Shloka 20

श्रीकृष्ण-जन्म, वसुदेव-यमुनातरण, बालिका-उत्क्षेपः, देवी-प्रादुर्भावः

Devanagari script

तस्मिन् काले यशोदापि मोहिता योगनिद्रया ताम् एव कन्यां मैत्रेय प्रसूता मोहिते जने

Transliteration

tasmin kāle yaśodāpi mohitā yoganidrayā tām eva kanyāṃ maitreya prasūtā mohite jane

Translation

At that very time, Yaśodā too—deluded by the Lord’s Yoga-nidrā—gave birth, O Maitreya, to that very girl, while all the people around lay under the same divine bewilderment.

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; locative of 'that'

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; locative

• यशोदा: Yaśodā
• यशोदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यशोदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; nominative

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha/Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि = 'also'

• मोहिता: deluded
• मोहिता: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुह् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; agrees with यशोदा

• योगनिद्रया: by yogic sleep
• योगनिद्रया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगनिद्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्; instrumental; समासः—तत्पुरुष (योगस्य निद्रा)

• ताम्: her/that (girl)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्; accusative

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha/Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• कन्याम्: a girl
• कन्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्; accusative

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचनम्

• प्रसूता: having given birth
• प्रसूता: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रसू (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; 'having given birth' (intransitive sense)

• मोहिते: when (people were) deluded
• मोहिते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुह् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्; agrees with जने

• जने: among the people
• जने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; locative

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To protect the earth by removing Kaṃsa and related asuric forces, and to restore dharma through divine līlā.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Protection of the righteous and the safe advent of Bhagavān’s incarnation.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhagavān’s yoganidrā (divine māyā) governs events without diminishing His sovereignty, enabling His līlā and protection of devotees.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Cultivate trust in divine providence during uncertainty, sustaining sādhana even when outcomes seem veiled.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s śakti (māyā/yoganidrā) operates under His will, showing His immanence in causal order while He remains transcendent.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Yashoda
• Maitreya
• Yoga-nidra (Yogamaya)

FAQs

What is the significance of Yoga-nidrā (Yogamaya) in this verse of the Vishnu Purana?

Yoga-nidrā is the Lord’s divine power that veils ordinary awareness, enabling Krishna’s incarnation to proceed unhindered; here it causes Yaśodā and the surrounding people to be “mohita,” ensuring the avatāra-līlā is protected.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine agency in the Krishna birth narrative?

Parāśara frames the event as coordinated by higher power: the same Yogamaya that governs perception and circumstance aligns births and deludes onlookers, showing that the Lord’s purpose operates through cosmic sovereignty rather than chance.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when not named explicitly, the verse implies Vishnu’s supremacy: the Lord’s śakti (Yogamaya) commands minds and events, revealing the avatāra as protected and directed by the Supreme Reality, not subject to worldly constraint.