Aadhi raat thi. Baahar muslaadhaar baarish. Andar kaal-kothri ka andhera. Aur us andhere mein ek roshni phail gayi.
Mathura par Kamsa ka raaj tha — ek kroor raja jisne sinhaasan ke liye apne hi pita Ugrasen ko kaid mein daal diya tha. Apni behen Devaki ki shaadi ke din, jab woh garv se uska rath haank raha tha, aakaash se awaaz garji — 'O moorkh Kamsa! Is Devaki ka aathvaan putr teri maut banega.' Kamsa ki khushi dar mein badal gayi. Usne talwaar nikaal li — Devaki ko wahin maar dega. Lekin Vasudeva ne bheekh maangi. Vaada kiya — apna har baccha tumhe saunp dunga.
Kamsa maan gaya. Lekin dono ko andheri kothri mein daal diya. Lohe ki zanjeerein. Dwaar par aise pehredaar jo palak tak na jhapkaate the. Ek-ek karke Devaki ke chhah bete hue. Ek-ek karke Kamsa ne unhe apne haathon se maar diya. (Sochiye — ek maa, chhah baar. Us dard ka andaaza laga sakte hain aap?) Saatvaan baccha — Balaram — chamatkaari roop se Rohini ke garbh mein sthaanaantarit ho gaya. Vasudeva ki doosri patni, Gokul mein surakshit. Aur phir aathvaan baccha garbh mein aaya. Poora brahmaand saans roke dekhne laga.
Sawan maah ke krishna paksh ki aathvi raat. Theek aadhi raat. Kaal-kothri mein tejasvi roshni bhar gayi. Devaki ne ek saawle bacche ko janm diya — kamal ki pankhudiyon jaisi aankhon waala. Vasudeva aur Devaki ne haath jod liye. Woh jaante the — yeh aam baccha nahi hai.
Us pal bacche ne apna divya roop dikhaya — chaar bhujaon mein shankh, chakra, gada, kamal liye Vishnu ka tejasvi swaroop. Kothri ka andhera chhant gaya. Devaki-Vasudev ki aankhon se aansu behne lage. Phir unhone vinati ki — 'Prabhu, Kamsa ko pata chal gaya to woh aapko jeene nahi dega. Kripya ek saadharan shishu ban jaaiye.' Bhagwan muskuraaye. Turant ek nanhe, ghughraale baalon waale shishu mein badal gaye. Jaise aakaash ka chaand zameen par utar aaya ho.
Phir chamatkaar shuru hue. Zanjeerein gir gayi. Darwaaze apne aap khul gaye. Pehredar gehri neend mein so gaye. Ek awaaz ne nirdesh diya — bacche ko Gokul le jao. Yamuna paar. Mitra Nand ke ghar. Uski patni Yashoda ne abhi-abhi ek beti ko janm diya hai. Bacchon ki adla-badli kar do. Jaldi karo.
Vasudeva ne navjaat ko tokri mein rakha. Toofaan mein baahar nikal pada. Yamuna ubaal kha rahi thi — lekin jaise hi woh paani mein utra, nadi ne raasta de diya. Mahaan naag Shesh ne apne phan tokri ke upar chhaata ki tarah phaila diye. Doosri taraf Gokul mein sab so rahe the. Adla-badli hui. Vasudeva bhor se pehle wapas daud aaya. Kisi ko pata nahi chala.
Jab Kamsa aathve bacche ko maarne aaya, use ek nanha ladki mili — Yogamaya. Jab usne use patthar par patakne ke liye uthaaya, woh uske haathon se phisal kar aakaash mein uth gayi. Hansi — 'Moorkh! Tera maarne waala pehle hi janm le chuka hai. Aur kahin badh raha hai.' Phir gayab. Kamsa ka dar aur badh gaya. Usne har navjaat ko maarne daitya bhej diye. Lekin Gokul ka baccha — Yashoda dwara bete ke roop mein paala gaya — pehle hi uski pahunch se baahar tha.
Gokul mein Yashoda ne jab us nanhe mehmaan ko dekha, unka dil khushi se bhar gaya. Nand baba ne dhol bajwa diye. Gwaalon ne dahi-makkhan lutaaya. Wahi anand aaj Nandotsav ke roop mein manaya jaata hai.
Woh aadhi raat har saal Janmashtami ke roop mein manayi jaati hai — vrat, bhajan, aur theek baarah baje dahi haandi. Yeh katha Bharat ke har bacche ko bataati hai — jab andhera poora lagta hai aur har darwaaza band hai, to aasha pehle hi raaste mein hoti hai. Tokri mein chupchaap nadi paar karti hui.
Us raat Yamuna ko yaad karo — ubaal khaati, kaali, bijli se chamakti. Aur usmein utarta ek pita — tokri sir par, usmein poori duniya ka bhavishya. Har kadam par paani raasta deta gaya. Upar Shesh ke phan — baarish ki ek boond bhi bacche ko chhoo na saki. Kehte hain, nadi ne us raat apna seena cheer diya tha — taaki dharm paar ho sake.
Aaj bhi Janmashtami ki aadhi raat ko jab mandiron mein shankh bajta hai, to wahi raat laut aati hai. Andhera, baarish — aur ek tokri mein chhupi ummeed.
Is katha ke paatra
- Krishna
- Devaki
- Vasudeva
- Kamsa
- Yashoda
- Nanda
- Yogamaya
