kṛṣṇa-advent (iv)

(46) Kamsa, without pity, could by these attempts of good advise not be stopped or pacified, for he followed the course of the Rakshasas ['man-eaters', asuras].

(47) Seeing his determination, Vasudeva thought deeply about how he, with this immediate threat of death, could hold him back, and thus he came up with the following alternative.

(48) He thought: 'An intelligent person should, as long as he is in control of his mental and physical faculties, ward off death, but when someone is faced with the inevitability of death, this rule does not apply. (49-50) If I promise to deliver my sons to this man of doom, I might set my innocent Devaki free. Perhaps I don't get any sons, or maybe he will die beforehand. That might happen, or the contrary. Who knows what fate has in store for us? That is difficult to say. Even though the threat remains hereafter, I at least for the moment may avert her death. (51) When a piece of wood for some reason escapes from a fire, that is decided by providence and nothing else. Even so one cannot determine why a living being assumes or abandons a [particular] body.'

(52) After contemplating this way to the best of his ability, the God-fearing man paid the sinner his obeisances, and submitted the proposal to him with the greatest attention. (53) With a big lotus-like smile on his face, but with anxiety and sorrow in his heart, he then spoke to the cruel hearted, shameless man.

(54) Shri Vasudeva said: "You have, according to what the voice from heaven vibrated, nothing to fear from Devaki herself. Her sóns gave rise to your anxiety and I'll deliver them therefore all to you."

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(55) Kamsa understanding the essence of what he said, was for the time being stopped from killing his sister. With him more at ease, Vasudeva then was happy to come home unharmed.

(56-58) Thereafter in due course of time, Devaki, the mother of all divinity, year after year gave birth to indeed eight sons and a daughter. Most afraid to break his promise, Vasudeva with great pain handed his first born baby, Kirtiman, over to Kamsa. What would be too painful for a saint, on what would a sage depend, what would be forbidden to a bad person, and what would for someone holding on to the soul be too hard to forsake?

(59-60) When Kamsa saw that Vasudeva was equanimous, truthful and certain of himself, he satisfied about that with a grin on his face said: "You can take this child back, my fear does not concern him, my death was predicted from the eighth pregnancy you have with your wife."

(61) "Very well," Vasudeva said, took his son back and left without attaching too much value to the words of that untruthful character lacking in self-control.