Vasudeva

{{Infobox deity | Devanagari = वसुदेव | type = Hindu | image = | caption = Vasudeva carrying the newborn Krishna to Nanda's house in Gokula across the river Yamuna | spouse = Rohini, Devaki, and various other wives | children = Balarama, Krishna, Subhadra, and various other children | father = | mother = | dynasty = Yaduvamsha-Chandravamsha | texts = Bhagavata Purana, Harivamsa, Vishnu Purana, Brahma Purana, Mahabharata| | venerated_in = Vaishnavism }} According to Hindu scriptures, Vasudeva (Sanskrit: वसुदेव, IAST: Vasudeva), 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, and a Yadava prince. The son of the Yadava king Shurasena, he was also the cousin of Nanda, the foster-father of Krishna. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu. The patronymic (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 (Krishna), rather than his father Vasudeva. Family Vasudeva was born to the Yadava king Shurasena in the Surasena kingdom. Vasudeva had many brothers such as Devashrava and Devabhaga, and sisters such as Kunti (mother of the Pandavas), Shrutasravas (mother of Shishupala), and others. According to the Harivamsa Purana, Vasudeva and Nanda, the Kshatriya chief of Gokula, were brothers or cousins.