Shloka 23
Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent
Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear
वसुदेवगृहे साक्षाद् भगवान्पुरुष: पर: । जनिष्यते तत्प्रियार्थं सम्भवन्तु सुरस्त्रिय: ॥ २३ ॥
vasudeva-gṛhe sākṣād bhagavān puruṣaḥ paraḥ janiṣyate tat-priyārthaṁ sambhavantu sura-striyaḥ
In the house of Vasudeva, the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, will personally take birth; therefore, to please Him, the wives of the demigods should also descend and appear.
In Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) the Lord says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti: after giving up the material body, the devotee of the Lord returns home, back to Godhead. This means that the devotee is first transferred to the particular universe where the Lord is at that time staying to exhibit His pastimes. There are innumerable universes, and the Lord is appearing in one of these universes at every moment. Therefore His pastimes are called nitya-līlā, eternal pastimes. The Lord’s appearance as a child in the house of Devakī takes place continuously in one universe after another. Therefore, the devotee is first transferred to that particular universe where the pastimes of the Lord are current. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, even if a devotee does not complete the course of devotional service, he enjoys the happiness of the heavenly planets, where the most pious people dwell, and then takes birth in the house of a śuci or śrīmān, a pious brāhmaṇa or a wealthy vaiśya ( śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo ’bhijāyate ). Thus a pure devotee, even if unable to execute devotional service completely, is transferred to the upper planetary system, where pious people reside. From there, if his devotional service is complete, such a devotee is transferred to the place where the Lord’s pastimes are going on. Herein it is said, sambhavantu sura-striyaḥ. Sura-strī, the women of the heavenly planets, were thus ordered to appear in the Yadu dynasty in Vṛndāvana to enrich the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. These sura-strī, when further trained to live with Kṛṣṇa, would be transferred to the original Goloka Vṛndāvana. During Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes within this world, the sura-strī were to appear in different ways in different families to give pleasure to the Lord, just so that they would be fully trained before going to the eternal Goloka Vṛndāvana. With the association of Lord Kṛṣṇa, either at Dvārakā-purī, Mathurā-purī or Vṛndāvana, they would certainly return home, back to Godhead. Among the sura-strī, the women of the heavenly planets, there are many devotees, such as the mother of the Upendra incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. It was such devoted women who were called for in this connection.
FAQs
This verse states that the Supreme Lord Himself will directly take birth in Vasudeva’s home, indicating a personal divine descent to accomplish His loving purpose.
Because the Lord’s earthly pastimes require devoted associates; the demigods’ wives are requested to descend to assist and participate in His līlā, serving His dear plan.
Recognize that divine purposes are supported by sincere service and cooperation; cultivate devotion by aligning one’s actions with service to God and His devotees.