Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.4.5

bahavo himsitā bhrātah

śiśavah pāvakopamāh

tvayā daiva-nisrishtena

putrikaikā pradīyatām

SYNONYMS

bahavah — many; himsitāh — killed out of envy; bhrātah — my dear brother; śiśavah — small children; pāvaka-upamāh — all of them equal to fire in brightness and beauty; tvayā — by you; daiva-nisrishtena — as spoken by destiny; putrikā — daughter; ekā — one; pradīyatām — give me as your gift.

TRANSLATION

My dear brother, by the influence of destiny you have already killed many babies, each of them as bright and beautiful as fire. But kindly spare this daughter. Give her to me as your gift.

PURPORT

Here we see that Devakī first focused Kamsa's attention on his atrocious activities, his killing of her many sons. Then she wanted to compromise with him by saying that whatever he had done was not his fault, but was ordained by destiny. Then she appealed to him to give her the daughter as a gift. Devakī was the daughter of a kshatriya and knew how to play the political game. In politics there are different methods of achieving success: first repression (dama), then compromise (sāma), and then asking for a gift (dāna). Devakī first adopted the policy of repression by directly attacking Kamsa for having cruelly, atrociously killed her babies. Then she compromised by saying that this was not his fault, and then she begged for a gift. As we learn from the history of the Mahābhārata, or "Greater India," the wives and daughters of the ruling class, the kshatriyas, knew the political game, but we never find that a woman was given the post of chief executive. This is in accordance with the injunctions of Manu-samhitā, but unfortunately Manu-samhitā is now being insulted, and the Āryans, the members of Vedic society, cannot do anything. Such is the nature of Kali-yuga.

Nothing happens unless ordained by destiny.

tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhah

tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham

kālena sarvatra gabhīra-ramhasā

(Bhāg. 1.5.18)

Devakī knew very well that because the killing of her many children had been ordained by destiny, Kamsa was not to be blamed. There was no need to give good instructions to Kamsa. Upadeśo hi murkhānām prakopāya na śāntaye (Cānakya Pandita). If a foolish person is given good instructions, he becomes more and more angry. Moreover, a cruel person is more dangerous than a snake. A snake and a cruel person are both cruel, but a cruel person is more dangerous because although a snake can be charmed by mantras or subdued by herbs, a cruel person cannot be subdued by any means. Such was the nature of Kamsa.

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