Srihari

Maharishi Śuka continued, “Due to the presence of the indestructible Supreme Lord in her womb, the prison cell wherein Devaki was located began to glow effulgently. Seeing the pure Devaki who was glowing radiantly, Kamsa thought to himself, ‘She is glowing like never before. I have never seen such enthusiasm in her. Just as a lion enters the cave, perhaps the Lord who is destined to take away my life-force has entered into her. This is undoubtedly true.

What should I do now? What is my duty? The person who is keen to accomplish his purpose should not indulge in deeds that would harm his prowess and reputation. Devaki is a woman. She is my sister. Furthermore, she is pregnant. If I were to kill her now, my renown, longevity and opulence will diminish immediately.

The person who indulges in the worst sinful deed in order to save his life is nothing more than a living corpse. When a person who pampers his gross body while inflicting wounds on another meets death, citizens condemn him stating, ‘He is bound to fall into the dark, deep, bottomless pit called hell’. What am I to do now?’

Kamsa, who was in a dilemma, pondered over this for sufficiently long period of time. Neither could he kill this pregnant sister nor could he remain calm knowing that his enemy was in her womb. How was he to tackle this precarious situation?”

Divine births do not require nine-month pregnancy. Here the child is conceived through Yoga without union of husband-wife.

“For long Kamsa debated the pros and cons of every action to be taken. Although he was sure of the Lord’s presence in her womb, he was clueless of how to tackle the problem. At last he concluded that he would refrain from the worst sin called killing a woman and would instead wait for the moment his enemy took birth.

Kamsa now turned extra-vigilant. Due to his intense hatred for Srihari, Kamsa began to think of him incessantly, irrespective of whether he was standing, sitting, eating, walking or engaged in any other action. Unsure of the form in which his enemy would suddenly appear before him, he began to keenly search for Him everywhere”.

Swamiji says: Perhaps Kamsa was a devotee of the Lord. If only his devotion had been laden with the traits of purity, he could have been classified as one among the best devotees of the Lord. However it was not to be so.

“Due to fear and hatred he began to see the Lord in every object around him. He feared the Lord would attack him unexpectedly.

Around this time, Maharishi Nārada accompanied by Maharishis such as Bhrigu and by Lords Brahma and Śiva arrived in the prison cell wherein Devaki was located. Hordes of Devatas followed them. All of them glorified the Lord situated in her womb,

‘Satya-vrataṁ satya-paraṁ tri-satyaṁ satyasya yoniṁ nihitaṁ ca satye

satyasya satyam ṛta-satya-netraṁ satyātmakaṁ tvāṁ śaraṇaṁ prapannāḥ

O Lord! You are Satya-sankalpa (Your intention always materializes). Among the paths to reach You, the vow of truthfulness (satya vrata) is the most supreme. You are situated in all the three phases of creation, sustenance and annihilation. You are the ultimate Supreme Essence contained in the five basic elements known as earth, water, fire, wind and space. You, O Lord, are the cause for the existence of the five basic elements. You alone reside as the Self within them all. Your words reflect the eternal truth. They are perfect. You possess feelings of equal-mindedness. You are an embodiment of truth. In you, O Lord, we seek refuge.

This cycle of repeated re-births (samsāra), which is endless and which consists of the individual body as well as the universal body, is like an unimaginably huge tree which seeks shelter solely under the illusory power of the Lord. Joys and sorrows are the fruits yielded by this tree. The trigunas i.e. the traits of goodness, passion and ignorance, are its three roots. The four-fold goals of life are the tastes which are experienced through the five gateways known as the five organs of perception i.e. eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin.

The six transformations (vikāras) of existence, birth, growth, change, decay and death are its characteristics. The seven basic body elements (dhatus) of skin, blood, muscles, fat, bone, bone marrow and semen are its seven barks’.”

Narayana