Character · Bhagavatam

Devaki in the Bhagavatam

देवकीNamed in 159 verses

In this book

  1. Skandha 17
  2. Skandha 33
  3. Skandha 97
  4. Skandha 10137
  5. Skandha 115

Key chapters

The chapters where Devaki matters most.

  1. The Appearance of Lord Viṣṇu (Kṛṣṇa) and the Divine Exchange with Yoga-māyā

    Bhagavatam 10.3 · 29 verses

    Devotee-mother whose fear of Kaṁsa evokes the Lord’s…

  2. Yoga-māyā Appears as Durgā; Kaṁsa’s Repentance and the Demonic Policy of Persecuting Vaiṣṇavas

    Bhagavatam 10.4 · 15 verses

    The mother whose compassion confronts tyranny

  3. Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent (Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear)

    Bhagavatam 10.1 · 21 verses

    The mother-to-be of the avatāra whose vulnerability becomes the…

  4. The Lord’s Advent: Yoga-māyā’s Mission, Saṅkarṣaṇa’s Transfer, and the Demigods’ Prayers

    Bhagavatam 10.2 · 17 verses

    The sacred locus of the imminent avatāra

  5. Vasudeva and Devakī Glorify Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma; The Recovery of Devakī’s Six Sons from Sutala

    Bhagavatam 10.85 · 13 verses

    Devotee-mother whose sorrow becomes the narrative engine for…

  6. The Killing of Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, and Kaṁsa; Liberation and Restoration of Dharma in Mathurā

    Bhagavatam 10.44 · 3 verses

    Imprisoned mother

  7. Kṛṣṇa Comforts His Parents, Restores Ugrasena, Studies with Sāndīpani, and Returns the Guru’s Son

    Bhagavatam 10.45 · 7 verses

    Mother whose vātsalya is protected from being overwhelmed by…

  8. The Solar Eclipse at Samanta-pañcaka and the Great Reunion of Yādavas, Pāṇḍavas, and Vraja

    Bhagavatam 10.82 · 4 verses

    Honors Yaśodā and thereby validates Vraja-bhakti as superior to…

  9. The Killing of Ariṣṭāsura and Kaṁsa’s Plot to Summon Kṛṣṇa

    Bhagavatam 10.36 · 2 verses

    Mother of Kṛṣṇa, again targeted as Kaṁsa’s fear resurges

  10. Kṛṣṇa’s Arrival at Dvārakā (Dvārakā-praveśa and Bhakta-vātsalya)

    Bhagavatam 1.11 · 1 verse

    Mother honored at Kṛṣṇa’s homecoming

Key episodes

  1. The Birth of Krishna

    Bhagavatam 10.1-10.4

  2. Krishna Kills Kamsa

    Bhagavatam 10.43-10.44

Every verse that names Devaki

159 verses

  1. 1.1.12

    All blessings upon you, O Sūta Gosvāmī. You know for what purpose the Personality of Godhead appeared in the womb of Devakī as the son of Vasudeva.

  2. 1.8.21

    Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses.

  3. 1.8.23

    O Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devakī, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kaṁsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.

  4. 1.8.33

    Others say that since both Vasudeva and Devakī prayed for You, You have taken Your birth as their son. Undoubtedly You are unborn, yet You take Your birth for their welfare and to kill those who are envious of the demigods.

  5. 1.10.14

    The female relatives, whose eyes were flooded with tears out of anxiety for Kṛṣṇa, came out of the palace. They could stop their tears only with great difficulty. They feared that tears would cause misfortune at the time of departure.

  6. 1.11.28

    After entering the house of His father, He was embraced by the mothers present, and the Lord offered His obeisances unto them by placing His head at their feet. The mothers were headed by Devakī [His real mother].

  7. 1.14.27

    His seven wives, headed by Devakī, are all sisters. Are they and their sons and daughters-in-law all happy?

  8. 3.1.33

    As the Vedas are the reservoir of sacrificial purposes, so the daughter of King Devaka-bhoja conceived the Supreme Personality of Godhead in her womb, as did the mother of the demigods. Is she [Devakī] doing well?

  9. 3.2.17

    Lord Kṛṣṇa begged pardon from His parents for Their [Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma’s] inability to serve their feet, due to being away from home because of great fear of Kaṁsa. He said, “O mother, O father, please excuse Us for this inability.” All…

  10. 3.2.25

    The Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, being prayed to by Brahmā to bring welfare to the earth, was begotten by Vasudeva in the womb of his wife Devakī in the prison of the King of Bhoja.

  11. 9.24.21-23

    Punarvasu had a son and a daughter, named Āhuka and Āhukī respectively, and Āhuka had two sons, named Devaka and Ugrasena. Devaka had four sons, named Devavān, Upadeva, Sudeva and Devavardhana, and he also had seven daughters, named…

  12. 9.24.45

    Devakī, Pauravī, Rohiṇī, Bhadrā, Madirā, Rocanā, Ilā and others were all wives of Ānakadundubhi [Vasudeva]. Among them all, Devakī was the chief.

  13. 9.24.53-55

    The eight sons born of Sahadevā such as Pravara and Śruta, were exact incarnations of the eight Vasus in the heavenly planets. Vasudeva also begot eight highly qualified sons through the womb of Devakī. These included Kīrtimān, Suṣeṇa…

  14. 10.1.8

    My dear Śukadeva Gosvāmī, you have already explained that Saṅkarṣaṇa, who belongs to the second quadruple, appeared as the son of Rohiṇī named Balarāma. If Balarāma was not transferred from one body to another, how is it possible that He…

  15. 10.1.29

    Some time ago, Vasudeva, who belonged to the demigod family [or to the Śūra dynasty], married Devakī. After the marriage, he mounted his chariot to return home with his newly married wife.

  16. 10.1.30

    Kaṁsa, the son of King Ugrasena, in order to please his sister Devakī on the occasion of her marriage, took charge of the reins of the horses and became the chariot driver. He was surrounded by hundreds of golden chariots.