Shloka 38
The Appearance of Lord Viṣṇu (Kṛṣṇa) and the Divine Exchange with Yoga-māyā
तदा वां परितुष्टोऽहममुना वपुषानघे । तपसा श्रद्धया नित्यं भक्त्या च हृदि भावित: ॥ ३७ ॥ प्रादुरासं वरदराड् युवयो: कामदित्सया । व्रियतां वर इत्युक्ते मादृशो वां वृत: सुत: ॥ ३८ ॥
tadā vāṁ parituṣṭo ’ham amunā vapuṣānaghe tapasā śraddhayā nityaṁ bhaktyā ca hṛdi bhāvitaḥ
Since I am the supreme giver of boons, I appeared in this very form as Kṛṣṇa to fulfill your desire and said, “Choose a blessing.” Then you asked for a son exactly like Me.
Twelve thousand years on the celestial planets is not a very long time for those who live in the upper planetary system, although it may be very long for those who live on this planet. Sutapā was the son of Brahmā, and as we have already understood from Bhagavad-gītā (8.17) , one day of Brahmā equals many millions of years according to our calculation ( sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ ). We should be careful to understand that to get Kṛṣṇa as one’s son, one must undergo such great austerities. If we want to get the Supreme Personality of Godhead to become one of us in this material world, this requires great penance, but if we want to go back to Kṛṣṇa ( tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna ), we need only understand Him and love Him. Through love only, we can very easily go back home, back to Godhead. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore declared, premā pum-artho mahān: love of Godhead is the highest achievement for anyone.
FAQs
He says He was fully satisfied by their austerity, steady faith, and heartfelt devotion, and therefore manifested to fulfill their desire.
They chose a son like the Lord Himself—leading to the Lord’s appearance as their divine child.
It teaches that sincere devotion, steady faith, and remembrance of God in the heart—supported by disciplined living—invite divine grace and guidance.