By sacrifices of animals, ordinary human beings will worship you gorgeously, with various paraphernalia, because you are supreme in fulfilling the material desires of everyone.

TRANSLATION

The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, headed by Nanda Mahārāja and including his associate cowherd men and their wives, were none but denizens of the heavenly planets, O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, best of the descendants of Bharata, and so too were the descendants of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty, headed by Vasudeva, and Devakī and the other women of the dynasty of Yadu. The friends, relatives and well-wishers of both Nanda Mahārāja and Vasudeva and even those who externally appeared to be followers of Kaṁsa were all demigods.

COMMENTARY

These verses were spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, or they can be taken as the words of Nārada to Kaṁsa. When Kaṁsa gave the child back to Devakī, Nārada could see that the appearance of the Lord would be blocked. He therefore appeared to Kaṁsa at this time and spoke these words.

 

Nārada Muni came and spoke confidential words to Kaṁsa in these two verses for nine reasons: Nārada wanted to derive personal joy by seeing his Lord; to give joy to the demigods by provoking Kaṁsa to violence against the devotees and thereby hasten Lord’s advent; to accomplish the slaying of Kaṁsa for his violence to the devotees; to shower himself in the intense devotion of Vasudeva and Devakī; and get their blessings by delivering to them a confirmation of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance; to increase their eagerness to see the Lord; and to drown them in an ocean of bliss by cutting down their doubts of whether the Lord would really appear; to please Devakī and Vasudeva by making them blissful even in those circumstances of suffering; and to make Kaṁsa favorable to himself by presenting false friendship.

devatā-prāya: celestial inhabitants; means that though the demigods were born in the Yadu family, some demons were also born among them. bhārata: Kaṁsa is addressed as bhārata because bhā means desire in the mode of ignorance and rata means absorption. Kaṁsa was engrossed in enjoying in ignorance. (If it is Śukadeva speaking, bhārata refers to Parīkṣit.)

 

||10.1.64||

etat kaṁsāya bhagavāñ chaśaṁsābhyetya nāradaḥ

bhūmer bhārāyamāṇānāṁ daityānāṁ ca vadhodyamam

TRANSLATION

Once the great saint Nārada approached Kaṁsa and informed him of how the demoniac persons who were a great burden on the earth were going to be killed. Thus Kaṁsa was placed into great fear and doubt.

COMMENTARY

śaśaṁsa: inform; Nārada informed Kaṁsa how the demigods were appearing in various families.

 

||10.1.65-66||

ṛṣer vinirgame kaṁso yadūn matvā surān iti

devakyā garbha-sambhūtaṁ viṣṇuṁ ca sva-vadhaṁ prati

devakīṁ vasudevaṁ ca nigṛhya nigaḍair gṛhe

jātaṁ jātam ahan putraṁ tayor ajana-śaṅkayā

TRANSLATION

After the departure of the great saint Nārada, Kaṁsa thought that all the members of the Yadu dynasty were demigods and that any of the children born from the womb of Devakī might be Viṣṇu. Fearing his death, Kaṁsa arrested Vasudeva and Devakī and chained them with iron shackles. Suspecting each of the children to be Viṣṇu, Kaṁsa killed them one after another because of the prophecy that Viṣṇu would kill him.

COMMENTARY

Kaṁsa heard that Viṣṇu, who had been his enemy in a previous life, would now be born in the womb of Devakī and would kill him. Hearing from the mouth of Nārada, Kaṁsa believed this.

 

ajana: one who has no birth, Viṣṇu; Out of fear of Viṣṇu, Kaṁsa killed the children as soon as they were born.

 

||10.1.67||

mātaraṁ pitaraṁ bhrātṝn sarvāṁś ca suhṛdas tathā

ghnanti hy asutṛpo lubdhā rājānaḥ prāyaśo bhuvi

TRANSLATION

Kings greedy for sense gratification on this earth almost always kill their enemies indiscriminately. To satisfy their own whims, they may kill anyone, even their mothers, fathers, brothers or friends.

COMMENTARY

This was not a surprising action for evil men like Kaṁsa. That is the intention of this verse. What to speak of killing father, brothers and friends, they will kill even their own mothers. The order of seriousness is from first (mother) to last (friend).

 

||10.1.68||

ātmānam iha sañjātaṁ jānan prāg viṣṇunā hatam

mahāsuraṁ kālanemiṁ yadubhiḥ sa vyarudhyata

TRANSLATION

In his previous birth, Kaṁsa had been a great demon named Kālanemi and been killed by Viṣṇu. Upon learning this information from Nārada, Kaṁsa became envious of everyone connected with the Yadu dynasty.

COMMENTARY

Kaṁsa learned from Nārada that in his previous birth as Kālanemi he had been killed by Viṣṇu and was now reborn as Kaṁsa in Mathurā. Thus Kaṁsa made the Yadus his enemies.

 

||10.1.69||

ugrasenaṁ ca pitaraṁ yadu-bhojāndhakādhipam

svayaṁ nigṛhya bubhuje śūrasenān mahā-balaḥ

TRANSLATION

Kaṁsa, the most powerful son of Ugrasena, even imprisoned his own father, the King of the Yadu, Bhoja and Andhaka dynasties, and personally ruled the states known as Śūrasena.

COMMENTARY

śūrasena: indicates Mathurā, which is within Śūrasena. bubhuje: enjoyed; Thus the statement “He enjoyed Surasena” or that “Kaṁsa enjoyed ruling Mathurā and the surrounding lands.”

 

Thus ends the commentary on the First Chapter of the Tenth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.

 

 

Chapter Two

Prayers by the Demigods

|| 10.2.1-2 ||

śrī-śuka uvāca

pralamba-baka-cāṇūra-tṛṇāvarta-mahāśanaiḥ

muṣṭikāriṣṭa-dvivida-pūtanā-keśī-dhenukaiḥ

anyaiś cāsura-bhūpālair bāṇa-bhaumādibhir yutaḥ

yadūnāṁ kadanaṁ cakre balī māgadha-saṁśrayaḥ

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Under the protection of Magadharāja, Jarāsandha, the powerful Kaṁsa began persecuting the kings of the Yadu dynasty. In this he had the cooperation of demons like Pralamba, Baka, Cāṇūra, Tṛṇāvarta, Aghāsura, Muṣṭika, Ariṣṭa, Dvivida, Pūtanā, Keśī, Dhenuka, Bāṇāsura, Narakāsura and many other demoniac kings on the surface of the earth.

COMMENTARY

Verses 1— 3: In the second chapter, Devakī’s child is transferred to Rohiṇī by yogamāyā. Kṛṣṇa appears in Devakī’s womb and the demigods praise the Lord. Kaṁsa’s persecution of the Yadus, which was mentioned in the first chapter, is now described in detail. mahāśanaiḥ: big eater; means Aghāsura.

|| 10.2.3 ||

te pīḍitā niviviśuḥ kuru-pañcāla-kekayān

śālvān vidarbhān niṣadhān videhān kośalān api

TRANSLATION

Persecuted by the demoniac kings, the Yādavas left their own kingdom and entered various others, like those of the Kurus, Pañcālas, Kekayas, Śālvas, Vidarbhas, Niṣadhas, Videhas and Kośalas.

|| 10.2.4-5 ||

eke tam anurundhānā jñātayaḥ paryupāsate

hateṣu ṣaṭsu bāleṣu devakyā augraseninā

saptamo vaiṣṇavaṁ dhāma yam anantaṁ pracakṣate

garbho babhūva devakyā harṣa-śoka-vivardhanaḥ

TRANSLATION

Some of their relatives, however, began to follow Kaṁsa’s principles and act in his service. After Kaṁsa, the son of Ugrasena, killed the six sons of Devakī, a plenary portion of Kṛṣṇa entered her womb as her seventh child, arousing her pleasure and her lamentation. That plenary portion is celebrated by great sages as Ananta, who belongs to Kṛṣṇa’s second quadruple expansion.

COMMENTARY

paryupāsate: agree; Being eager to see the Lord, some of the Yadus such as Akrūra became cooperative with Kaṁsa and lived with him in Mathurā.

vaiṣṇavaṁ dhāma: plenary expansion of Viṣṇu; After Kaṁsa killed the first six children, the seventh appeared in Devakī’s womb. He is famous as Ananta. What is His description? Ananta is described as vaiṣṇavaṁ dhāma, which means He is an aṁśa, part of Kṛṣṇa.

harṣa-śoka: joy and lamentation; Ananta’s appearance in Devakī’s womb was a cause of jubilation, but that He would be killed by Kaṁsa was a cause of lamentation.

 

|| 10.2.6 ||

bhagavān api viśvātmā viditvā kaṁsajaṁ bhayam

yadūnāṁ nija-nāthānāṁ yogamāyāṁ samādiśat

TRANSLATION

To protect the Yadus, His personal devotees, from Kaṁsa’s attack, the Personality of Godhead, Viśvātmā, the Supreme Soul of everyone, ordered Yogamāyā as follows.

COMMENTARY

bhagavān: Kṛṣṇa, svayam bhagavān, gave orders to yogamāyā, who is the fifth of His nine spiritual energies headed by vimalā. [The nine śaktis, potencies, of the Lord are vimalā, utkarṣiṇī, jñāna, kriyā, yogamāyā, prahvī, satyā, īsānā and anugrahā.]

 

|| 10.2.7 ||

gaccha devi vrajaṁ bhadre gopa-gobhir alaṅkṛtam

rohiṇī vasudevasya bhāryāste nanda-gokule

anyāś ca kaṁsa-saṁvignā vivareṣu vasanti hi

TRANSLATION

The Lord ordered Yogamāyā: O My potency, who are worshipable for the entire world and whose nature is to bestow good fortune upon all living entities, go to Vraja, where there live many cowherd men and their wives. In that very beautiful land, where many cows reside, Rohiṇī, the wife of Vasudeva, is living at the home of Nanda Mahārāja. Other wives of Vasudeva are also living there incognito because of fear of Kaṁsa. Please go there.

COMMENTARY

After Devakī’s six children were killed, Vasudeva, seeing Rohiṇī preg-nant, sent her secretly to Nanda Gokula. Out of fear of Kaṁsa (kaṁsa saṁvignāḥ) others lived in secret places (vivareṣu)—literally caves.

|| 10.2.8 ||

devakyā jaṭhare garbhaṁ śeṣākhyaṁ dhāma māmakam

tat sannikṛṣya rohiṇyā udare sanniveśaya

TRANSLATION

Within the womb of Devakī is My partial plenary expansion known as Saṅkarṣaṇa or Śeṣa. Without difficulty, transfer Him into the womb of Rohiṇī.

COMMENTARY

dhāma māmakam: means that Baladeva is My aṁśa, plenary portion, and Śeṣa is His portion. This is shown in verses such as SB 10.65.28: rāma rāma mahā-bāho, na jāne tava vikramam, yasyaikāṁśena vidhṛtā, jagatī jagataḥ pate, “Yāmuna-devi said, ‘Rāma, Rāma, O mighty-armed one! I know nothing of Your prowess. With a single portion of Yourself You hold up the earth, O Lord of the universe.’” “Though Rohiṇī is the eternal mother of Balarāma, because of My (Kṛṣṇa) request, He appeared in Devakī’s womb first. After establishing Śeṣa, His aṁśa, there as My bed and seat, He desired to go to the womb of His own mother.”

 

How is it possible that six material children could appear first in the womb of Devakī, who is the internal spiritual energy of the transcendent Lord? Just as the material universes exist within the Supreme Lord but do not contaminate the Lord, the six children could exist within Devakī without contaminating her. This is proven in the Gītā 9.2: mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni, na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ, “All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.”

 

The conjunction of material and spiritual in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is there to illustrate the methodical nature of bhakti. While devotees perform sadhana bhakti in the form of hearing and chanting about Kṛṣṇa, they also enjoy the six material sense objects, which is a secondary effect of bhakti. At that time, the devotee cries out pitifully, “Oh Kṛṣṇa! Because of this enjoyment I will fall into the dark well of material existence.”

 

When a devotee shows fear of material enjoyment, gradually the tendency to enjoy matter subsides. Then bhakti in the form of hearing and chanting Kṛṣṇa’s names, glorifying His transcendental forms, qualities and pastimes, and serving the Lord in various ways becomes prominent. Finally Kṛṣṇa Himself, the ocean of all wonderful forms and qualities, appears within the devotee.

 

Bhakti is śuddha-sattva, pure goodness, by nature and it directly manifests the Lord. The Śruti says: bhaktir evainaṁ darśayati, “Devotion makes the Lord reveal Himself.” As it is said that Marīci appeared from the mind, he can be considered the incarnation of the mind. Marīci’s six children are the six objects of the senses: sound, touch, form, taste, smell, and thought.

 

Since Devakī possesses the power to make the Lord appear, she can be considered the incarnation of bhakti. Kaṁsa can be considered the incarnation of fear, as it is often said “out of fear of Kaṁsa.” Just as fear of the material world removes the six sense objects from the womb of bhakti, so Kaṁsa destroyed the six children of Devakī. Kṛṣṇa-prema, which is characterized by intense service to the Lord, necessarily appears in the womb of bhakti after the desire for sense objects is extinguished. Similarly, Ananta, the personified form of service to the Lord, appeared as the seventh child of Devakī. As Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself appears after prema-bhakti appears, so Bhagavān Himself appeared as the eighth child of Devakī after Śeṣa appeared.

 

|| 10.2.9 ||

athāham aṁśa-bhāgena devakyāḥ putratāṁ śubhe

prāpsyāmi tvaṁ yaśodāyāṁ nanda-patnyāṁ bhaviṣyasi

TRANSLATION

O all-auspicious Yogamāyā, I shall then appear with My full six opulences as the son of Devakī, and you will appear as the daughter of mother Yaśodā, the queen of Mahārāja Nanda.

COMMENTARY

aṁśa-bhāgena: means that knowledge, strength and other secondary qualities (aṁśa) accompany (bhaga means bhajana) the Lord so that He manifests completely. This is Śrīdhara Swami’s explanation of the words in Bhavārtha Dīpikā. He is perfect in whom all the parts (aṁśa) enter (bhajana:praveṣa which means entrance). Another meaning of the words is that aṁśa refers to Brahmā and all other servants and bhāga refers to auspiciousness. The Lord appears for the auspiciousness of Brahmā and others. These are the two meanings of Sanātana Gosvāmī in Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī.

 

Or another meaning is as follows. Bhāga means aṁśa, “I will appear in the mood of the son of Devakī as a plenary portion, partially manifesting Myself but not completely. Devakī will love Me only with aiśvarya bhāva, a loving mood of respect and majesty. Yaśodā, however, will manifest pure parental love (śuddha-vatsalya-prema) for Me, devoid of the restriction of aiśvarya.

bhaviṣyasi: “But Your Yogamāyā will simply appear from Yaśodā.” It is not mentioned that she will become the daughter of Yaśodā, though it is mentioned that Kṛṣṇa will become the son (putratāṁ) of Devakī. Yaśodā will not have affection for you as her daughter. This means that her presence in Vraja will not be noticed by anyone.

 

|| 10.2.10 ||

arciṣyanti manuṣyās tvāṁ sarva-kāma-vareśvarīm

dhūpopahāra-balibhiḥ sarva-kāma-vara-pradām

TRANSLATION