Shloka 5
The Lord’s Advent: Yoga-māyā’s Mission, Saṅkarṣaṇa’s Transfer, and the Demigods’ Prayers
एके तमनुरुन्धाना ज्ञातय: पर्युपासते । हतेषु षट्सु बालेषु देवक्या औग्रसेनिना ॥ ४ ॥ सप्तमो वैष्णवं धाम यमनन्तं प्रचक्षते । गर्भो बभूव देवक्या हर्षशोकविवर्धन: ॥ ५ ॥
eke tam anurundhānā jñātayaḥ paryupāsate hateṣu ṣaṭsu bāleṣu devakyā augraseninā
Setelah enam anak Devakī dibunuh oleh Kaṁsa, tampaklah kehamilan ketujuh dalam rahim Devakī, yang disebut dhāma Vaiṣṇava Ananta (Śeṣa). Kehamilan itu menambah sukacita dan duka Devakī sekaligus.
Some of the chief devotees, such as Akrūra, stayed with Kaṁsa to satisfy him. This they did for various purposes. They all expected the Supreme Personality of Godhead to appear as the eighth child as soon as Devakī’s other children were killed by Kaṁsa, and they were eagerly awaiting His appearance. By remaining in Kaṁsa’s association, they would be able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead take birth and display His childhood pastimes, and Akrūra would later go to Vṛndāvana to bring Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to Mathurā. The word paryupāsate is significant because it indicates that some devotees wanted to stay near Kaṁsa in order to see all these pastimes of the Lord. The six children killed by Kaṁsa had formerly been sons of Marīci, but because of having been cursed by a brāhmaṇa, they were obliged to take birth as grandsons of Hiraṇyakaśipu. Kaṁsa had taken birth as Kālanemi, and now he was obliged to kill his own sons. This was a mystery. As soon as the sons of Devakī were killed, they would return to their original place. The devotees wanted to see this also. Generally speaking, no one kills his own nephews, but Kaṁsa was so cruel that he did so without hesitation. Ananta, Saṅkarṣaṇa, belongs to the second catur-vyūha, or quadruple expansion. This is the opinion of experienced commentators.
FAQs
Because Kaṁsa feared the prophecy that Devakī’s child would be his destroyer, he murdered her newborns one by one.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates these events to King Parīkṣit.
Even amid fear and oppression, devotees and well-wishers support dharma through protection, vigilance, and faithful endurance while trusting the Lord’s plan.