Why Krishna Chose to Be the Eighth Child, Not First, Not Last
Riya Kumari | Aug 05, 2025, 13:25 IST
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
In Sanatan Dharma, nothing is arbitrary. Every event, every timing, every placement in a story is there to reveal something deeper, not just about the gods, but about us. Krishna wasn’t born first to Devaki. Nor was he the last. He was the eighth. And that’s not just a number. It’s a message. Because even God waits for the right time.
In Sanatan Dharma, nothing happens without a reason. No avatar descends by chance, no moment is random, and no detail is without cosmic significance. Even the birth order of Shri Krishna, as the eighth child of Devaki, is not incidental. It is divine design, encoded with meaning that reveals layers of dharma, karma, and cosmic justice. But why the eighth? Why not be the first, and avoid the slaughter of six innocent children? Why not arrive as the last, after the terror of Kansa had passed? The answer is not emotional, it is dharmic.
The Eight: A Number That Holds the Universe
In Hindu cosmology, numbers carry vibrations. The number eight (Ashtam) is especially significant.
Not First, Because Dharma Must Exhaust Itself
Had Krishna come first, Kansa’s atrocities would not have been revealed. Evil must expose itself before it is destroyed. As per the Bhagavata Purana, the six elder siblings of Krishna, who were killed at birth, were not merely innocent babies. They were reincarnated sons of Kalanemi, cursed by the sage Hiranyakashipu to be born and killed by their father in a future life.
Their deaths were a release from past karma. Dharma never allows random suffering. Krishna, by choosing to come after them, allowed karma to resolve itself. His delay was compassion in disguise, giving space for past wrongs to dissolve before a new divine era began.
Not Last, Because Evil Doesn’t Get the Final Word
Had Krishna been born last, it would have meant that Kansa ruled unopposed, till the very end. But Krishna arrived just before the turning point, not at the end, but at the brink of it. He came when faith was dying but not dead, when fear ruled but hadn't yet broken people entirely. He came in time, because that’s what Krishna represents.
In the Mahabharata, he says: “Sambhavami yuge yuge”, I manifest when dharma declines. Not after it is lost. Not before people feel the need for it. But at that fragile moment when the world is hanging by a thread and still worth saving.
Why Inside a Prison? Why Born to a Powerless Woman?
Devaki and Vasudev were not ordinary parents. They were chosen vessels. Born in chains, Krishna entered a world of fear, to teach us how to live freely even in bondage. He didn’t choose a palace. He chose a prison, because truth doesn’t need comfort to shine. Every moment of His arrival was symbolic:
The prison door opened not by force, but miraculously, showing that when the time of Dharma arrives, no wall can stand. The river Yamuna parted, like consciousness making way for divinity. Even Kansa, despite all his efforts, couldn’t alter a single moment of Krishna’s birth. When the Supreme Being enters the world, He doesn’t change the laws, He shows that He is beyond them, and still abides by them, to show us how to walk that same path with faith.
A Message Hidden in Time
Krishna being the eighth child is not trivia. It is code. It tells us:
Final Thought
In the Vishnu Purana, it is said:
“Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati Bharata, abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srijamyaham.”
Whenever Dharma is in decline, I manifest Myself. So remember, even in your personal life, when the first attempts fail and hope starts to die… don’t fear. The eighth is coming. Not when you expect it. But when it’s time. Because Krishna doesn’t arrive early. He arrives exactly when He’s needed most.
The Eight: A Number That Holds the Universe
Universe
( Image credit : Unsplash )
In Hindu cosmology, numbers carry vibrations. The number eight (Ashtam) is especially significant.
- Ashta Lakshmi: the eight forms of prosperity.
- Ashta Siddhis: the eight divine powers.
- Ashtanga Yoga: the eightfold path to liberation.
- Ashta Digpalas: the guardians of the eight directions.
Not First, Because Dharma Must Exhaust Itself
Krishna ji
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
Had Krishna come first, Kansa’s atrocities would not have been revealed. Evil must expose itself before it is destroyed. As per the Bhagavata Purana, the six elder siblings of Krishna, who were killed at birth, were not merely innocent babies. They were reincarnated sons of Kalanemi, cursed by the sage Hiranyakashipu to be born and killed by their father in a future life.
Their deaths were a release from past karma. Dharma never allows random suffering. Krishna, by choosing to come after them, allowed karma to resolve itself. His delay was compassion in disguise, giving space for past wrongs to dissolve before a new divine era began.
Not Last, Because Evil Doesn’t Get the Final Word
Krishna
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
Had Krishna been born last, it would have meant that Kansa ruled unopposed, till the very end. But Krishna arrived just before the turning point, not at the end, but at the brink of it. He came when faith was dying but not dead, when fear ruled but hadn't yet broken people entirely. He came in time, because that’s what Krishna represents.
In the Mahabharata, he says: “Sambhavami yuge yuge”, I manifest when dharma declines. Not after it is lost. Not before people feel the need for it. But at that fragile moment when the world is hanging by a thread and still worth saving.
Why Inside a Prison? Why Born to a Powerless Woman?
Krishna birth
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
Devaki and Vasudev were not ordinary parents. They were chosen vessels. Born in chains, Krishna entered a world of fear, to teach us how to live freely even in bondage. He didn’t choose a palace. He chose a prison, because truth doesn’t need comfort to shine. Every moment of His arrival was symbolic:
The prison door opened not by force, but miraculously, showing that when the time of Dharma arrives, no wall can stand. The river Yamuna parted, like consciousness making way for divinity. Even Kansa, despite all his efforts, couldn’t alter a single moment of Krishna’s birth. When the Supreme Being enters the world, He doesn’t change the laws, He shows that He is beyond them, and still abides by them, to show us how to walk that same path with faith.
A Message Hidden in Time
Lord Krishna
( Image credit : Unsplash )
Krishna being the eighth child is not trivia. It is code. It tells us:
- Let darkness play out, but do not despair.
- Even in the deepest night, the divine is preparing its entry.
- The number eight is where cycles break, and grace enters.
- That’s why Krishna is called Murlidhar, but also Karma-Kshaya, the one who ends the karma cycle.
Final Thought
“Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati Bharata, abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srijamyaham.”
Whenever Dharma is in decline, I manifest Myself. So remember, even in your personal life, when the first attempts fail and hope starts to die… don’t fear. The eighth is coming. Not when you expect it. But when it’s time. Because Krishna doesn’t arrive early. He arrives exactly when He’s needed most.