Devanagari
श्रीगर्ग उवाच
यदूनामहमाचार्य: ख्यातश्च भुवि सर्वदा ।
सुतं मया संस्कृतं ते मन्यते देवकीसुतम् ॥ ७ ॥
Verse text
śrī-garga uvāca
yadūnām aham ācāryaḥ
khyātaś ca bhuvi sarvadā
sutaṁ mayā saṁskṛtaṁ te
manyate devakī-sutam
Synonyms
śrī
—
gargaḥ uvāca — Garga Muni said
;
yadūnām
—
of the Yadu dynasty
;
aham
—
I am
;
ācāryaḥ
—
the priestly guide, or purohita
;
khyātaḥ ca
—
this is already known
;
bhuvi
—
everywhere
;
sarvadā
—
always
;
sutam
—
the son
;
mayā
—
by me
;
saṁskṛtam
—
having undergone the purificatory process
;
te
—
of you
;
manyate
—
would be considered
;
devakī
—
sutam — the son of Devakī .
Translation
Garga Muni said: My dear Nanda Mahārāja, I am the priestly guide of the Yadu dynasty. This is known everywhere. Therefore, if I perform the purificatory process for your sons, Kaṁsa will consider Them the sons of Devakī.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Gargamuni said: My dear Nanda Mahārāja, I am the priestly guide of the Yadu dynasty. This is known everywhere. Therefore, if I perform the purificatory process for your sons, Kaṁsa will consider Them the sons of Devakī.
KB 10.8.7
Upon this request, Garga Muni replied, “Vasudeva has sent me to see to the reformatory performances of these boys, especially Kṛṣṇa’s, but if I do so it may incidentally appear that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī, since I am Vasudeva’s family priest.” By his astrological calculation, Garga Muni could understand that Kṛṣṇa was the son of Devakī, which Nanda did not know. Indirectly Garga Muni said that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were both sons of Vasudeva. Balarāma was known as the son of Vasudeva because His mother, Rohiṇī, was present there, but Nanda Mahārāja did not know about Kṛṣṇa. Garga Muni indirectly disclosed the fact that Kṛṣṇa was the son of Devakī.
Purport
Garga Muni indirectly disclosed that Kṛṣṇa was the son of Devakī, not of Yaśodā. Since Kaṁsa was already searching for Kṛṣṇa, if the purificatory process were undertaken by Garga Muni, Kaṁsa might be informed, and that would create a catastrophe. It may be argued that although Garga Muni was the priest of the Yadu dynasty, Nanda Mahārāja also belonged to that dynasty. Nanda Mahārāja, however, was not acting as a
kṣatriya.
Therefore Garga Muni said, “If I act as your priest, this will confirm that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī.”
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Garga appears to refuse the request since it would reveal the sons. Garga was famous as the priest of the Yadus and because of this, Kaṁsa would possibly suspect that the boys were Devakī’s sons.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Garga appears to refuse the request since it would reveal the sons. Garga was famous as the priest of the Yadus and because of this, Kaṁsa would possibly suspect that the boys were Devakī’s sons.