Krishna and Shishupala Story

Shishupala was born to the king of the Chedi kingdom. He was an extraordinary born with four hands and three eyes. This scared his family and relatives so they decided to cast him out. However, a pronouncement from heaven was made “O king, do not fear your child but cherish him. He will grow up to be a man of great strength and power. His extra arms and eye will disappear in the lap of his killer.”

Shishupala’s parents called all their relatives and kings from around to check the prophecy. One by one the child was put in everyone’s lap. Krishna and Balrama were also invited. Queen Chedi was the paternal Aunt of Shri Krishna. When Shishupala was put in Krishna’s lap, his extra arms and eye disappeared thus confirming that Krishna would kill him. Eventually Krishna kills Shishupala. Let us learn in detail about this.

Shishupala Krishna Relation

Krishna and Shishupala were cousins as Queen Chedi was the sister of Krishna’s father, Vasudeva.

Knowing that Krishna would be the reason for her son’s death, the Queen of Chedi vowed to Krishna, her nephew, to forgive him for a hundred of his misdeeds and only kill him when he exceeds the limit, to which Krishna agreed. This news made Shishupala dislike Krishna since childhood.

Growing up Shishupala was close friends with Rukmi. Thus, Rukmi wanted his sister, Rukmini to marry Shishupala. Rukmini wasn’t in favour of this at all. Instead, she wanted to marry Krishna.

Krishna abducted Rukmini with her consent to Dwarka and married her. Neither Rukmi nor Shishupala was able to stop him. This aggravated the rivalry between Shishupala and Krishna.

Krishna and Shishupala

Shishupala in Mahabharata

In Mahabharata, Shishupala and Shri Krishna came face to face during the Rajasuya Yagya. The Pandavas organised it during the establishment of the city of Indraprastha. All the kings of Aryavarta were invited including Shishupala and Duryodhana.

Duryodhana and Shakuni were well aware of the fact that if the Pandavas completed the Yagya, they would be granted the supreme power in the entire Aryavarta. They could not stand this and wanted to obstruct the ceremony. However, they also knew that they themselves cannot cause any suspicions due to the presence of Krishna and Bhishma Pitamah, so they asked Shishupala who was sitting next to them.

Shishupala who was already looking for chances to belittle Krishna made the most of this opportunity. He began insulting Krishna, the Pandavas, and even Draupadi. He questioned the relationship between Krishna and Draupadi and commented on their characters.

Why Krishna Killed Shishupala?

Lord Krishna vowed to his aunt not to kill Shishupala for a hundred sins. However, he could not stand Shishupala maligning Draupadi. He forgot about the promise made to his aunt and immediately killed Shishupala using his Sudarshan Chakra.

Krishna kills Shishupala

Note to Parents

Growing up in a country like India with a rich heritage, one can never fall short of stories to read and learn from them. Mahabharata is one such example. Lord Krishna and his wisdom instill in us the virtues of spirituality, righteousness, and morals. Educating children on the importance of the right conduct in life begins at home. Reading about Indian mythology to your children is a step towards it.

Conclusion 

Shishupala was born in the Chedi kingdom with four arms and a third eye. However, once put in Krishna’s lap, the extra arms and eye disappeared. This also proved the prophecy that Krishna would be the killer of Shishupala. Krishna promised his aunt (Queen of the Chedi kingdom) that he would forgive him for his hundred sins. But even God has his limits. Defaming Draupadi was Shishupala’s biggest mistake which could not be forgiven and hence got him killed.