Text 34
pathi pragrahiṇaṁ kaṁsam
ābhāṣyāhāśarīra-vāk
asyās tvām aṣṭamo garbho
hantā yāṁ vahase ’budha
pathi — on the way; pragrahiṇam — who was managing the reins of the horses; kaṁsam — unto Kaṁsa; ābhāṣya — addressing; āha — said; a-śarīra-vāk — a voice coming from someone whose body was invisible; asyāḥ — of this girl (Devakī); tvām — you; aṣṭamaḥ — the eighth; garbhaḥ — pregnancy; hantā — killer; yām — her whom; vahase — you are carrying; abudha — you foolish rascal.
While Kaṁsa, controlling the reins of the horses, was driving the chariot along the way, an unembodied voice addressed him, “You foolish rascal, the eighth child of the woman you are carrying will kill you!”
The omen spoke of aṣṭamo garbhaḥ, referring to the eighth pregnancy, but did not clearly say whether the child was to be a son or a daughter. Even if Kaṁsa were to see that the eighth child of Devakī was a daughter, he should have no doubt that the eighth child was to kill him. According to the Viśva-kośa dictionary, the word garbha means “embryo” and also arbhaka, or “child.” Kaṁsa was affectionate toward his sister, and therefore he had become the chariot driver to carry her and his brother-in-law to their home. The demigods, however, did not want Kaṁsa to be affectionate toward Devakī, and therefore, from an unseen position, they encouraged Kaṁsa to offend her. Moreover, the six sons of Marīci had been cursed to take birth from the womb of Devakī, and upon being killed by Kaṁsa they would be delivered. When Devakī understood that Kaṁsa would be killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who would appear from her womb, she felt great joy. The word vahase is also significant because it indicates that the ominous vibration condemned Kaṁsa for acting just like a beast of burden by carrying his enemy’s mother.