SB 10.4.14

TEXT 14

TEXT

taeX#.ta,
tayaAiBaih"tamaAk(NyaR
kM(s$a: par"maivaismata:
de"vak(LM vas$aude"vaM ca
ivamaucya 'ai™ataAe'"avaIta,

tayabhihitam akarnya

kamsah parama-vismitah

devakim vasudevam ca

vimucya prasrito 'bravit

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.

TRANSLATION

After hearing the words of the goddess Durga, Kamsa was struck with wonder. Thus he approached his sister Devaki and brother-in-law Vasudeva, released them immediately from their shackles, and very humbly spoke as follows.

PURPORT

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.