Devaki

Devaki
Krishna and Balarama meet their parents (Painting by Raja Ravi Varma)
TextsBhagavata Purana, Mahabharata
Genealogy
ParentsDevaka/Devapa (father)
SiblingsDhrtadeva, Santideva, Upadeva, Srideva, Devaraksita, and Sahadeva (sisters)
Devavana, Upadeva, Sudeva, Devavardhana (brothers)
Subala (half-sister, wife of Vidura)
SpouseVasudeva
ChildrenBalarama and Krishna (sons)
Subhadra (step-daughter)
Sadgarbha (first six children)[a]
DynastyYaduvamsha

Devaki (Sanskrit: देवकी, IAST: Devakī) is a character in Hindu literature, most noted for being the mother of the god Krishna.[1][2] She is one of the seven daughters of Devapa or Devaka, a king of the Yadu dynasty, and has four brothers.[3] She is one of the wives of Vasudeva.[4] Her cousin is Kamsa,[5][6] the king of Mathura, a cruel tyrant who had been told by Narada that he had been an asura killed by Vishnu in his previous life (Kalanemi), exacerbating his wickedness.[7] According to popular tradition, Devaki is considered to be an incarnation of Aditi, a mother goddess who was the daughter of Daksha and the wife of Kashyapa.[8]


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  1. ^ "XV". The Vishnu Purana: Book IV. p. 438.
  2. ^ "123". The Mahabharata: Book VI. Sacred-texts.com. p. 311.
  3. ^ Mani, Vettam (1 January 2015). Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 210. ISBN 978-81-208-0597-2.
  4. ^ "XIV". The Vishnu Purana: Book IV. Sacred-texts.com. p. 435.
  5. ^ Chapple, Christopher Key (19 March 2009). The Bhagavad Gita: Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition. SUNY Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-4384-2841-3.
  6. ^ Herman, A. L. (4 May 2018). A Brief Introduction To Hinduism: Religion, Philosophy, And Ways Of Liberation. Routledge. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-429-98238-5.
  7. ^ Knapp, Stephen (2005). The Heart of kshatriya Hinduism: The Eastern Path to Freedom, Empowerment And Illumination. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-35075-9.
  8. ^ Mani, Vettam (1 January 2015). Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 210. ISBN 978-81-208-0597-2.