SB 10.1.8 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

रोहिण्यास्तनय: प्रोक्तो राम: सङ्कर्षणस्त्वया देवक्या गर्भसम्बन्ध: कुतो देहान्तरं विना ॥ ८ ॥

Verse text

rohiṇyās tanayaḥ prokto rāmaḥ saṅkarṣaṇas tvayā devakyā garbha-sambandhaḥ kuto dehāntaraṁ vinā

Synonyms

rohiṇyāḥ — of Rohiṇīdevī, the mother of Baladeva ; tanayaḥ — the son ; proktaḥ — is well known ; rāmaḥ — Balarāma ; saṅkarṣaṇaḥ — Balarāma is none other than Saṅkarṣaṇa, the first Deity in the quadruple group (Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna and Vāsudeva) ; tvayā — by you (it is so said) ; devakyāḥ — of Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa ; garbha — sambandhaḥ — connected with the womb ; kutaḥ — how ; deha — antaram — transferring bodies ; vinā — without .

Translation

My dear Śukadeva Gosvāmī, you have already explained that Saṅkarṣaṇa, who belongs to the second quadruple, appeared as the son of Rohiṇī named Balarāma. If Balarāma was not transferred from one body to another, how is it possible that He was first in the womb of Devakī and then in the womb of Rohiṇī? Kindly explain this to me.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

My dear Śukadeva Gosvāmī, you have already explained that Saṅkarṣaṇa, who belongs to the second quadruple, appeared as the son of Rohiṇī named Balarāma. If Balarāma was not transferred from one body to another, how is it possible that He was first in the womb of Devakī and then in the womb of Rohiṇī? Kindly explain this to me.

Purport

Here is a question particularly directed at understanding Balarāma, who is Saṅkarṣaṇa Himself. Balarāma is well known as the son of Rohiṇī, yet it is also known that He was the son of Devakī. Parīkṣit Mahārāja wanted to understand the mystery of Balarāma’s being the son of both Devakī and Rohiṇī.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In the next four verses there is inquiry about the particulars of Krsna’s birth. The general description was given in the 9th canto (24. 54) There he is called sankarsana and ahisvara, the seventh child of Devaki and Vasudeva. "Since elsewhere you have refered to Sankarsana as the son of Rohini, how could he come from Devaki’s womb without having to change bodies?" This is the indication.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

In four verses Parīkṣit asks specific questions. You mentioned in SB 9.24.54 that Balarāma or Saṅkarṣaṇa was one among the sons of Devakī. But you also said that he was the son of Rohiṇī (SB 9.24.46). These statements referred to the same person.