तयाभिहितमाकर्ण्य कंसः परमविस्मितः ।
देवकीं वसुदेवं च विमुच्य प्रश्रितो ऽब्रवीत् ॥ १४ ॥
taya-by the goddess Durga; abhihitam-the words spoken; akarnya-by hearing; kamsah-Kamsa; parama-vismitah-was struck with wonder; devakim-unto Devaki; vasudevam ca-and Vasudeva; vimucya-releasing immediately; prasritah-with great humility; abravit-spoke as follows.
Kamsa was astonished because the goddess Durga had become the daughter of Devaki. Since Devaki was a human being, how could the goddess Durga become her daughter? This was one cause of his astonishment. Also, how is it that the eighth child of Devaki was a female? This also astonished him. Asuras are generally devotees of mother Durga, Sakti, or of demigods, especially Lord Siva. The appearance of Durga in her original eight-armed feature, holding various weapons, immediately changed Kamsa's mind about Devaki's being an ordinary human. Devaki must have had some transcendental qualities; otherwise why would the goddess Durga have taken birth from her womb? Under the circumstances, Kamsa, struck with wonder, wanted to compensate for his atrocities against his sister Devaki.