SB 10.3.51 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

नन्दव्रजं शौरिरुपेत्य तत्र तान् गोपान् प्रसुप्तानुपलभ्य निद्रया । सुतं यशोदाशयने निधाय त- त्सुतामुपादाय पुनर्गृहानगात् ॥ ५१ ॥

Verse text

nanda-vrajaṁ śaurir upetya tatra tān gopān prasuptān upalabhya nidrayā sutaṁ yaśodā-śayane nidhāya tat- sutām upādāya punar gṛhān agāt

Synonyms

nanda — vrajam — the village or the house of Nanda Mahārāja ; śauriḥ — Vasudeva ; upetya — reaching ; tatra — there ; tān — all the members ; gopān — the cowherd men ; prasuptān — were fast asleep ; upalabhya — understanding that ; nidrayā — in deep sleep ; sutam — the son (Vasudeva’s son) ; yaśodā — śayane — on the bed where mother Yaśodā was sleeping ; nidhāya — placing ; tat — sutām — her daughter ; upādāya — picking up ; punaḥ — again ; gṛhān — to his own house ; agāt — returned .

Translation

When Vasudeva reached the house of Nanda Mahārāja, he saw that all the cowherd men were fast asleep. Thus he placed his own son on the bed of Yaśodā, picked up her daughter, an expansion of Yoga-māyā, and then returned to his residence, the prison house of Kaṁsa.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When Vasudeva reached the house of Nanda Mahārāja, he saw that all the cowherd men were fast asleep. Thus he placed his own son on the bed of Yaśodā, picked up her daughter, an expansion of Yogamāyā, and then returned to his residence, the prison house of Kaṁsa. KB 10.3.51 On the other side, he went to the place of Nanda Mahārāja, situated in Gokula, where he saw that all the cowherd men were fast asleep. He took the opportunity to silently enter the house of Yaśodā, and without difficulty he exchanged his son for the baby girl newly born there.

Purport

Vasudeva knew very well that as soon as the daughter was in the prison house of Kaṁsa, Kaṁsa would immediately kill her; but to protect his own child, he had to kill the child of his friend. Nanda Mahārāja was his friend, but out of deep affection and attachment for his own son, he knowingly did this. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that one cannot be blamed for protecting one’s own child at the sacrifice of another’s. Furthermore, Vasudeva cannot be accused of callousness, since his actions were impelled by the force of Yoga-māyā.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Taking Yasoda’s daughter, Vasudeva returned to the prison. From the ordinary point of view it appears unjustified that Vasudeva, who was supposed to be following the highest principles, accepted the murder of Yasoda’s daughter to save the life of his son. But his normal sense of discrimination was covered by the paternal prema for the Lord who had appeared as his son.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Getting close to Nanda’s house, he did not even know the path. This means that the Lord made arrangements. The doors opened by themselves as in the prison. As he approached Yaśodā, he became attracted to the sweetness of the child. Thus the child is called śiśum (young child). Another version has the word sutam. He placed the child in Yaśodā’s bed like a secret treasure (nidhāya-placed, nidhi-treasure). He took the daughter who was māyā, taken in order to fool Kaṁsa. He did this out of affection for the Lord. For his purpose, he accepted the daughter known as māyā. Though he was aware that this was the daughter of his friend, he did not give regard for the fact she would be killed by Kaṁsa. He then returned to his house where Devakī was anxiously waiting. Gṛhān is in the plural because he was repeatedly thinking of that house.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Nanda’s place was generally a place for the cows to live. The doors were not locked. Vasudeva came (upetya) to the house. He arrived there quickily. Or he came carefully by some means (upetya) since Nanda had ordered the place to be surrounded by thorns and trenches so it was hard to enter. He saw that Nanda and others were sleeping naturally. Or though they were accustomed to stay awake, he saw they were sleeping without awareness (prasuptān) because of yogamāyā. Śiśum (instead of sutam) inciates that he had great affection for the humanlike child. He thought of the child as his. Or though Kṛṣṇa was not a baby he had become a baby (śiṣum). This is Śukadeva’s utterance out of devotion. Vasudeva took the daughter carefully or for his advantage (upādāya). Vasudeva had great affection for the Lord and thus this act was performed by māyā. Thus he disregarded the fact that it was wrong that Kaṁsa should kill the daughter of his friend. He then returned to the prison.