Shloka 62
Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent
Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear
नन्दाद्या ये व्रजे गोपा याश्चामीषां च योषित: । वृष्णयो वसुदेवाद्या देवक्याद्या यदुस्त्रिय: ॥ ६२ ॥ सर्वे वै देवताप्राया उभयोरपि भारत । ज्ञातयो बन्धुसुहृदो ये च कंसमनुव्रता: ॥ ६३ ॥
nandādyā ye vraje gopā yāś cāmīṣāṁ ca yoṣitaḥ vṛṣṇayo vasudevādyā devaky-ādyā yadu-striyaḥ
The residents of Vraja, headed by Nanda Mahārāja—the gopas and their wives—and likewise the Vṛṣṇi descendants headed by Vasudeva and Devakī, along with the women of the Yadu line, O best of the Bhāratas, were in truth celestial beings. The relatives, friends, and well-wishers of both Nanda and Vasudeva, and even those who outwardly appeared to follow Kaṁsa, were all demigods.
As previously discussed, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, informed Lord Brahmā that Lord Kṛṣṇa would personally descend to mitigate the suffering on the earth. The Lord ordered all the denizens of the heavenly planets to take birth in different families of the Yadu and Vṛṣṇi dynasties and in Vṛndāvana. Now this verse informs us that all the family and friends of the Yadu dynasty, the Vṛṣṇi dynasty, Nanda Mahārāja and the gopas descended from the heavenly planets to see the pastimes of the Lord. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.8) , the Lord’s pastimes consist of paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām — saving the devotees and killing the demons. To demonstrate these activities, the Lord called for devotees from different parts of the universe.
FAQs
Śukadeva lists the Vraja community (Nanda and the gopas with their women) and Krishna’s Mathurā lineage (the Vṛṣṇis headed by Vasudeva and the Yadu women headed by Devakī).
Because Krishna’s advent and līlā connect both spheres—His divine descent through Vasudeva–Devakī in Mathurā and His intimate upbringing and pastimes among Nanda and the Vraja-vāsīs.
It highlights that Krishna draws devotees from different backgrounds and roles—family, community, and society—uniting them through loving service and remembrance.