Vasudeva

Vasudeva
Vasudeva secretly exits the prison to go to Gokula, a painting by Raja Ravi Varma
Devanagariवसुदेव
Venerated inVaishnavism
TextsBhagavata Purana, Harivamsa, Vishnu Purana, Brahma Purana, Mahabharata
Genealogy
Parents
SpouseRohini, Devaki, and various other wives
ChildrenBalarama, Krishna, Subhadra, and various other children
DynastyYaduvamshaChandravamsha

Vasudeva (/ˌvʌsuˈdvə/; Sanskrit: वसुदेव [ʋɐsudéːʋɐ]), also called Anakadundubhi (anakas and dundubhis both refer to drums, after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his birth), is the father of the Hindu deities Krishna (Vāsudeva, i.e. "son of Vasudeva"), Balarama, and Subhadra. He was a king of the Vrishnis. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu.

The patronymic Vāsudeva (with a pronounced ā) is a popular name of Krishna, the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. "Vāsudeva" is a vṛddhi, a derivative of the short form "Vasudeva", a linguistic pragmatic in Sanskrit signifying "of, belonging to, descended from". "Vasudeva" as an object of worship in Hinduism usually refers to the son Vāsudeva (Krishna), rather than his father Vasudeva.