When Rama is exiled to the forest, Kausalya is inconsolable. She tries to dissuade Rama from leaving, but her pleas and tears are of no avail. Rama is determined to obey His father. But having left for the forest, Rama is anxious about His mother’s welfare, and says even the parrot she has reared is better than her son Rama. “The parrot gives warning cries, and is ready to bite anyone who it sees as an enemy. Of what use is this son of hers, who cannot comfort her or wipe away her tears?” laments Rama. Rama, therefore, had this feeling that He had not been a consolation to His mother.
In order to compensate for this, when He took the Krishna avatara, He was an obedient son to Devaki, said V.S. Karunakarachariar in a discourse. When He was born to Devaki, Krishna reminded her that He had been her son in her two previous births. This was in accordance with a boon He had granted her. She had asked the Lord that she should have a son like Him. There cannot be another like Him. He is alone, unique. Ekameva adviteeyam, says the Upanishad, indicating that there is none His equal or superior. Since the prayer was for a son like the Lord, there was no option for Him but to be born as the desired child. So, in two births, He had already fulfilled His promise.
Now in the third birth, He had appeared as Krishna. Devaki, however, dreaded Kamsa. When she saw Krishna with four hands, she begged Him to conceal two of them. From then, until the slaying of Kamsa, the Lord showed only two of his hands. Only after the killing of Kamsa did He show His other two hands also. Thus, while Rama could not obey His mother Kausalya, Krishna did what His mother wanted, right from His birth. Thus, the regret He had as Rama was wiped off when He came as Krishna.
