Text 18
śrī-śuka uvāca
evam abhyarthito ’dityā
kas tām āha smayann iva
aho māyā-balaṁ viṣṇoḥ
sneha-baddham idaṁ jagat
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; evam — in this way; abhyarthitaḥ — being requested; adityā — by Aditi; kaḥ — Kaśyapa Muni; tām — unto her; āha — said; smayan — smiling; iva — just like; aho — alas; māyā-balam — the influence of the illusory energy; viṣṇoḥ — of Lord Viṣṇu; sneha-baddham — influenced by this affection; idam — this; jagat — whole world.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: When Kaśyapa Muni was thus requested by Aditi, he slightly smiled. “Alas,” he said, “how powerful is the illusory energy of Lord Viṣṇu, by which the entire world is bound by affection for children!”
Kaśyapa Muni was surely sympathetic to his wife’s affliction, yet he was surprised at how the whole world is influenced by affection.