| Canto 10: The Summum Bonum | Chapter 3: The Birth of Lord Krishna |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.3.7-8
mumucur munayo devah
sumanamsi mudanvitah
jagarjur anusagaram
SYNONYMS
mumucuh -- showered; munayah -- all the great sages and saintly persons; devah -- and the demigods; sumanamsi -- very beautiful and fragrant flowers; muda anvitah -- being joyous in their attitude; mandam mandam -- very mildly; jala-dharah -- the clouds; jagarjuh -- vibrated; anusagaram -- following the vibrations of the sea waves; nisithe -- late at night; tamah-udbhute -- when it was densely dark; jayamane -- on the appearance of; janardane -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu; devakyam -- in the womb of Devaki; deva-rupinyam -- who was in the same category as the Supreme Personality of Godhead (ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhih); vishnuh -- Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Lord; sarva-guha-sayah -- who is situated in the core of everyone's heart; avirasit -- appeared; yatha -- as; pracyam disi -- in the east; induh iva -- like the full moon; pushkalah -- complete in every respect.
TRANSLATION
The demigods and great saintly persons showered flowers in a joyous mood, and clouds gathered in the sky and very mildly thundered, making sounds like those of the ocean's waves. Then the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu, who is situated in the core of everyone's heart, appeared from the heart of Devaki in the dense darkness of night, like the full moon rising on the eastern horizon, because Devaki was of the same category as Sri Krishna.
PURPORT
As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.37):
ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis
tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
This verse indicates that Krishna and His entourage are of the same spiritual potency (ananda-cinmaya-rasa). Krishna's father, His mother, His friends the cowherd boys, and the cows are all expansions of Krishna, as will be explained in the brahma-vimohana-lila. When Brahma took away Krishna's associates to test the supremacy of Lord Krishna, the Lord expanded Himself again in the forms of the many cowherd boys and calves, all of whom, as Brahma saw, were vishnu-murtis. Devaki is also an expansion of Krishna, and therefore this verse says, devakyam deva-rupinyam vishnuh sarva-guha-sayah.
At the time for the Lord's appearance, the great sages and the demigods, being pleased, began to shower flowers. At the seashore, there was the sound of mild waves, and above the sea there were clouds in the sky which began to thunder very pleasingly.
When things were adjusted like this, Lord Vishnu, who is residing within the heart of every living entity, appeared in the darkness of night as the Supreme Personality of Godhead before Devaki, who appeared as one of the demigoddesses. The appearance of Lord Vishnu at that time could be compared to the rising of the full moon in the sky on the eastern horizon. The objection may be raised that since Lord Krishna appeared on the eighth day of the waning moon, there could be no rising of the full moon. In answer to this it may be said that Lord Krishna appeared in the dynasty which is in the hierarchy of the moon; therefore, although the moon was incomplete on that night, because of the Lord's appearance in the dynasty wherein the moon is himself the original person, the moon was in an overjoyous condition, so by the grace of Krishna he could appear as a full moon. To welcome the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the waning moon became a full moon in jubilation.
Instead of deva-rupinyam, some texts of Srimad-Bhagavatam clearly say vishnu-rupinyam. In either case, the meaning is that Devaki has the same spiritual form as the Lord. The Lord is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], and Devaki is also sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Therefore no one can find any fault in the way the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, appeared from the womb of Devaki.
Those who are not in full knowledge that the appearance and disappearance of the Lord are transcendental (janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]) are sometimes surprised that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can take birth like an ordinary child. Actually, however, the Lord's birth is never ordinary. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is already situated within the core of everyone's heart as antaryami, the Supersoul. Thus because He was present in full potency in Devaki's heart, He was also able to appear outside her body.
One of the twelve great personalities is Bhishmadeva (svayambhur naradah sambhuh kumarah kapilo manuh prahlada, janako bhishmah [SB 6.3.20]). In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.9.42), Bhishma, a great authority to be followed by devotees, says that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in the core of everyone's heart, just as the sun may be on everyone's head. Yet although the sun may be on the heads of millions and millions of people, this does not mean that the sun is variously situated. Similarly, because the Supreme Personality of Godhead has inconceivable potencies, He can be within everyone's heart and yet not be situated variously. Ekatvam anupasyatah (Isopanishad 7). The Lord is one, but He can appear in everyone's heart by His inconceivable potency. Thus although the Lord was within the heart of Devaki, He appeared as her child. According to the Vishnu Purana, therefore, as quoted in the Vaishnava-toshani, the Lord appeared like the sun (anugrahasaya). The Brahma-samhita (5.35) confirms that the Lord is situated even within the atom (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). He is situated in Mathura, in Vaikuntha and in the core of the heart. Therefore one should clearly understand that He did not live like an ordinary child in the heart or the womb of Devaki. Nor did He appear like an ordinary human child, although He seemed to do so in order to bewilder asuras like Kamsa. I he asuras wrongly think that Krishna took birth like an ordinary child and passed away from this world like an ordinary man. Such asuric conceptions are rejected by persons in knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ajo 'pi sann avyayatma bhutanam isvaro 'pi san (Bg. 4.6). As stated in Bhagavad-gita, the Lord is aja, unborn, and He is the supreme controller of everything. Nonetheless, He appeared as the child of Devaki. This verse describes the inconceivable potency of the Lord, who appeared like the full moon. Understanding the special significance of the appearance of the Supreme Godhead, one should never regard Him as having taken birth like an ordinary child.
Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari