Shloka 39
अजुष्टग्राम्यविषयावनपत्यौ च दम्पती । न वव्राथेऽपवगन मे मोहितौ देवमायया ॥ ३९ ॥
ajuṣṭa-grāmya-viṣayāv anapatyau ca dam-patī na vavrāthe ’pavargaṁ me mohitau deva-māyayā
Though husband and wife yet always without a child, under the influence of devamāyā you longed to have Me as your son; therefore you never desired liberation from this world.
Vasudeva and Devakī had been dam-patī, husband and wife, since the time of Sutapā and Pṛśni, and they wanted to remain husband and wife in order to have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son. This attachment came about by the influence of devamāyā. Loving Kṛṣṇa as one’s son is a Vedic principle. Vasudeva and Devakī never desired anything but to have the Lord as their son, yet for this purpose they apparently wanted to live like ordinary gṛhasthas for sexual indulgence. Although this was a transaction of spiritual potency, their desire appears like attachment for sex in conjugal life. If one wants to return home, back to Godhead, one must give up such desires. This is possible only when one develops intense love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said:
FAQs
This verse shows that even a restrained, non-sensual life (not indulging in worldly pleasures) does not automatically mean one seeks liberation; without awakened spiritual intent, one can still remain under divine māyā.
In the Krishna-birth narrative, the Lord highlights that their focus was shaped by His māyā and His plan for His descent—so their austerity and purity did not culminate in asking for mokṣa, but aligned with His līlā.
External discipline alone is not the goal; one should pair a clean life with conscious spiritual aspiration—seeking devotion and true freedom from bondage rather than only “being good” or merely avoiding pleasures.