Chapter 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb

(1-2) S'rî S'uka said: 'Under the protection of the mighty king of Maghada, Jarâsandha [see 9.22: 8], there was with the assistance of characters like Pralamba, Baka, Cânûra, Trinâvarta, Aghâsura, Mushthika, Arishtha, Dvivida, Pûtanâ, Kes'î, Dhenuka and Asura kings like Bâna, Bhaumâsura and more of those, a systematic persecution of the kings of Yadu. (3) Being harassed they sought shelter in the countries of the Kurus, the Pañcâlas, the Kekayas, the S'âlvas, the Vidharbas, the Nishadhas, the Videhas and the Kos'alas. (4-5) Some of their relatives though followed the policy of the son of Ugrasena [Kamsa]. When Kamsa had killed six of the children born from Devakî, the seventh one, a plenary expansion of Vishnu who was celebrated with the name Ananta, therefore as an embryo in the womb of Devakî gave rise to both pleasure and sorrow. (6) When the Supreme Lord who is also the Supersoul of each living being [see also B.G. 10: 11], learned about the fear for Kamsa of the Yadus who had accepted Him as their refuge, He instructed His spiritual potency [Yoga-mâyâ] as follows: (7) 'Oh Devî so good for all living beings, please go to Vraja, that beautiful place with her cowherds and cows, where Rohinî and the other wives of Vasudeva in seclusion, out of fear for Kamsa, are living in the cowherd community [the gokula] of Nanda. (8) In the womb of Devakî there is the embryo known as [Ananta-]S'esha who is a plenary expansion of Me. Take care of a smooth transition from her womb to the womb of Rohinî [*]. (9) At that time I with all My different parts [with My full potency] will become Devakî's son oh all-auspicious one. Meanwhile you will appear as the daughter of Yas'odâ, the wife of Nanda. (10) The people [the s'âktas as opposed to the Vaishnavas] will worship you with incense in different forms of sacrifice as being the best Goddess for all desires, for you with bestowing your blessings fulfill every wish. (11-12) Depending on the place on earth [**] you will be celebrated with different names like Durgâ, Bhadrakâli, Vijayâ, Vaishnavî, Kumudâ, Candikâ, Krishnâ, Mâdhavî, Kanyakâ [or Kanyâ-kumârî], Mâyâ, Nârâyanî, Îs'ânî, S'âradâ and Ambikâ [***]. (13) Because He changes wombs [from Devakī to the womb of Rohinī] the people of the world will address Him with the name Sankarshana, because He brings pleasure to the people [of Gokula] He will be called Râma and because of His great physical strength He will be named Balabhadra.'

(14) Thus being instructed by the Supreme Lord she accepted His words with the mantra 'Om'. After next circumambulating Him she went away to execute exactly what was told [compare B.G. 16: 24]. (15) When Devakî's embryo owing to the slumber of yoga [raised by Yoga-mâyâ, see B.G. 2: 69] was transferred to Rohinî, everyone lamented: 'Alas, the baby is lost' [thinking it was a miscarriage]. (16) The Supreme Lord, the Soul of All who always puts an end to the fear of His devotees, then with His full potency entered the mind of Vasudeva [see also 3.2: 15]. (17) Carrying [within] the effulgent shelter of the Original Personality, Vasudeva shone like the sun and thus for everyone became difficult to behold or approach. (18) He, the Blessing of the Complete Universe who is Infallible in All His Parts, was thereafter by the son of S'ûrasena [Vasudeva] in full transferred from mind to mind to his devî [Devakî] so that she, preserving the Supreme Soul and Cause of all Causes, bloomed of happiness like the eastern sky. (19) Devakî with in her womb the Sustainer of All the Universes, could, being confined in the Bhoja house like the flames of a covered fire or like the knowledge of a man unable to express himself, not freely radiate her light [****]. (20) But Kamsa saw how she, radiating with the beauty of having the Invincible One within her womb, cleared the entire atmosphere with her brilliant smiles. He said to himself: 'The one who now has entered the womb of Devakî must be the Lord who is going to kill me. She never before looked like this! (21) What should I do now, not to neglect my self interest? I assume that the Example of Virtue will not give up His ways. The killing of a woman, my sister, especially when she is pregnant, will for ever tarnish my fame and opulence and will shorten my life span. (22) That person is dead being alive who lives his life with much cruelty. When the body is finished everyone will condemn him. He with his physical concept of life [see also 7.5: 30 and 5.5: 5 and B.G. 16: 18-21] certainly will enter the deepest darkness [Andhatama, see also 3.20: 18 and 5.26: 9].'

(23) Thus contemplating the ghastly idea of killing [the mother] he refrained from it and kept himself under control. Persisting in enmity he awaited the moment that the Lord would take birth. (24) Whether he sat or lied down, wherever he was, he ate, he walked or went, he [filled with hatred] thought about Hrishîkes'a, the Lord of the Senses. He meant the entire world to him. (25) But Lord Brahmâ and Lord S'iva assembled there together with the sages, Nârada and other divine personalities and their followers in order to please Him, the Strongest Man of All, with prayers: (26) 'You are the truth of the vow [see 9.24: 56 and B.G. 9: 22], the truth of the Supreme and the truth of the threefoldness [of e.g. the past, present and future]. You are the source of all truth who pervades all truths, You are the truth of everything that is held true, the original truth of each truth that meets the eye and the truth of all that pertains to the Supreme Soul of You whom we offer our full surrender. (27) The original tree [of this universe, our body], in which one finds two birds [the soul and the Supersoul], is one in its dependence [on matter], is two in its fruits [of happiness and grief], is three in its roots [the three modes], is four in its tastes [the purushârthas, the civil virtues], is five in its knowing [by the senses], is six in its conditions [of lamentation, illusion, old age, death, hunger and thirst], is seven in its layers ['the bark' or the koshas, the different bodies], is eight in its branches [the elements, mind, intelligence and ego], is nine in its apertures and is ten in its foliage [or the ten airs, see 7.15: 42]. (28) You as the One and All are the Original Source of this visible universe [this tree]. You are the mercy [the conservation] when we are thrown in despair [meet destruction]. Those whose intelligence is covered by Your mâyâ and miss the vision of the devotees and scholars, cannot see You behind the diversity. (29) For the sake of every living being, moving or not moving, You watch over the soul and beatitude in assuming all sorts of forms consisting of pure goodness that bring transcendental happiness to the virtuous ones and time and again put an end to those who are wicked. (30) Fully engaged in a constant meditation upon You as the abode of the complete consciousness oh Lotus-eyed Lord, by that one-pointedness as practiced by the greatest one gets on board of the boat of Your lotus feet that reduces the great ocean of nescience to [the size of] a calf's hoof print [compare 10.1: 5-7]. (31) Once they personally have crossed the so difficult to pass ocean of darkness oh Light of the World, they [the experienced devotees] who because of Your mercy for the truth loving ones are full of goodwill [to help], leave behind the boat [the method] of Your lotus feet in this world [see also B.G. 6: 44]. (32) All others who neglect Your feet oh Lotus-eyed One, are caught in an illusion of being liberated and have bereft of You an impure intelligence. Even though they are successful in severe practices [of penance and such] they from their elevated position fall down again back into the material world [see also B.G. 8: 15-16 and 5.6: 11]. (33) They who follow You in devotion oh Mâdhava, unlike the non-devotees do not fall away from the path. Because they are fully attached to You they are protected by You and move without fear over the heads of those who march against them, oh Master [see also 1.5: 17 and B.G. 18: 78]. (34) For the purpose of maintaining [Your rule] Your Lordship existing beyond the modes, assumes a form for the benefit and welfare of all embodied souls, so that human society in accordance with the Veda, by [bhakti-]yoga and penance being absorbed in Your worship, may be of sacrifice [see also B.G. 3: 9 & 18: 3]. (35) How could we have arrived at Your wisdom that drives away the ignorance, if the purity of existence, oh Source of the World, would not be this constancy of You [being present]? The ignorance is completely vanquished when that quality of Yours is awakened by Your Lordship manifesting Yourself and for that there is no alternative. (36) Oh Lord on the path of the words and assumptions of those who look after the mind only [the impersonal intellect] Your name, form, qualities and actions cannot be ascertained. You are only realized when one [actually] puts Your name and form into practice [with ceremony and song; see also 1.3: 37-38, 4.18: 5, 7.15: 58 and B.G. 6: 24 & 18: 55]. (37) Constantly hearing, reciting, remembering and contemplating Your auspicious names [see 7.5: 23-24] and forms, he who is of an undivided attention in service at Your lotus feet no longer is capable of losing himself in the material world [see also 6.17: 28-31]. (38) In having this planet earth as the place of Your feet oh Lord, it is our fortune to see the Asura burden removed by You. Due to the causeless mercy of Your manifestation as the Controller of All, we may enjoy the fortune of witnessing both in heaven and on earth the marks of Your transcendentally decorated lotus feet [the conch, the lotus, the club and the disc]. (39) For You who directs our lives there exists [actually] no such thing as being born [or dying]. However, it suffers no doubt that the cause of one's being born cannot exist without the pleasure [of Your liberating pastimes]. You after all are with the being born, maintaining and dying of us normal souls - which is arranged by the external energy -  our safe haven against all fear. (40) In the form of a fish,  a horse,  a tortoise,  a lion, a boar, a swan [or self-realized sage], a king and as a man of learning among the God-fearing ones [like Lord Vâmana] Your Lordship has appeared as avatâras. Now please save us and the three worlds oh Controller, diminish the earth's burden oh best of the Yadus, we dedicate all our prayers to You [see also 1.3]. (41) [and towards Devakî they prayed:] To our fortune oh mother, the Supreme Personality with all His energies can now be seen in your womb. The Supreme Lord is full of mercy for everyone. Fear therefore never the master of the Bhojas [Kamsa] who wishes to be killed by Him, the protector of the Yadu dynasty who will become Your son.'

(42) S'rî S'uka said: 'After thus having offered their prayers unto the Original Personality whose form is Transcendental, all the demigods lead by Brahmâ and S'iva returned to their abodes.'