Bakasura (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

: बकासुर) or Vakasura is the crane

asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated ...

killed by the Hindu god

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. He was an evil friend of King Kamsa and the brother of

Putana In Hinduism, Pūtanā () is a rakshasi (demoness), who was killed by the infant-god Krishna. Putana disguises as a young, beautiful woman and tries to kill the god by breast-feeding poisoned milk; however Krishna sucks her milk as well as her l ...

and

Aghasura Aghasura (Sanskrit: अघासुर) is an asura featured in Hindu literature, most notably in the Bhagavata Purana. He was one of Kamsa's generals, and the elder brother of the demoness Putana and Bakasura. Agha is stated to be as one of t ...

. He was sent by him in the form of a huge crane to kill Krishna so that the boy would not be able to kill the king, which was seen as a prophecy of the man’s downfall. Bakasura was then killed by Krishna when the boy pushed his beak until it snapped like a twig.

Legend

One day, young

, his brother

Balarama Balarama ( Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Bala ...

and the cowherd boys (

gopas Gopa or Gop or Gope is a synonym of the Yadav ( Ahir) caste. It is generally used as a title by the Ahir caste in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal of East India and even in Terai region of Nepal. Etymology The sanskrit word Gopa, ...

) were enjoying their pastimes with their cows near the banks of the

Yamuna The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...

river, while in other accounts they were in the forests of

Gokul Gokul is a town in the Mathura district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Mathura. According to Bhagavata Purana, Krishna spent his childhood in Gokul. Geography The town has an average elevation of . Demo ...

. Bakasura, in the form of a crane with a sharp beak, swooped down from the sky and swallowed Krishna, but he felt intense heat in his throat, causing him to vomit the boy out. Krishna then caught Bakasura by the beak and pushed it until it snapped, causing the demon's life force to leave the body and attain

Moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...

(liberation), due to him being killed by the divine hands of Krishna .

References

{{commonscat, Krishna killing Vakasura Asura Characters in the Bhagavata Purana People related to Krishna Gruidae