TEXT 51
nanda-vrajam saurir upetya tatra tan
gopan prasuptan upalabhya nidraya
sutam yasoda-sayane nidhaya tat-
sutam upadaya punar grhan agat
SYNONYMS
nanda-vrajamthe village or the house of Nanda Maharaja; saurihVasudeva; upetyareaching; tatrathere; tanall the members; gopanthe cowherd men; prasuptanwere fast asleep; upalabhyaunderstanding that; nidrayain deep sleep; sutamthe son (Vasudevas son); yasoda-sayaneon the bed where mother Yasoda was sleeping; nidhayaplacing; tat-sutamher daughter; upadayapicking up; punahagain; grhanto his own house; agatreturned.
TRANSLATION
When Vasudeva reached the house of Nanda Maharaja, he saw that all the cowherd men were fast asleep. Thus he placed his own son on the bed of Yasoda, picked up her daughter, an expansion of Yogamaya, and then returned to his residence, the prison house of Kamsa.
PURPORT
Vasudeva knew very well that as soon as the daughter was in the prison house of Kamsa, Kamsa would immediately kill her; but to protect his own child, he had to kill the child of his friend. Nanda Maharaja was his friend, but out of deep affection and attachment for his own son, he knowingly did this. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that one cannot be blamed for protecting ones own child at the sacrifice of anothers. Furthermore, Vasudeva cannot be accused of callousness, since his actions were impelled by the force of Yogamaya.

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