Shloka 20
Vasudeva and Devakī Glorify Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma; The Recovery of Devakī’s Six Sons from Sutala
सूतीगृहे ननु जगाद भवानजो नौ सञ्जज्ञ इत्यनुयुगं निजधर्मगुप्त्यै । नानातनूर्गगनवद् विदधज्जहासि को वेद भूम्न उरुगाय विभूतिमायाम् ॥ २० ॥
sūtī-gṛhe nanu jagāda bhavān ajo nau sañjajña ity anu-yugaṁ nija-dharma-guptyai nānā-tanūr gagana-vad vidadhaj jahāsi ko veda bhūmna uru-gāya vibhūti-māyām
Even in the maternity room You told us that You, the unborn Lord, had already been born many times as our son in former ages. To protect Your own dharma You manifested various transcendental bodies and then withdrew them, appearing and disappearing like a cloud. O all-pervading Lord, praised in mighty songs, who can fathom the mystic, bewildering power of Your opulent expansions?
Lord Kṛṣṇa was first born to Vasudeva and Devakī in their previous lives as Sutapā and Pṛśni. Later they again became His parents as Kaśyapa and Aditi. This, then, was the third time He had appeared as their son.
FAQs
This verse states that Kṛṣṇa is aja (unborn), yet He declares “I have taken birth,” showing His appearance is a divine manifestation, not forced by karma.
Vasudeva is offering reverent praise, recalling Kṛṣṇa’s words at His birth and acknowledging that the Lord appears in every age to protect dharma through His inconceivable potency.
It encourages humility and faith: rather than trying to reduce the Divine to ordinary logic, one can focus on dharma, devotion, and gratitude for the Lord’s guidance across changing times.