Shloka 28
Kṛṣṇa’s Arrival at Dvārakā
Dvārakā-praveśa and Bhakta-vātsalya
प्रविष्टस्तु गृहं पित्रो: परिष्वक्त: स्वमातृभि: । ववन्दे शिरसा सप्त देवकीप्रमुखा मुदा ॥ २८ ॥
praviṣṭas tu gṛhaṁ pitroḥ pariṣvaktaḥ sva-mātṛbhiḥ vavande śirasā sapta devakī-pramukhā mudā
Setelah memasuki rumah ayahanda-Nya, para ibu yang hadir memeluk Tuhan; lalu Baginda menundukkan kepala di kaki tujuh ibu, dipimpin oleh Devakī, dan mereka pun bersukacita.
It appears that Vasudeva, the father of Lord Kṛṣṇa, had completely separate residential quarters where he lived with his eighteen wives, out of whom Śrīmatī Devakī is the real mother of Lord Kṛṣṇa. But in spite of this, all other stepmothers were equally affectionate to Him, as will be evident from the following verse. Lord Kṛṣṇa also did not distinguish His real mother from His stepmothers, and He equally offered His obeisances unto all the wives of Vasudeva present on the occasion. According to scriptures also, there are seven mothers: (1) the real mother, (2) the wife of the spiritual master, (3) the wife of a brāhmaṇa, (4) the wife of the king, (5) the cow, (6) the nurse, and (7) the earth. All of them are mothers. Even by this injunction of the śāstras, the stepmother, who is the wife of the father, is also as good as the mother because the father is also one of the spiritual masters. Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of the universe, plays the part of an ideal son just to teach others how to treat their stepmothers.
FAQs
This verse shows Krishna entering His father’s home, being embraced by His mothers, and bowing to the seven mothers headed by Devakī—teaching divine humility and perfect dharmic conduct.
Devakī is Krishna’s mother in Mathurā; the verse highlights that Krishna honored a group of seven motherly elders, with Devakī foremost among them.
By practicing gratitude and respect toward parents, teachers, and elders—expressed through humble speech, service, and honoring family relationships as part of dharma.