Shloka 43
The Appearance of Lord Viṣṇu (Kṛṣṇa) and the Divine Exchange with Yoga-māyā
तृतीयेऽस्मिन् भवेऽहं वै तेनैव वपुषाथ वाम् । जातो भूयस्तयोरेव सत्यं मे व्याहृतं सति ॥ ४३ ॥
tṛtīye ’smin bhave ’haṁ vai tenaiva vapuṣātha vām jāto bhūyas tayor eva satyaṁ me vyāhṛtaṁ sati
O supremely chaste mother, I am the same Person, and now for the third time I have appeared from you both as your son. Accept My words as truth.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead chooses a mother and father from whom to take birth again and again. The Lord took birth originally from Sutapā and Pṛśni, then from Kaśyapa and Aditi, and again from the same father and mother, Vasudeva and Devakī. “In other appearances also,” the Lord said, “I took the form of an ordinary child just to become your son so that we could reciprocate eternal love.” Jīva Gosvāmī has explained this verse in his Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha, Ninety-sixth Chapter, where he notes that in text 37 the Lord says, amunā vapuṣa, meaning “by this same form.” In other words, the Lord told Devakī, “This time I have appeared in My original form as Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that the other forms were partial expansions of the Lord’s original form, but because of the intense love developed by Pṛśni and Sutapā, the Lord appeared from Devakī and Vasudeva in His full opulence as Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In this verse the Lord confirms, “I am the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, but I appear in full opulence as Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” This is the purport of the words tenaiva vapuṣā. When the Lord mentioned the birth of Pṛśnigarbha, He did not say tenaiva vapuṣā, but He assured Devakī that in the third birth the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa had appeared, not His partial expansion. Pṛśnigarbha and Vāmana were partial expansions of Kṛṣṇa, but in this third birth Kṛṣṇa Himself appeared. This is the explanation given in Śrī Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord appears again—specifically to the same devotees—in the same divine form, reaffirming His protection and relationship with them.
After manifesting before them, Kṛṣṇa reassures Vasudeva and Devakī that His appearance is a continuation of His promise and past relationship with them, emphasizing the truthfulness of His words.
It encourages trust in divine providence and steadfast devotion—holding to truth and faith even amid fear, uncertainty, or oppression.