Shishupala's Birth, Prophecy, and Krishna's Boon
A child is born with three eyes and four arms, terrifying his parents. A divine voice declares that the man who causes the extra limbs to fall will be the child's slayer. When Krishna is revealed as that man, the child's mother secures a promise that he will pardon a hundred of her son's future offences.
The child was born in Chedi with a form that inspired terror: three eyes and four arms. His first sound was not a cry but the bray of an ass. Seeing this malformed body, his parents and all their relatives were struck with fear. They resolved to abandon him.
As their hearts churned with anxiety, a voice spoke from the air, unseen.
"O king! This son will be fortunate and supreme in strength. Do not be scared. Tend to him carefully. His death will not be at your hands. The one who will kill him with weapons has also been born."
Hearing this, the mother, her affection now battling her fear, saluted the voice and begged for more. "Please tell me who will bring about my son’s death."
The voice answered. "There is one on whose lap this child will be placed. There, the extra arms will fall to the ground like five-headed snakes and the third eye will disappear. He will be the slayer."
News of the prodigy and the prophecy drew kings from every land to Chedi. The king received them with honor and tested the prophecy, placing his son on the lap of each visiting monarch. The child was placed on thousands of laps. Nothing happened.
Later, Krishna and his brother Balarama came to Chedi to visit their aunt, the queen. After the formalities, the queen herself, with particular delight, placed her son on Krishna’s lap.
Immediately, the two superfluous arms dropped away. The third eye on the forehead sank in and vanished.
The queen was seized with misery and fright. She turned to Krishna. "I am afflicted with fear. Grant me a boon. You are the refuge of the frightened."
Krishna told her, "Do not be afraid, aunt. What shall I do? I will obey your words."
She said, "Please pardon Shishupala’s transgressions."
Krishna granted the boon. "I will pardon one hundred offences of your son, even if they are offences that deserve death. Do not grieve."
This promise of pardon—one hundred life-saving exemptions—became the cause of Shishupala’s later insolence. Armed with the knowledge of his immunity, he grew bold enough to challenge even the mightiest in the assembly.