Canto 9: LiberationChapter 24: Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.24.53-55

pravara-śruta-mukhyāḿś ca

sākṣād dharmo vasūn iva

vasudevas tu devakyām

aṣṭa putrān ajījanat

kīrtimantaḿ suṣeṇaḿ ca

bhadrasenam udāra-dhīḥ

ṛjuḿ sammardanaḿ bhadraḿ

sańkarṣaṇam ahīśvaram

aṣṭamas tu tayor āsīt

svayam eva hariḥ kila

subhadrā ca mahābhāgā

tava rājan pitāmahī

SYNONYMS

pravaraPravara (in some readings, Pauvara); śrutaŚruta; mukhyān — headed by; ca — and; sākṣāt — directly; dharmaḥ — religion personified; vasūn iva — exactly like the chief Vasus in the heavenly planets; vasudevaḥŚrīla Vasudeva, the father of Kṛṣṇa; tu — indeed; devakyāmin the womb of Devakī; aṣṭa — eight; putrān — sons; ajījanat — begot; kīrtimantam — Kīrtimān; suṣeṇam ca — and Suṣeṇa; bhadrasenam — Bhadrasena; udāra-dhīḥ — all fully qualified; ṛjumṚju; sammardanam — Sammardana; bhadramBhadra; sańkarṣaṇamSańkarṣaṇa; ahi-īśvaram — the supreme controller and serpent incarnation; aṣṭamaḥ — the eighth one; tu — but; tayoḥ — of both (Devakī and Vasudeva); āsīt — appeared; svayam eva — directly, personally; hariḥ — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kila — what to speak of; subhadrāa sister, Subhadrā; ca — and; mahābhāgā — highly fortunate; tava — your; rājanO Mahārāja Parīkṣit; pitāmahī — grandmother.

TRANSLATION

The eight sons born of Sahadevā such as Pravara and Śruta, were exact incarnations of the eight Vasus in the heavenly planets. Vasudeva also begot eight highly qualified sons through the womb of Devakī. These included Kīrtimān, Suṣeṇa, Bhadrasena, Ṛju, Sammardana, Bhadra and Sańkarṣaṇa, the controller and serpent incarnation. The eighth son was the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself — Kṛṣṇa. The highly fortunate Subhadrā, the one daughter, was your grandmother.

PURPORT

The fifty-fifth verse says, svayam eva hariḥ kila, indicating that Kṛṣṇa, the eighth son of Devakī, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa is not an incarnation. Although there is no difference between the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari and His incarnation, Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Person, the complete Godhead. Incarnations exhibit only a certain percentage of the potencies of Godhead; the complete Godhead is Kṛṣṇa Himself, who appeared as the eighth son of Devakī.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness