SB 10.3.32 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीभगवानुवाच त्वमेव पूर्वसर्गेऽभू: पृश्न‍ि: स्वायम्भुवे सति । तदायं सुतपा नाम प्रजापतिरकल्मष: ॥ ३२ ॥

Verse text

śrī-bhagavān uvāca tvam eva pūrva-sarge ’bhūḥ pṛśniḥ svāyambhuve sati tadāyaṁ sutapā nāma prajāpatir akalmaṣaḥ

Synonyms

śrī — bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said to Devakī ; tvam — you ; eva — indeed ; pūrva — sarge — in a previous millennium ; abhūḥ — became ; pṛśniḥ — by the name Pṛśni ; svāyambhuve — the millennium of Svāyambhuva Manu ; sati — O supremely chaste ; tadā — at that time ; ayam — Vasudeva ; sutapā — Sutapā ; nāma — by the name ; prajāpatiḥ — a Prajāpati ; akalmaṣaḥ — a spotlessly pious person .

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied: My dear mother, best of the chaste, in your previous birth, in the Svāyambhuva millennium, you were known as Pṛśni, and Vasudeva, who was the most pious Prajāpati, was named Sutapā.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied: My dear mother, best of the chaste, in your previous birth, in the Svāyambhuva millennium, you were known as Pṛśni, and Vasudeva, who was the most pious Prajāpati, was named Sutapā. KB 10.3.32 On hearing the prayers of Devakī, the Lord replied, “My dear mother, in the millennium of Svāyambhuva Manu, My father Vasudeva was living as one of the Prajāpatis. His name at that time was Sutapā, and you were his wife named Pṛśni.

Purport

The Supreme Personality of Godhead made it clear that Devakī had not become His mother only now; rather, she had been His mother previously also. Kṛṣṇa is eternal, and His selection of a father and mother from among His devotees takes place eternally. Previously also, Devakī had been the Lord’s mother and Vasudeva the Lord’s father, and they were named Pṛśni and Sutapā. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears, He accepts His eternal father and mother, and they accept Kṛṣṇa as their son. This pastime takes place eternally and is therefore called nitya-līlā. Thus there was no cause for surprise or ridicule. As confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) : janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” One should try to understand the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead from Vedic authorities, not from imagination. One who follows his imaginations about the Supreme Personality of Godhead is condemned. avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mama bhūta-maheśvaram (Bg. 9.11) The Lord appears as the son of His devotee by His paraṁ bhāvam. The word bhāva refers to the stage of pure love, which has nothing to do with material transactions.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The Lord said, "O mother, not only in this birth, but in previous births I have appeared in your womb. Why are you thinking yourself so fallen? You are not an ordinary human." Thus in four verses he speaks. "During the reign of Svayambhuva you were (abhut) Prsni, O sati (Devaki). He (ayam) Vasudeva was Sutapa."

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Overjoyed by their words, he consoles his parents and praises them by explaining the cause of his appearance. Out of special affection for his mother he speaks to Devakī. Sati can mean being present (in Svāyambhūva period) or can be a vocative to Devakī. O chaste woman (sati)! As a wife you were most chaste for many lives. Vasudeva was free of attachment and hatred. Thus both were highly qualified.