Shloka 32
श्रीभगवानुवाच त्वमेव पूर्वसर्गेऽभू: पृश्नि: स्वायम्भुवे सति । तदायं सुतपा नाम प्रजापतिरकल्मष: ॥ ३२ ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca tvam eva pūrva-sarge ’bhūḥ pṛśniḥ svāyambhuve sati tadāyaṁ sutapā nāma prajāpatir akalmaṣaḥ
The Supreme Lord said: “O chaste mother, in the former creation during the Svāyambhuva manvantara you were known as Pṛśni, and this Vasudeva was then the spotless Prajāpati named Sutapā.”
The Supreme Personality of Godhead made it clear that Devakī had not become His mother only now; rather, she had been His mother previously also. Kṛṣṇa is eternal, and His selection of a father and mother from among His devotees takes place eternally. Previously also, Devakī had been the Lord’s mother and Vasudeva the Lord’s father, and they were named Pṛśni and Sutapā. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears, He accepts His eternal father and mother, and they accept Kṛṣṇa as their son. This pastime takes place eternally and is therefore called nitya-līlā. Thus there was no cause for surprise or ridicule. As confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) :
FAQs
In this verse, the Lord reveals that Devakī was previously Pṛśni and Vasudeva was the spotless Prajāpati named Sutapā in an earlier creation during Svāyambhuva Manu’s time.
He reminds them of their prior identities to show the continuity of their devotion and His relationship with them across creations, grounding the present birth pastime in a longer divine history.
The shloka teaches that sincere purity and devotion are never lost—spiritual effort carries forward, and the Lord reciprocates with His grace over time.