By the favor of the Supreme, the goddess Aditi was blessed with a son, born for the purpose of destroying the enemies of the gods—the Daityas, Dānavas, and Rākṣasas. In time, among the descendants of Yayāti, the virtuous family of Vasudeva was chosen by Lord Nārāyaṇa himself, owing to their merit, to be the home for his divine deeds. When Janārdana was born, the oceans trembled, the mountains shook, and the sacrificial fires blazed with extraordinary brilliance. Auspicious winds swept across the land, the dust settled peacefully, and all lights shone with heightened radiance. It was under the star Abhijit, on the night called Jayantī, at the victorious moment, that Janārdana entered the world. Kṛṣṇa, eternal and imperceptible—Hari, Nārāyaṇa, the Lord—was born, concealing his true nature from the world with his appearance. From the heavens, the lord of the gods showered flowers, and thousands of great sages and Gandharvas sang auspicious praises to honor Madhusudana. Vasudeva, beholding his newborn son—transcendent and adorned with the mark of Śrīvatsa and other divine signs—spoke with reverence: “O Lord, withdraw your true form.” He explained, “Father, I am afraid of Kamsa; this alone I say. My elder sons, wondrous to behold, have been slain by him.” Hearing Vasudeva’s words, the Lord withdrew his divine form. Permitted by his father, he went to the house of Nandagopa, and, following Ugrasena’s counsel, was given to Yashoda. At that time, both Yashoda and Devaki were pregnant. Yashoda, the wife of Nandagopa—the lord of the cowherds—gave birth to a daughter on the very night Krishna, the lord of the Vrishni clan, was born. Vasudeva, famed for his greatness, protected the newborn Krishna and entrusted him to Yashoda, taking the daughter in exchange. Giving Krishna to Nandagopa, Vasudeva said, “Protect him. Your son, auspicious in every way, will become the glory of the Yadavas. This is the child of Devaki who will end our suffering.” Then Anakadundubhi presented the girl, daughter of Ugrasena’s wife, declaring her to be a maiden of auspicious marks. Kamsa, unaware that his own wife had given birth to a son, rejoiced and released the girl, believing her to be dead. Yet she survived and was honored in the house of the Vrishnis, growing up there. They cared for her as for a son, just as the gods care for the goddesses; she, born according to the rite, was called the daughter of Prajapati. Eleven protectors were born to guard Keshava, and all the Yadavas joyfully honored the maiden. Krishna, god of gods with a divine form, was protected by her. The sages then asked, “For what reason did Kamsa, the Bhoja king, kill the sons and children of Vasudeva? Please explain this to us.” Suta replied, “Listen to how Kamsa, with futile intent, crushed all the sons born to Anakadundubhi, one after another. Out of fear, the mighty-armed Krishna was sent away at birth, and thus Govinda, the best of men, was raised among the cows.” It is said that Devaki, wife of wise Vasudeva, once had Kamsa as her charioteer when he was crown prince. Then, a divine voice resounded in the sky, witnessed by all worlds and feared by Kamsa: “O Kamsa, you drive this chariot for her for another’s purpose; her seventh pregnancy will become your death.” Disturbed and foolish upon hearing this, Kamsa rushed out, sword in hand, seeking to kill Devaki. The mighty Vasudeva, full of valor, spoke to Kamsa with friendship and affection: “No Kṣatriya is ever fit to kill a woman; I have devised a means. O joy of the Yadus, the seventh pregnancy that arises in her, I will hand over to you; do as you wish with it. All her pregnancies will be yours; I will truly deliver them to your control.” Thus, Vasudeva’s promise would not prove false. So addressed and appeased, Kamsa took Devaki, and Vasudeva, having received his wife, became joyful. Yet Kamsa, wicked and foolish, killed her sons. The sages then inquired further: “Who is this Vasudeva, and who is the illustrious Devaki? Who is Nandagopa, and who is the renowned Yashoda, who gave birth to Vishnu and who raised him?” Suta explained, “The men were from Kaśyapa, and the women from the Ādityas; then, by desire, the mighty one was raised by Devaki. That god wandered the earth, entering a human body, deluding all beings by his yogic power and magical illusion. When dharma was lost, Vishnu was born in the Vrishni clan, to establish dharma and destroy the demons.” Rukmiṇī was brought as a bride, as were Satyā, the daughter of Nagnajit, Satrājitī, Satyabhāmā, Jāmbavatī, and Rohiṇī. Also Śaibyā, Sudevī, Mādrī, Suśīlā, Kālindī, Mitravindā, Lakṣmaṇā, and Jālavāsinī. In this way, sixteen thousand divine women, and fourteen groups of celestial nymphs in heaven, were specially sent by the gods and Indra. For the sake of wives for Vāsudeva, they were born in royal palaces; these illustrious wives of Viṃṣvaksena are renowned throughout the worlds.