Shloka 50
Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent
Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear
प्रदाय मृत्यवे पुत्रान् मोचये कृपणामिमाम् । सुता मे यदि जायेरन् मृत्युर्वा न म्रियेत चेत् ॥ ४९ ॥ विपर्ययो वा किं न स्याद् गतिर्धातुर्दुरत्यया । उपस्थितो निवर्तेत निवृत्त: पुनरापतेत् ॥ ५० ॥
pradāya mṛtyave putrān mocaye kṛpaṇām imām sutā me yadi jāyeran mṛtyur vā na mriyeta cet
Vasudeva reflected: By handing over my sons to Kaṁsa, who is like death embodied, I shall save the helpless Devakī. Perhaps my sons will not be born, or Kaṁsa may die first; or, by the inscrutable course of destiny, one of my sons may slay him. For now I will promise to deliver my sons so that this immediate threat subsides, and when in time Kaṁsa dies, I shall have nothing to fear.
Vasudeva wanted to save the life of Devakī by promising to deliver his sons to Kaṁsa. “In the future,” he thought, “Kaṁsa may die, or I may not beget any sons. Even if a son is born and I deliver him to Kaṁsa, Kaṁsa may die at his hands, for by providence anything could happen. It is very difficult to understand how things are managed by providence.” Thus Vasudeva decided that he would promise to deliver his sons to the hands of Kaṁsa in order to save Devakī from the imminent danger of death.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord’s dispensation is difficult to overcome—events can reverse unexpectedly: what has arrived may withdraw, and what has ceased may return—so one should recognize a higher divine arrangement beyond human control.
Devakī, pleading for compassion and reasoning with Kaṁsa, points out that outcomes are not fixed by human certainty; since divine providence can reverse situations, Kaṁsa should not commit cruel acts based on fear-driven predictions.
When anxiety insists that only one negative outcome is possible, remember that life can turn unexpectedly; act righteously, avoid harmful choices made from fear, and place trust in the higher order while doing your duty.