6 Best Krishna Stories for Kids with Morals

Last Updated on May 21, 2024

Lord Krishna is one of the most popular and revered Indian deities. It’s important to talk about him because he represents protection, tenderness, and compassion.

His life is an open book — and one with many interesting stories (with moral lessons) to tell.

Here are some of the best Krishna stories.

The birth of Lord Krishna

A tyrant ruler, Kamsa, wanted to kill babies. So every time he hears about a newborn coming, he would go to the biological parents’ house, get the newborn baby, and throw them mercilessly against a wall.

When he heard his imprisoned fellows (and Krishna’s biological parents), Devaki and Vasudeva, were anticipating a newborn, he went to their place with the same harrowing intention: throw the baby against a wall.

Fortunately, miracles happen. Before Kamsa arrived to kill, something unimaginable happened. Devaki’s baby transferred to the womb of a Hindu consort named Rohini

And by midnight, the baby was born. The baby turned out to be Krishna. 

This amazing birth is celebrated — so much so that it became an annual event known as Janmasthami. Not only is it celebrated as the birth of Krishna, but it’s also a time to remember that instance when evil tried to kill good and failed.

Moral lessons:

  • Always celebrate the good — even small moments of victory are worth celebrating.
  • The universe may conspire to have you — and while out of your control, embrace the fact that things may happen in your favor.

Krishna and his love for butter

Krishna loved to eat butter. His foster mother, Yashoda, thought his love for butter can endanger his health. So she decided to store the butter in a place where he wouldn’t be able to reach it.

But Krishna was clever. He learned where his mother hid the butter, he created a plan.

And together with his friends, he worked on building a human pyramid to serve as some sort of ladder to get to his beloved butter — and it worked!

Moral lessons:

  • If you want something, find a way to get it — it won’t just magically come to you.
  • Commit to solving your problem — it won’t go away on its own.
  • Believe in teamwork — with the help of other people, you can do things more easily and quickly.

Putana tries to take Krishna to the grave

Kamsa had a cruel longing for killing babies. One time, he contracted a demoness by the name of Putana to do the job.

So Putana went to the house where Krishna lived. She looked for Yashoda and distracted her, while she figured out a way to get to Krishna. Unfortunately, she succeeded in this part and ended up breastfeeding baby Krishna.

Instead of milk, she fed poison to Krishna. Much to her dismay, the poison did nothing to kill Krishna. What it did, however, was drain her of her life energy.

Moral lessons:

  • Don’t belittle those who look defenseless — sometimes, the innocent ones are the most powerful.
  • As the law of karma goes, bad things could happen to you — and try not to expect otherwise if you lived your life with bad intentions.

Krishna eats the universe

Lord Krishna

Before becoming the high and mighty Lord Krishna, he once was a child. 

And like any child, he loved to play. One time, together with his brother, Balarama, he thought of a unique way to have fun: play in and eat mud. That time, Krishna and Balarama spent hours playing in the mud and trying to eat it.

When Yashoda saw that Krishna and his brother had something in their mouths, she told them to spit it out. Balarama, as the obedient boy that he is, followed his mother’s orders immediately. Like he was asked, he spat out the mud in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Krishna was mischievous as ever. He ran as fast as he could and continued chewing the mud in his mouth. Luckily, Yashoda caught up to him and asked him to spit out the mud.

This time, he did what he was asked. He spat out the mud in his mouth. By then, what Yashoda saw wasn’t anything like mud. It was the universe.

Moral lessons:

  • Other people may know better — and it’s best to obey them for your sake.
  • Having an adventurous and vibrant spirit is good — but you also need a sense of balance and learn to behave.

Krishna vs. Lord Brahma

A mighty Hindu god and trinity of supreme divinity, Lord Brahma, learned of Krishna and the power and influence. He felt threatened that Lord Krishna had immense power despite still being young. So he decided to test Krishna.

He hid all the cows and calves in the city of Vrindavan — belittling what Krishna could do about it. Little did he know that Krishna knew exactly what was going on. Krishna knew that Lord Brahma was up to something.

As a response to Lord Brahma’s stunt, Krishna took the form of a calf and used his power to unhide the cows and calves in Vrindavan. It was as if nothing happened.

Krishna didn’t say a word. But from that moment on, Lord Brahma understood just how powerful Krishna is. Although didn’t ask for an apology, Lord Brahma gave it to Krishna anyway. And he swore never to test Krishna’s power again.

Moral lessons:

  • Be humble — if you feel inferior to someone, it doesn’t mean they’re automatically your enemy.
  • Never underestimate people — others may have unimaginable strengths.
  • You have nothing to prove —  it’s okay for others to be just as powerful, too.

Paradise of the cows

Krishna playing his flute

Each day, Krishna and the cows of the city would go out for a walk to the river where they would enjoy the fresh water.

One day, though, he noticed the cows began dying. He discovered it was because of the water in the river. And he found out the 10-headed serpent named Kaliya also drank water there — poisoning it.

When Krishna confronted Kaliya, Kaliya admitted that he knew the water was poison. But even though he knew the water is deadly to the cows, Kaliya insisted that he wasn’t leaving.

So Krishna, with his divine power, ended up dancing on Kaliya’s head. Kaliya got so annoyed and realized Krishna was too heavy to bear. 

As a result, Kaliya and his wife left their house near the river. From that day on, they never returned.

Moral lessons:

  • Conflicts may arise — if you don’t factor in the fact that each person has a unique perspective, you may only escalate them.
  • Solutions don’t just come — if you want situations to improve, you need to do something.
  • Walk away from a fight and just hope for peace — sometimes, it’s the kindest and most practical thing to do.

Conclusion

So these are some of the stories about Krishna. Check out The Complete Life of Krishna to learn more about him.

A reason he’s so relatable is his unique take on protecting what’s important to him. Beyond his witty and fun front, you’ll see a kind and empathetic soul.