Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.1.65-66
Ūti· What drives us to actUnderstand Kṛṣṇa’s Transcendental Birth
“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.”
What the purport teaches
- Fearing that any child of Devakī might be Viṣṇu, Kaṁsa imprisoned the parents and killed their children. Nārada’s intention was that Kaṁsa’s increased sin would hasten Kṛṣṇa’s appearance to kill him.
- Lord Viṣṇu never takes birth, yet He appeared as Kṛṣṇa as though taking human birth. Kaṁsa could not kill Him; instead, Kṛṣṇa killed Kaṁsa as foretold.
- Through śāstra, one should understand the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance and activities. One who truly understands this does not take birth again in the material world but attains His eternal abode.
Try this today
Reread the purport’s final quotation and reflect for one minute on how Kṛṣṇa’s birth differs from an ordinary birth.
Ask yourself
How does this teaching change my understanding of Kṛṣṇa’s apparently human birth?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.