As described in this chapter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, Hari in His original form, appeared as Visnu so that His father and mother could understand that their son was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because they were afraid of Kamsa, when the Lord appeared as an ordinary child they took Him to Gokula, the home of Nanda Maharaja.

Mother Devaki, being fully transcendental, sac-cid-ananda, does not belong to this material world. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared with four hands, as if born from her womb. Upon seeing the Lord in that Visnu form, Vasudeva was struck with wonder, and in transcendental happiness he and Devaki mentally gave ten thousand cows in charity to the brahmanas. Vasudeva then offered prayers to the Lord, addressing Him as the Supreme Person, Parabrahman, the Supersoul, who is beyond duality and who is internally and externally all-pervading. The Lord, the cause of all causes, is beyond material existence, although He is the creator of this material world. When He enters this world as Paramatma, He is all-pervading (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham), yet He is transcendentally situated. For the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this material world, the Lord appears as the guna-avatarasBrahma, Visnu and Mahesvara. Thus Vasudeva offered prayers full of meaning to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Devaki followed her husband by offering prayers describing the transcendental nature of the Lord. Fearing Kamsa and desiring that the Lord not be understood by atheistic and materialistic nondevotees, she prayed that the Lord withdraw His transcendental four-armed form and appear like an ordinary child with two hands.

The Lord reminded Vasudeva and Devaki of two other incarnations in which He had appeared as their son. He had appeared as Prsnigarbha and Vamanadeva, and now this was the third time He was appearing as the son of Devaki to fulfill their desire. The Lord then decided to leave the residence of Vasudeva and Devaki, in the prison house of Kamsa, and at this very time, Yogamaya took birth as the daughter of Yasoda. By the arrangement of Yogamaya, Vasudeva was able to leave the prison house and save the child from the hands of Kamsa. When Vasudeva brought Krsna to the house of Nanda Maharaja, he saw that by Yogamayas arrangement, Yasoda, as well as everyone else, was deeply asleep. Thus he exchanged the babies, taking Yogamaya from Yasodas lap and placing Krsna there instead. Then Vasudeva returned to his own place, having taken Yogamaya as his daughter. He placed Yogamaya on Devakis bed and prepared to be a prisoner as before. In Gokula, Yasoda could not understand whether she had given birth to a male or a female child.