Yashoda

Yashoda
Yashoda adorning Krishna by Raja Ravi Varma
Devanagari	यशोदा
Consort	Nanda

Yashoda (Yaśodā), also spelt as Yasoda, is the foster-mother to the god Krishna and a wife of Nanda in the Puranic texts of Hinduism. Within the Bhagavata Purana, it is described that Krishna who was born to Devaki, was given to Yashoda and Nanda in Gokul exchanging her daughter Yogmaya by Krishna's father Vasudeva on the night of his birth, for his protection from Devaki's brother, Kansa, the king of Mathura.

Various childhood episodes or Lilas of Krishna, growing in Yashoda's household abound in Hindu religious texts, important amongst them are, Krishna giving darshan to Yashoda with his Vishwaroopa or his Divine Form. Also it is stated by Ved Vyasa in Mahabharata, the main Epic which portrays Krishna as principal hero, that venerable sage Maharishi Narada once visited Krishna at Brindavan.

Krishna as usual was playing in sand and was swallowing it. Mother Yashoda, upon seeing it, was furious with Krishna for disobeying her and punished Krishna by tying him to a grinding stone. Upon witnessing this act a couplet broke forth Sage Narada "Enna Thavam Saidhanai, Yashoda" which in Tamil literally means: "What penance have You (Mother Yashoda) undertaken to be bestowed with the powers to punish the supreme (Narayana)". And also seen as a question to Naryana himself as to how he accepts all this. It literally means what penance Yashoda had undertaken in her previous birth to be bestowed upon with the powers to punish, love, and care for the Supreme Vishnu.