Text 8
rohiṇyās tanayaḥ prokto
rāmaḥ saṅkarṣaṇas tvayā
devakyā garbha-sambandhaḥ
kuto dehāntaraṁ vinā
rohiṇyāḥ — of Rohiṇīdevī, the mother of Baladeva; tanayaḥ — the son; proktaḥ — is well known; rāmaḥ — Balarāma; saṅkarṣaṇaḥ — Balarāma is none other than Saṅkarṣaṇa, the first Deity in the quadruple group (Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna and Vāsudeva); tvayā — by you (it is so said); devakyāḥ — of Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa; garbha-sambandhaḥ — connected with the womb; kutaḥ — how; deha-antaram — transferring bodies; vinā — without.
My dear Śukadeva Gosvāmī, you have already explained that Saṅkarṣaṇa, who belongs to the second quadruple, appeared as the son of Rohiṇī named Balarāma. If Balarāma was not transferred from one body to another, how is it possible that He was first in the womb of Devakī and then in the womb of Rohiṇī? Kindly explain this to me.
Here is a question particularly directed at understanding Balarāma, who is Saṅkarṣaṇa Himself. Balarāma is well known as the son of Rohiṇī, yet it is also known that He was the son of Devakī. Parīkṣit Mahārāja wanted to understand the mystery of Balarāma’s being the son of both Devakī and Rohiṇī.