TEXT 23
distya bhratah pravayasa
idanim aprajasya te
prajasaya nivrttasya
praja yat samapadyata
SYNONYMS
distyait is by great fortune; bhratahO my dear brother; pravayasahof you whose age is now quite advanced; idanimat the present moment; aprajasyaof one who did not have a son before; teof you; praja-asayah nivrttasyaof one who was almost hopeless of getting a son at this age; prajaa son; yatwhatever; samapadyatahas been gotten by chance.
TRANSLATION
My dear brother Nanda Maharaja, at an advanced age you had no son at all and were hopeless of having one. Therefore, that you now have a son is a sign of great fortune.
PURPORT
At an advanced age one generally cannot beget a male child. If by chance one does beget a child at this age, the child is generally female. Thus Vasudeva indirectly asked Nanda Maharaja whether he had actually begotten a male child or a female child. Vasudeva knew that Yasoda had given birth to a female child, whom he had stolen and replaced with a male child. This was a great mystery, and Vasudeva wanted to determine whether this mystery was already known to Nanda Maharaja. On inquiring, however, he was confident that the mystery of Krsnas birth and His being placed in the care of Yasoda was still hidden. There was no danger, since Kamsa at least could not learn what had already happened.

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