Text 23
yathā hṛṣīkeśa khalena devakī
kaṁsena ruddhāticiraṁ śucārpitā
vimocitāhaṁ ca sahātmajā vibho
tvayaiva nāthena muhur vipad-gaṇāt
yathā — as it were; hṛṣīkeśa — the master of the senses; khalena — by the envious; devakī — Devakī (the mother of Śrī Kṛṣṇa); kaṁsena — by King Kaṁsa; ruddhā — imprisoned; ati-ciram — for a long time; śuca-arpitā — distressed; vimocitā — released; aham ca — also myself; saha-ātma-jā — along with my children; vibho — O great one; tvayā eva — by Your Lordship; nāthena — as the protector; muhuḥ — constantly; vipat-gaṇāt — from a series of dangers.
おお、フリケーシャ、感覚の支配者、主人たちの主人よ。あなたはあなたの母であるデーヴァキーを救い出した。彼女は長い間投獄されていて、妬み深いカムサ王によって苦しまされていた。そして私や私の息子たちを一連の止むことのない危険から救われた。
Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa and sister of King Kaṁsa, was put into prison along with her husband, Vasudeva, because the envious King was afraid of being killed by Devakī’s eighth son (Kṛṣṇa). He killed all the sons of Devakī who were born before Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa escaped the danger of child-slaughter because He was transferred to the house of Nanda Mahārāja, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s foster father. Kuntīdevī, along with her children, was also saved from a series of dangers. But Kuntīdevī was shown far more favor because Lord Kṛṣṇa did not save the other children of Devakī, whereas He saved the children of Kuntīdevī. This was done because Devakī’s husband, Vasudeva, was living, whereas Kuntīdevī was a widow, and there was none to help her except Kṛṣṇa. The conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa endows more favor to a devotee who is in greater dangers. Sometimes He puts His pure devotees in such dangers because in that condition of helplessness the devotee becomes more attached to the Lord. The more the attachment is there for the Lord, the more success is there for the devotee.