins, including Putana, Shakata, Trnavarta,
Keshi, and Bakasur.
Krishna easily
eliminates all of them, forcing Kamsa to resort to other tactics.
He arranges a huge feast
and dismantles his chariot in order to pick up Krishna and his younger brother
Balarama, who are now teenagers.
Kamsa's strategy is to
entice the brothers to the festival grounds, where they would be slain in a
"friendly" wrestling contest with some seasoned competitors.
The two lads thwart the
scheme by assassinating the wrestlers, following which Krishna climbs into the
royal box and assassinates Kamsa.
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