Devanagari
तां वीक्ष्य कंस: प्रभयाजितान्तरांविरोचयन्तीं भवनं शुचिस्मिताम्
आहैष मे प्राणहरो हरिर्गुहांध्रुवं श्रितो यन्न पुरेयमीदृशी ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
tāṁ vīkṣya kaṁsaḥ prabhayājitāntarāṁ
virocayantīṁ bhavanaṁ śuci-smitām
āhaiṣa me prāṇa-haro harir guhāṁ
dhruvaṁ śrito yan na pureyam īdṛśī
Synonyms
tām
—
her (Devakī)
;
vīkṣya
—
after seeing
;
kaṁsaḥ
—
her brother Kaṁsa
;
prabhayā
—
with the enhancement of her beauty and influence
;
ajita
—
antarām — because of keeping Ajita, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, within herself
;
virocayantīm
—
illuminating
;
bhavanam
—
the whole atmosphere of the house
;
śuci
—
smitām — smiling and brilliant
;
āha
—
said to himself
;
eṣaḥ
—
this (Supreme Person)
;
me
—
my
;
prāṇa
—
haraḥ — who will kill me
;
hariḥ
—
Lord Viṣṇu
;
guhām
—
within the womb of Devakī
;
dhruvam
—
certainly
;
śritaḥ
—
has taken shelter
;
yat
—
because
;
na
—
was not
;
purā
—
formerly
;
iyam
—
Devakī
;
īdṛśī
—
like this .
Translation
Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead was within her womb, Devakī illuminated the entire atmosphere in the place where she was confined. Seeing her jubilant, pure and smiling, Kaṁsa thought, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who is now within her, will kill me. Devakī has never before looked so brilliant and jubilant.”
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead was within her womb, Devakī illuminated the entire atmosphere in the place where she was confined. Seeing her jubilant, pure and smiling, Kaṁsa thought, "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who is now within her, will kill me. Devakī has never before looked so brilliant and jubilant."
KB 10.2.20
Kaṁsa, however, saw the transcendental beauty of his sister Devakī, and he at once concluded that the Supreme Personality of Godhead had taken shelter in her womb. She had never before looked so wonderfully beautiful. He could distinctly understand that there was something wonderful within the womb of Devakī. In this way, Kaṁsa became perturbed because he was sure that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who would kill him in the future, had now come.
Purport
The Lord says in
Bhagavad-gītā
(4.7)
:
yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya
tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham
“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself.” In this age, at the present moment, there are inordinate discrepancies in the discharge of human duties. Human life is meant for God-realization, but unfortunately the materialistic civilization is stressing only the senses of the body, not understanding the living force within the body. As clearly stated in
Bhagavad-gītā
(
dehino ’smin yathā dehe
), within the body is the body’s proprietor, the living force, which is more important. But human society has become so fallen that instead of understanding the living force within the body, people have become busy with external things. This is a discrepancy in human duties. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has taken birth or taken shelter within the womb of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Men of Kaṁsa’s class, therefore, are very much afraid and are busy trying to stop this movement, especially in the Western countries. One politician has remarked that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading like an epidemic and that if not checked immediately, within ten years it may capture governmental power. There is, of course, such potency in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. As stated by authorities (Cc.
Ādi
17.22),
kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra:
in this age, Kṛṣṇa has appeared in the Hare Kṛṣṇa
mahā-mantra.
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading like wildfire all over the world, and it will go on doing so. Men who are like Kaṁsa are very much afraid of the movement’s progress and acceptance by the younger generation, but as Kṛṣṇa could not be killed by Kaṁsa, this movement cannot be checked by men of Kaṁsa’s class. The movement will go on increasing more and more, provided the leaders of the movement remain firmly Kṛṣṇa conscious by following the regulative principles and the primary activities of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa
mantra
regularly.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Devaki, who was holding Visnu within her womb (ajitantaram) , filled the room with light. She smiled out of genuine bliss (suci smitam), not in order to deceive Kamsa as previously. Seeing her, Kamsa then addressed her. Hari can mean lion. "Like the lion who kills (pranahari) the elephant, Hari, who will take my life, has taken shelter in the womb of Devaki. Certainly this is so, because (yat) she did not appear effulgent previously (pura)."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Kaṁsa personally saw her. Her effulgence is described in Viṣṇu Purāṇa:
na śeke devakīṁ draṣṭum kaścid apy atitejasā
jājvalyamānāṁ tāṁ dṛṣṭvā manāṁsi kṣobham āyayuḥ
No one could look at Devakī because of her effulgence. Seeing her shining form they became disturbed in mind.
Because of the bliss of the Lord she had a pure (śuci) smile. It was not a deceptive smile which she previously showed. Seeing her, Kaṁsa spoke. The Lord has taken shelter of her womb or heart (gūham.) A secondary meaning is: like a snake the Lord has taken shelter of a hole out of fear of me, a lion.