Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 19
Vasudeva and Devakī Glorify Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma; The Recovery of Devakī’s Six Sons from Sutala
तत्ते गतोऽस्म्यरणमद्य पदारविन्द- मापन्नसंसृतिभयापहमार्तबन्धो । एतावतालमलमिन्द्रियलालसेन मर्त्यात्मदृक् त्वयि परे यदपत्यबुद्धि: ॥ १९ ॥
tat te gato ’smy araṇam adya padāravindam āpanna-saṁsṛti-bhayāpaham ārta-bandho etāvatālam alam indriya-lālasena martyātma-dṛk tvayi pare yad apatya-buddhiḥ
Therefore, O friend of the distressed, I now take shelter of Your lotus feet—those feet that remove the fear of saṁsāra for the surrendered. Enough! Enough of craving sense pleasure; by it I mistook this mortal body for the self and even thought of You, the Supreme, as my child.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī suggests that Vasudeva condemns himself here for thinking of trying to gain special opulences because he is the father of the Supreme Lord. Thus Vasudeva contrasts himself with Nanda, the King of Vraja, who was satisfied with pure love of God and nothing else.
FAQs
This verse says that Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are the refuge that removes the fear of material existence for one who has fallen into saṁsāra.
Devakī, overwhelmed by maternal affection, had related to Kṛṣṇa as her son; here she repents that this was a “mortal” misunderstanding of His supreme, transcendental position.
She models turning from sense-craving toward śaraṇāgati—consciously placing one’s life at Kṛṣṇa’s feet and letting devotion, not indulgence, guide choices.