Status: A Retelling of the Classic Tale of Krishna

Krishna

THE ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE DARK

The babe stirred in the basket as the rain started to die down. The mist surrounding the village faded away for a brief minute and Vasudeva was able to see clearly. He was a bit surprised. At this time of the night there would usually be lamps or torches outside, as people would still be bustling about some sort of nightlife. The trio entered into the village and there was not a sound to be heard from the houses. There was darkness everywhere and it seemed almost abandoned. A slow sinking feeling grew in Vasudeva. Was this the end, was the village deserted or destroyed? Where would he hide his son? How would this all end. From the depths of village, what seemed to be at the other end a voice bellowed a command. Vasudeva followed the noise until he heard the middle of what seemed to be an announcement of some sort.
“We leave in the morning! Gather your belongings and meet back here at the crack of dawn. Anything that serves no purpose must be left behind, and anything that is dangerous must also be left behind, these are what I have been told to tell you.”
“Are weapons allowed?” asked a man from the crowd.
“If you are not part of the Village Balavaan then there are no weapons required,” replied the messenger. Vasudeva scanned the villagers to see if he could find his brother, but alas his search was met with disappointment. He had to think of another idea.
The dog grabbed Vasudeva’s pants to get his attention. The dog then pointed at a hut, it seemed refurbished but you could tell that the owners were not of the upper echelon of this village. Vasudeva approached the hut cautiously without making a sound. This would be a good idea he thought, If Kamsa found out about the child then he would send his men to sniff out all the possibilities of the child’s location. This would mean searching for Vasudeva’s brother. Switching the child with a stranger’s child would be a better option. He peered inside the window to see a sleeping mother with a child by her side. She was exhausted and almost seemed as though she was dying. Suddenly the door opened and two ladies walked out with rags of blood. Fresh blood also stained their clothes and they were very annoyed.
“Who would cry that much giving birth?”
“This Yashoda is the biggest actor in the whole kingdom.” The two kept complaining about the new mother as they left the hut. They seemed to be in a hurry to get to the announcement. Vasudeva knew that this was the opportunity to switch the children. He knew that what he was about to do would haunt him for the rest of his days. Nonetheless this was a deed that had to be done for the kingdom and all the citizens that live out their days with fear.
Vasudeva slowly opened the door of the dilapidated yet newly designed hut, to find the mother and the child side by side. He picked up his boy from the basket and then exchanged it with the mother’s child. He placed the other child in the basket and quietly started to walk away. The woman stirred and tears welled up in her eyes. Quickly, Vasudeva covered his face and started to speed up his pace to towards the exit of the hut.
“Nanda? Is that you?” the mother cried out. “Come see your child. Where are you going do you not want to see?” Something in Vasudeva stopped and he returned to hold his child.
“He’s beautiful.” Vasudeva did not know whether he would ever hold the child again. He doubted that after today he would live. He then whispered into his son’s ear a quick blessing, “grow up wise my child, may nothing harm you or stand in your path. The Gods believe that you will bring peace upon this kingdom and I believe that you will.” Before the tears rolled down Vasudeva’s cheek he picked up the other child and ran hastily through the door. The dog waited patiently outside and ran to meet Vasudeva.
“I switched the children, the other child is in the basket that I hold, please guide me back to Kamsa’s palace.” The dog barked and off they went. Vasudeva on the way picked up the child from out the basket and held it in his arms. She was a gorgeous little girl. Vasudeva knew that the extent of her beauty would never be shown to the world.
“I am sorry child, this was my fault, and I chose to go along with the plan of the Gods for I still believe in those ways. If you were born any other day this fate would not have befell on your life.” The child’s eyes were transfixed on Vasudeva as he went on talking.
“I know you do not understand me or about the philosophy of these actions. If there is a way that you can forgive me, I pray that you will at the eve of your life.” The little girl smiled and Vasudeva felt a spark of relief. He knew that relief would subside as he made his way closer and closer to the palace.