Shloka 60
Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent
Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear
प्रतियातु कुमारोऽयं न ह्यस्मादस्ति मे भयम् । अष्टमाद् युवयोर्गर्भान्मृत्युर्मे विहित: किल ॥ ६० ॥
pratiyātu kumāro ’yaṁ na hy asmād asti me bhayam aṣṭamād yuvayor garbhān mṛtyur me vihitaḥ kila
O Vasudeva, take this child back and go home. I have no fear of him. My death is said to be destined by the eighth child born of you and Devakī.
FAQs
This verse states that Kaṁsa believed his death was destined to come from the eighth child born to Devakī and Vasudeva, so he claimed he had no fear of the present child.
Because he was focused on the prophecy specifically naming the eighth offspring as the cause of his death, he dismissed the current child as not being the threat.
It highlights how fear narrows intelligence: obsessing over a single anticipated danger can blind a person to broader dharmic responsibility and the unpredictable workings of providence.