According to [[Hindu scripture]], '''Vasudeva''' ([[Devanagari]] {{lang|sa|वसुदेव}}, [[IAST]] ''{{IAST|Vasubai, Vajbai}}''), also called '''Ānakadundubhii''' ("Drum", after the sound of drums heard at the time of his birth),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Garg |first1=Gaṅgā Rām |title=Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World |date=1992 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=978-81-7022-375-7 |page=408 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WjDcd0cTFxQC&pg=PA408 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ph.D |first1=Lavanya Vemsani |title=Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names |date=2016 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-211-3 |page=297 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4fw2DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA297 |language=en}}</ref> is the father of the Hindu deities [[Krishna]] ([[Vāsudeva]], i.e. "son of Vasudeva"), [[Balarama]] and [[Subhadra]]. He was king of the [[Vrishni]]s and a [[Gopa (caste)|Gopa]]Cowherder ([[Yadava]]).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mani|first=Vettam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mvXsDwAAQBAJ&dq=kashyapa+vasudeva+cowherd+&pg=PA397|title=Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature|date=2015-01-01|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-0597-2|language=en}}</ref> prince.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Joanna Gottfried |title=Kalādarśana: American Studies in the Art of India |date=1981 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-06498-0 |page=129 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-qoeAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA129 |language=en}}</ref> Vrishni have no relation with Abhira community as '''Ramayan''' mentions [[Abhira]] as '''foreign invaders and looters'''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rajasthan (India)|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?redir_esc=y&id=hYJhAAAAIAAJ&dq=jodhpur+gazetteer&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Abhiras|title=Rajasthan [district Gazetteers].: Jodhpur|date=1979|publisher=Printed at Government Central Press|language=en}}</ref> '''. Abhiras used to loot Chnadravansh and Yaduvnash King'''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Deb|first=Indrani|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=lROgDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT173&dq=Abhira%20looted%20vrishni&pg=PT173#v=onepage&q=Abhira%20looted%20vrishni&f=false|title=Myth and the Mind: Psychological Tales of Mythological Characters|date=2019-07-02|publisher=Notion Press|isbn=978-1-64587-775-2|language=en}}</ref> '''.'''He was the son of the [[Yadava]] king [[Shurasena]]. He was also the brother (cousin) of [[Nanda Baba|Nanda]], the foster-father of Krishna.<ref name="GBook1">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9bOEAwAAQBAJ&q=nand+vasudev&pg=PA119 | title=The Greatest Farce of History | publisher=Partridge Publishing | author=Gopal Chowdhary | year=2014 | pages=119 | isbn=978-1482819250}}</ref><ref name="tkk">{{cite book|last1=Sanghi|first1=Ashwin|title=The Krishna key|date=2012|publisher=Westland|location=Chennai|isbn=9789381626689|page=Key7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-UiwMRwcT-kC&q=choudhary+yadav+ahir|access-date=9 June 2016|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Lok Nath Soni">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wT-BAAAAMAAJ&q=vasudeva | title=The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh | publisher=Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, 2000 Original from the University of Michigan | author=Lok Nath Soni | year=2000 | location=Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, Delhi | pages=16 | isbn=978-8185579573}}</ref> His sister [[Kunti]] was married to [[Pandu]]. Kunti plays a big role later in the war [[Mahabharata]]. And, his brother [[Akrura]] become Kansa's Prime Minister
The patronymic ''{{IAST|[[Vāsudeva]]}}'' (with [[vrddhi|long ''ā'']]) is a popular [[name of Krishna]], the son of Vasudeva with [[Devaki]], "Vāsudeva" in the lengthened form being a [[vṛddhi]]-derivative of the short form "Vasudeva", a type of formation very common in Sanskrit signifying "of, belonging to, descended from".<ref name="Fortson116">{{Harvcoltxt|Fortson|2004|pp=116f}}</ref> "Vasudeva" as an object of worship in Hinduism usually refers to the son {{IAST|[[Vāsudeva]]}} ([[Krishna]]), rather than his father Vasudeva.
