TEXT 14
tayabhihitam akarnya
kamsah parama-vismitah
devakim vasudevam ca
vimucya prasrito bravit
SYNONYMS
tayaby the goddess Durga; abhihitamthe words spoken; akarnyaby hearing; kamsahKamsa; parama-vismitahwas struck with wonder; devakimunto Devaki; vasudevam caand Vasudeva; vimucyareleasing immediately; prasritahwith great humility; abravitspoke 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 Kamsas mind about Devakis 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.

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