Shloka 10
Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent
Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear
व्रजे वसन् किमकरोन्मधुपुर्यां च केशव: । भ्रातरं चावधीत् कंसं मातुरद्धातदर्हणम् ॥ १० ॥
vraje vasan kim akaron madhupuryāṁ ca keśavaḥ bhrātaraṁ cāvadhīt kaṁsaṁ mātur addhātad-arhaṇam
Kṛṣṇa lived in Vraja and also in Madhupurī (Mathurā). What did Keśava do there, and why did He kill Kaṁsa, His mother’s brother? Such killing is not sanctioned by the śāstras.
One’s maternal uncle, the brother of one’s mother, is on the level of one’s father. When a maternal uncle has no son, his nephew legally inherits his property. Therefore, why did Kṛṣṇa directly kill Kaṁsa, the brother of His mother? Mahārāja Parīkṣit was very much inquisitive about the facts in this regard.
FAQs
This verse records Parikshit’s inquiry, asking Shukadeva to narrate Krishna’s Vraja pastimes and His deeds in Mathura, culminating in the slaying of Kamsa.
Parikshit wants the detailed leela and the moral context: Kamsa was Krishna’s maternal uncle, yet he was an evil aggressor who “deserved to be slain,” so Parikshit requests the full narration.
The verse highlights dharma: protect the innocent, oppose cruelty, and understand that justice—tempered by spiritual wisdom—upholds societal and spiritual order.