Shloka 46
Garga Muni Names Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma; the Butter-Thief Pastimes; Yaśodā Sees the Universe in Kṛṣṇa’s Mouth
श्रीराजोवाच नन्द: किमकरोद् ब्रह्मन्श्रेय एवं महोदयम् । यशोदा च महाभागा पपौ यस्या: स्तनं हरि: ॥ ४६ ॥
śrī-rājovāca nandaḥ kim akarod brahman śreya evaṁ mahodayam yaśodā ca mahā-bhāgā papau yasyāḥ stanaṁ hariḥ
Der König fragte: O gelehrter Brāhmaṇa, welche frommen Verdienste erwarb Nanda, und welche glückverheißenden Taten vollbrachte die hochbegnadete Yaśodā, dass Hari selbst an ihrer Brust trank und sie solche Vollkommenheit ekstatischer Bhakti-Liebe erlangten?
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.16) , catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino ’rjuna. Without sukṛti, or pious activities, no one can come to the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is approached by four kinds of pious men ( ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca ), but here we see that Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā surpassed all of them. Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja naturally inquired, “What kind of pious activities did they perform in their past lives by which they achieved such a stage of perfection?” Of course, Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā are accepted as the father and mother of Kṛṣṇa, yet mother Yaśodā was more fortunate than Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa’s father, because Nanda Mahārāja was sometimes separated from Kṛṣṇa whereas Yaśodā, Kṛṣṇa’s mother, was not separated from Kṛṣṇa at any moment. From Kṛṣṇa’s babyhood to His childhood and from His childhood to His youth, mother Yaśodā was always in association with Kṛṣṇa. Even when Kṛṣṇa was grown up, He would go to Vṛndāvana and sit on the lap of mother Yaśodā. Therefore there is no comparison to the fortune of mother Yaśodā, and Parīkṣit Mahārāja naturally inquired, yaśodā ca mahā-bhāgā.
FAQs
This verse highlights their unparalleled good fortune: Nanda attains extraordinary prosperity and Yaśodā receives the intimate service of nursing Lord Hari—signs of the highest devotional blessing.
Hearing Kṛṣṇa’s intimate Vraja pastimes, Parīkṣit wonders what spiritual merit or devotion could result in such closeness to the Supreme Lord, prompting him to ask Śukadeva for the deeper cause.
It encourages cultivating sincere, loving devotion and service—valuing intimacy with God through bhakti over worldly achievement, as true “fortune” is nearness to the Lord.