Birth of Sri Krishna Part II

Sri Suka said -

20. Then finding the signs of the great being in that Child born from herself Devaki, transported with wonder, afraid of Kamsa, addressed Him with this hymn of praise:

Sri Devaki said -

21. Thou - Whose form has been spoken of as the Inexpressible, Primeval, Radiance that is the Brahman, transcending all quality - all change, The pure Essence, Immaterial, Free from effort - art even Vishnu Himself, the Light of the soul.
22. At the end of the period of two parardhas, all the worlds being destroyed, as the different elements are re-absorbed into the one primary element. And the manifest re-enters the non-manifest by the power of time, Thou alone exist, whence Thou art called Ananta, the Endless.
23. Thou art the Lord of Nature; yea even Time which moulds the world, in all its divisions from the minute to the complete year, Is called Thy agent; Supreme Lord, with Thee, the Abode of safety from all fear, I seek refuge.
24. Mortals fleeing for fear of the serpent Death through all the worlds find no place of safety, But if by chance they attain Thy lotus feet that scare away death they repose in perfect security.
25. Destroyer of the fears of Thy servants, save us, living in great fear, from the terrible son of Ugrasena. Oh, let not fleshy eyes look upon this Divine form seen only in meditation!
26. May that great scoundrel never know of Thy birth from me, Slayer of the demon Madhu! Distracted by anxieties on Thy account, I am, indeed greatly afraid of Kamsa! Soul of the Universe, with-hold this transcendental Form - four armed and adorned with the beautiful conch, disc, club and lotus.
27. The Supreme Being, after the great Cataclysm easily accommodates this world in His own body, Has been born from my womb: this, alas, must also be a matter of ridicule to mortal men!

The Lord Said -

28. In your former birth, during the regime of Sayambhuba manu, thou wert called Prisni, good lady, And this sinless Vasudeva was then the prajapati, Sutapa.
29. Commanded by Brahma to procreate offspring both of you restraining all your senses, practised the highest ascetism, and enduring patiently the inclemencies of the seasons, rain, storm, scorching rays of the sun, cold, summer, heat, - Being fully cleansed of all impurities of the mind by controlling the breath, feeding on withered leaves of trees and the air, - with a mind becalmed ye engaged in worshipping Me with the object of obtaining from Me the fulfillment of your desires.
30. Lady, in this manner, both of you practised the severest tapas, Thinking only on Me, for the space of twelve thousand years of heavenly measure.
31. Thereupon having been thus meditated upon with self restraint, reverence and constant devotion of heart, being pleased with both of you, in this very Form, sinless one, I, Who am truly royal in bestowing boons, appeared before you, wishing to grant the desire of both and said, ‘Ask from Me whatever boon you desire’: when both of you asked for the boon of having a son like Myself.
32. Although you had eschewed all vulgar pleasures - but, as husband and wife, being childless You did not ask from Me the boon of emancipation overpowered by My illusory power.
33. After I was gone, thus obtaining the boon of a son like Myself, having gained what you longed for, you betook yourselves to youthful enjoyments. Finding no other persons in all the world equal to you in virtue and nobility of character, I chose to be born as your son known as Prisni-garbha (i.e born in the womb of Prisni).
34. It was also from you, as Aditi and Kasyapa, that I was born again, when I became known as Upendra and also as Bamana being of dwarfish stature; Then in this third birth also I am thus born of you again and in the same Form; My words, virtuous lady, are true.
35. I have shown you this Form in order to remind you to My first appearance at birth, As I can never be recognised by My human likeness.
36. Thinking of Me as the Brahman or loving Me as your son, only for once, both will attain the supreme goal which is Myself.

Sri Suka said -

Having spoken thus Hari became silent, and the Supreme Lord in the view of the parents forthwith became a human child.

37. Thereupon as Shauri by command of God taking up his Son prepared to go out of the lying in chamber, That very moment yoga-maya who has no birth was born of the wife of Nanda;
38. And the guards at the gates and the citizens being asleep, robbed by her of all powers of understanding. All the impassable gates whose massive folds were strongly secured by bolts and chains of iron.
39. Opened wide of themselves, as darkness before the sun, on the approach of Vasudeva carrying Krishna; Rained the slow-muttering clouds, Shesha followed with his hoods sheltering Him from the rainwater.
40. The god of rain sending down incessant showers, the river, younger sister of Yama, - frothy with the violence of the waves of her deep waters, Agitated by hundreds of fearful whirlpools, - made way, as did the ocean for the Lord of Sree.
41. Reaching the cowherd settlement of Nanda, aware that the cowherds of the place were all sleep, He placed the Boy in the bed of Yasoda and taking away her daughter returned to his room.
42. Then Vasudeva laying down the girl in the bed of Devaki, Having bound his own feet with iron chains, remained fettered as before.
43. Yasoda the wife of Nanda was aware only of the birth of her Child. But not its sex, rendered oblivious of everything by sleep due to exhaustion, that came upon her immediately after delivery.

Here ends the third chapter, entitled ‘The Appearance of Sree Krishna’, in the tenth skandha of the Mahapuranam paramahansya samhita Sree Bhagabat by Baiasiki.