Character

Kamsa

कंसKaṃsa

verses
711
books
21
chapters
190
Slain by
Krishna

What the texts say

In the Bhagavata Purana, Kamsa is a powerful son of Ugrasena, king of the Yadus, who imprisoned his father and ruled the Shurasena lands himself. Bhagavatam 9.24.24, 10.1.69 The Vishnu Purana says he was once the asura Kalanemi, born again to oppose dharma. Vishnu Purana 5.1.23 In the Devi Bhagavatam, Kamsa is told that Devaki's eighth son will be his slayer. Devi Bhagavatam 4.20.64 The Bhagavata Purana also foresees King Kamsa dying at the hand of Krishna, the Lord. Bhagavatam 10.37.15 It adds that Kamsa, always troubled by the thought of the Lord killing him, saw Him before him and attained a form like His. Bhagavatam 10.44.39

Where to read

Every verse that names Kamsa, book by book.

  1. Bhagavatam

    220 verses · 37 chapters

    All 220 verses in the Bhagavatam
    • 10.4.2

      Thereafter, all the watchmen very quickly approached King Kaṁsa, the ruler of the Bhoja dynasty, and submitted the news of the birth of Devakī’s child. Kaṁsa, who had awaited this news very anxiously, immediately took action.

    • 10.1.10

      Lord Kṛṣṇa lived both in Vṛndāvana and in Mathurā. What did He do there? Why did He kill Kaṁsa, His mother’s brother? Such killing is not at all sanctioned in the śāstras.

    • 10.44.30

      Everyone except Kaṁsa rejoiced at the wonderful feat Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma had performed. The exalted brāhmaṇas and great saints exclaimed, “Excellent! Excellent!”

  2. Devi Bhagavatam

    91 verses · 13 chapters

    All 91 verses in the Devi Bhagavatam
    • 4.23.1

      (Yogamaya's words to Kamsa) Vyasa said: When the six sons of Devaki had been killed by the son of Ugrasena (Kamsa), and the seventh embryo had miscarried (been transferred), according to the words of Narada...

    • 4.21.1

      Description of Kamsa killing Devaki's first son. Vyasa said: Then, as time passed, the divine-formed Devaki, united with Vasudeva according to rites, conceived a child.

    • 4.1.3

      He was worthy of worship even by the gods and was known by the name Anakadundubhi. Why was he, who was devoted to dharma, imprisoned in the jail of Kamsa?

  3. Vishnu Purana

    78 verses · 14 chapters

    All 78 verses in the Vishnu Purana
    • 5.20.4

      Beloved, how do you not know her—she who has been commissioned by Kaṁsa, renowned as ‘Naikavakrā,’ and skilled in the art of anointing and cosmetic adornment?

    • 5.1.6

      Then Kaṃsa himself, acting as their charioteer, set that splendid chariot in motion—celebrating the marriage-union of Vasudeva and Devakī, the increaser of the Bhoja line—unaware that this very journey was being drawn into the sovereign…

    • 5.15.3

      Nārada then recounted to Kaṁsa, in due sequence and exactly as it had occurred, the entire course of events—beginning with the exchange of the infants in the wombs of Yaśodā and Devakī—leaving nothing untold.

  4. Padma Purana

    74 verses · 17 chapters

    All 74 verses in the Padma Purana
    • 6.245.6

      Ugrasena’s son was Kaṃsa—heroic and exceedingly strong. There, the charioteer urged on their excellent chariot.

    • 4.13.12

      In former times, the Earth indeed was oppressed by kings such as Kaṃsa, and she was struck by Kaṃsa’s messenger, intoxicated with his own authority.

    • 1.6.59

      O king, Kaṁsa and Śaṅkha, Nala and Vātāpi; Ilvala and Namuci, as well as Khasṛma and Añjana—(these are the ones being listed).

Also named in

Key chapters

The chapters where Kamsa matters most.

  1. Yoga-māyā Appears as Durgā; Kaṁsa’s Repentance and the Demonic Policy of Persecuting Vaiṣṇavas

    Bhagavatam 10.4 · 36 verses

    Antagonist whose fear of fate produces violence, momentary…

  2. Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent (Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear)

    Bhagavatam 10.1 · 29 verses

    The fear-driven tyrant whose adharma intensifies the world’s…

  3. The Killing of Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, and Kaṁsa; Liberation and Restoration of Dharma in Mathurā

    Bhagavatam 10.44 · 16 verses

    Tyrant who weaponizes spectacle and state power

  4. The Lord’s Advent: Yoga-māyā’s Mission, Saṅkarṣaṇa’s Transfer, and the Demigods’ Prayers

    Bhagavatam 10.2 · 14 verses

    Embodies hostile absorption and political paranoia

  5. Kamsaṃ Prati Yogamāyāvākyam

    Devi Bhagavatam 4.23 · 24 verses

  6. The Killing of Ariṣṭāsura and Kaṁsa’s Plot to Summon Kṛṣṇa

    Bhagavatam 10.36 · 21 verses

    Tyrant whose fear-driven rāja-nīti escalates from suspicion to…

  7. The Description of the Killing of Devaki's First Son by Kamsa

    Devi Bhagavatam 4.21 · 20 verses

  8. Kṛṣṇa Slays Kuvalayāpīḍa and Enters Kaṁsa’s Wrestling Arena

    Bhagavatam 10.43 · 6 verses

    The anxious tyrant watching his own spectacle unravel

  9. The Slaying of Kaṁsa (and the Descent of Kṛṣṇa)

    Padma Purana 6.245 · 40 verses

    antagonist

  10. कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

    Vishnu Purana 5.20 · 20 verses

    प्रत्यक्षं न दृश्यते, किन्तु कुब्जायाः कर्म-प्रयोजनं तेन…

Key episodes

  1. The Birth of Krishna

    Bhagavatam 10.1-10.4

  2. Krishna Kills Kamsa

    Bhagavatam 10.43-10.44

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q2092267