Indian traditions, Nivedita and Coomaraswamy
Kamsa
A heavenly voice warns Kans that his sister Devaki’s eighth son will bring about his death. He responds by killing her children and guarding the birth he most fears. When Krishna reaches Mathura, Kans sees him as Death. The tournament intended to destroy the brothers instead ends with Krishna killing the ruler, followed by funeral rites and the release of Vasudeva and Devaki.
Also known as Kans · Kaṃsa
Loading your archive…
In the sources
Principal account
TraditionalA heavenly voice warns Kans that his sister Devaki’s eighth son will bring about his death. He responds by killing her children and guarding the birth he most fears.
Further detail
TraditionalWhen Krishna reaches Mathura, Kans sees him as Death. The tournament intended to destroy the brothers instead ends with Krishna killing the ruler, followed by funeral rites and the release of Vasudeva and Devaki.
Context & interpretation
Kamsa is the familiar name for the ruler called Kans in this collection. The prophecy and tournament belong to the traditional Krishna narrative. The entry does not treat the supernatural announcement or the story’s chronology as independently verified history.
Original passages
Source 1
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
thy death will come to pass at the hand of her eighth sonOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 267
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0267
- Original scan leaf
- 267
- Recorded leaf number
- 267
- Current Reader position
- 258
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
Kans and the rakshasas thought he was Death himselfOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 291
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0291
- Original scan leaf
- 291
- Recorded leaf number
- 291
- Current Reader position
- 282
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Continue exploring
Balarama
Krishna’s brother, associated in the collection with the serpent Shesha.
Same subject and traditionArjuna
The Pandava archer whose skill and moral hesitation make him central to the Mahabharata.
Same subject and traditionBhagiratha
The royal descendant whose persistence brings Ganga to his ancestors’ ashes.
Same subject and traditionBharata
The brother who refuses to profit from Rama’s exile and waits for his return.