FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.3.47

ततश्च शौरिर्भगवत्प्रचोदित: सुतं समादाय स सूतिकागृहात् । यदा बहिर्गन्तुमियेष तर्ह्यजा या योगमायाजनि नन्दजायया ॥ ४७ ॥
tataś ca śaurir bhagavat-pracoditaḥ
[tatash cha shaurir bhagavat-prachoditah]
sutaṁ samādāya sa sūtikā-gṛhāt
[sutam samaadaaya sa sootikaa-grihaat]
yadā bahir gantum iyeṣa tarhy ajā
[yadaa bahir gantum iyesha tarhy ajaa]
yā yoga-māyājani nanda-jāyayā
[yaa yoga-maayaajani nanda-jaayayaa]
Word-for-word
tataḥ — thereafter ca — indeed śauriḥ — Vasudeva bhagavat - pracoditaḥ — being instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead sutam — his son samādāya — carrying very carefully saḥ — he sūtikā - gṛhāt — from the maternity room yadā — when bahiḥ gantum — to go outside iyeṣa — desired tarhi — exactly at that time ajā — the transcendental energy, who also never takes birth yā — who yoga - māyā — is known as Yoga-māyā ajani — took birth nanda - jāyayā — from the wife of Nanda Mahārāja .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tataś ca śaurir bhagavat-pracoditaḥ
tataḥ
thereafter
ca
indeed
śauriḥ
Vasudeva
bhagavat - pracoditaḥ
being instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead
sutaṁ samādāya sa sūtikā-gṛhāt
sutam
his son
samādāya
carrying very carefully
saḥ
he
sūtikā - gṛhāt
from the maternity room
yadā bahir gantum iyeṣa tarhy ajā
yadā
when
bahiḥ gantum
to go outside
iyeṣa
desired
tarhi
exactly at that time
ajā
the transcendental energy, who also never takes birth
yā yoga-māyājani nanda-jāyayā
yā
who
yoga - māyā
is known as Yoga-māyā
ajani
took birth
nanda - jāyayā
from the wife of Nanda Mahārāja .
Important Words
  • bhagavat-pracoditaḥ — inspired by the Supreme Lord
    Bhagavat (Bhagavān) + pracodita (impelled). Vasudeva does not act on his own initiative — Bhagavān prompts him from within. Sambandha at work: the bhakta's action is the Lord's prompting; the Lord's prompting is the bhakta's action.
  • ajā — the unborn (śakti, also 'goat'/'mother nature')
    Ajā — unborn (feminine of aja). Same root as ajane in 1-5. Yoga-māyā is unborn in svarūpa, like Bhagavān, and her 'birth' to Yaśodā is appearance, not generation. The Sanskrit doubles the term back on Bhagavān's own ajatva.
  • yoga-māyā — Yoga-māyā, the orchestrating energy
    Yoga (union, joining) + māyā. The internal energy that 'joins' the līlā together — keeps the curtain on aiśvarya, arranges meetings, harmonizes events. Distinguish carefully from mahā-māyā (the external deluding energy). Yoga-māyā serves bhakti; mahā-māyā binds the bound.
  • nanda-jāyayā — by Nanda's wife (Yaśodā)
    Nanda + jāyā (wife) + instrumental. Yaśodā is identified by her relation to Nanda — preserving the marital sambandha. Yoga-māyā chose to take her birth specifically from Yaśodā, not from any other queen — establishing her enduring residence in Vraja from the start.
Thereafter, exactly when Vasudeva, being inspired by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was about to take the newborn child from the delivery room, Yoga-māyā, the Lord’s spiritual energy, took birth as the daughter of the wife of Mahārāja Nanda.
Purport

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura discusses that Kṛṣṇa appeared simultaneously as the son of Devakī and as the son of Yaśodā, along with the spiritual energy Yoga-māyā. As the son of Devakī, He first appeared as Viṣṇu, and because Vasudeva was not in the position of pure affection for Kṛṣṇa, Vasudeva worshiped his son as Lord Viṣṇu. Yaśodā, however, pleased her son Kṛṣṇa without understanding His Godhood. This is the difference between Kṛṣṇa as the son of Yaśodā and as the son of Devakī. This is explained by Viśvanātha Cakravartī on the authority of Hari-vaṁśa.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Thereafter, exactly when Vasudeva, being inspired by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was about to take the newborn child from the delivery room, Yogamāyā, the Lord's spiritual energy, took birth as the daughter of the wife of Mahārāja Nanda.
Commentary

He was instructed by the Lord "If you are afraid, then take me to Gokula and bring the child of Yasoda, my maya, back here. " After being instructed, Vasudeva saw that his chains automatically were loosened. When he developed the desire to depart to Gokula, Maya took her birth through Yasoda. In the Hari Vamsa it says that in the eighth month of incomplete pregnancy Devaki and Yasoda gave birth at the same time to their children. But here in Bhagavatam it is stated that Yasoda gave birth after Devaki. How to correlate the two contradictory statements? Exactly when Devaki gave birth to Krsna, Yasoda also gave birth to Krsna. After that, as described in this verse, Yasoda gave birth to Yogamaya. Yasoda gave birth to two children at different times. This is confirmed in text 10.4.9, for when Yogamaya falls from the hands of Kamsa, she is called the younger sister of Krsna. But when Krsna was born to Yasoda it is not stated that he had four hands. It is understood that he was born from Yasoda with two hands.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Hari-vaṁśa describes the order of the Lord. vasudeva-vacaḥ śrutvā rūpaṁ saṁharat acyutaḥ anujñāpya pitṛtvena nanda-gopa-gṛhaṁ naya Hearing Vasudeva’s words, the Lord withdrew his form, requesting with affection for his father “Please take me to Nanda’s house.” Samḥarat means “withdraw.” He then requested with affection for his father (pitṛtvena), “Take me to Nanda’s house.” Vasudeva carefully (sam) took (ādāya) the child from the maternity room. He put the child to sleep in a box lined with soft cloth, placed the container on his head, or raising it up carefully with his two hands, placed it on his breast, embracing it with his arms. He was indescribably fortunate (saḥ). The chains on his feet became loose by themselves. Hari-vaṁśa describes the following. Navamyām eva saṁjātāKkṛṣṇa-pakṣasya vai tithiau: Yogamāyā was born on the Navamī tithi of the waning moon (slightly after Kṛṣṇa).

Related values & verses
Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Nishkama Karma (Selfless Action)Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)
Related verses
SB 1.2SB 10.3.44 SB 10.3.45 SB 10.3.46 SB 10.3.48 SB 10.3.50 BG 13.1 BG 3.30 BG 16.1 BG 6.47 BG 9.11 BG 2.12
Concepts
Maya
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Kṛṣṇa orchestrates the swap with Yoga-māyā Himself — your duty is to act on His prompt with daksya, even when the path looks impossible.
Practical Applications
  • Identify one task today where you have been waiting for ideal conditions, and act on the inner prompting now with full skill (daksya), trusting Kṛṣṇa arranges what you cannot.
  • Refuse to dramatize your role — like Vasudeva, do the next concrete step (pick up the child, walk out the door) without theatrics or self-congratulation (adambhitva).
  • When an obstacle dissolves unexpectedly today, pause and acknowledge aloud that Yoga-māyā arranged it, not your cleverness.
Reflection Questions
  • Where in my life is Kṛṣṇa already arranging the 'Yoga-māyā' — the protective covering that lets me act — and where am I instead crediting my own resourcefulness for what was actually His orchestration?
  • Like Vasudeva, who worshiped his son as Viṣṇu rather than embracing Him as Yaśodā did, where does my reverence for Kṛṣṇa's Godhood become a barrier to the simple, intimate affection He actually wants from me?
For Each Age Group
youth
  • Before your next exam or audition, do the Vasudeva move: prepare with full dākṣya (your notes, your sleep, your mock tests), then at the doorway hand the outcome over to Kṛṣṇa out loud. Notice the difference between this and the Instagram version of 'manifesting.'
  • Pick one friendship or group chat where you have been performing a version of yourself — that is ahaṅkāra, not adambhitva. Drop the performance for one full week and watch who stays. Yaśodā loved Kṛṣṇa without the title 'Bhagavān'; let your friends love (or leave) the unstyled you.
  • When peer pressure says 'everyone is doing it,' practice discriminative wisdom by asking a sharper question than 'is this right or wrong?' Ask: 'If Yoga-māyā is arranging this moment for my training, what is she actually testing — my courage, my taste, or my willingness to be uncool?'
householder
  • In the next family financial decision, separate dākṣya (do the spreadsheet, get the second opinion, run the numbers) from ahaṅkāra (assuming the outcome depends on your cleverness). Vasudeva still had to walk through the river; Yoga-māyā still parted it. Both are required.
  • Watch for the Vasudeva-trap with your children: worshiping them as projects to be optimized rather than souls to be loved. One evening this week, sit with your child the way Yaśodā sat with Kṛṣṇa — no agenda, no future, no metric. Notice your discomfort.
  • Audit one place where you are publicly pious and privately calculating — the office Diwali party, the temple donation, the in-laws' visit. Adambhitva does not mean confessing it; it means quietly closing the gap this month so the inner and outer act match.
senior
  • You have already 'transitioned' through more bodies than the youth around you — student, earner, parent. Today, name one attachment from an earlier āśrama you are still carrying past its season (a title, a grievance, a hobby-as-identity) and begin the loosening. Vasudeva had to set the child down in another house; you too will set things down.
  • Mentor one younger person this month not by giving advice, but by telling them one specific story of a time you mistook Yoga-māyā's arrangement for your own competence. Discriminative wisdom transmits better through honest narrative than through instruction.
  • Each night before sleep, do the Vasudeva rehearsal: imagine being asked, at this very hour, to carry the most precious thing in your life out of the locked room of your body and hand it over. What resists? That resistance is the work remaining.
Common Pitfalls
  • Treating the simultaneous appearance of Kṛṣṇa and Yoga-māyā as mere mythological coincidence rather than a precise teaching about how the Lord personally arranges every detail for His devotee — and then concluding 'I just got lucky' when His arrangements unfold in my own life.
  • Using Vasudeva's awe-laden mood as the spiritual ideal while quietly dismissing Yaśodā's parental affection as 'lower' — inverting Viśvanātha Cakravartī's actual point that pure affection without consciousness of Godhood is in fact the higher position.
  • Imitating Vasudeva's daksya — moving the child, executing the plan — without his prior bhagavat-pracoditaḥ, the inner prompting; acting decisively on our own initiative and calling it surrender, when real skill in action means waiting to be moved by Him.
Discussion Prompts
  • Vasudeva worshiped his newborn as Lord Viṣṇu, while Yaśodā simply loved her son without knowing His Godhood. Which mood is closer to your own bhakti right now — reverence at a distance or intimacy without theology — and which one do you secretly think is 'higher'? Defend your answer to your partner, then let them push back.
  • Yoga-māyā arranges the entire exchange — the chains fall, the guards sleep, the river parts. Where in your own life have you mistaken Yoga-māyā's arrangement for your own resourcefulness (dākṣya)? Share one concrete example, and let the group test whether you are crediting Kṛṣṇa or quietly crediting yourself.
  • Vasudeva acts the moment he is 'inspired by the Supreme Personality of Godhead' — not before, not after. How do you distinguish bhagavat-pracodita (genuine inner direction from Kṛṣṇa) from your own ahaṅkāra dressed up as inspiration? Disagree with your partner if their test sounds too easy.
Role Play

Two students play Vasudeva and a sympathetic but skeptical neighbor. Vasudeva has just been told (inwardly) to carry a newborn out of a guarded prison cell, across a flooding river, into another man's house, and swap babies. The neighbor catches him at the door and says, 'You are a sober, lawful man. This is theft, abandonment, and madness. Sit down, wait until morning, and we will talk to Kaṁsa together.' Vasudeva must respond — not by quoting scripture, but by articulating, in his own words, what bhagavat-pracodita feels like from the inside and why obedience to it overrides every prudential and social dharma in this moment. After five minutes, switch roles. Then debrief: when did the 'Vasudeva' sound like a fanatic, and when did he sound like a dhīra acting under Kṛṣṇa's direction? What is the difference?

Objections & Responses
  • This whole episode reads like a fairy tale — sleeping guards, a baby switched in the night, a goddess born on cue. Treating it as literal history seems intellectually dishonest in 2026.
    Notice what the verse actually emphasizes: not the magic, but the simultaneity. Kṛṣṇa appears in Mathurā and in Vraja in the same instant; Yoga-māyā takes birth in Nanda's house at the exact moment Vasudeva lifts the child. The point is not 'isn't it amazing that the guards fell asleep' — the point is that the Supreme Person and His internal energy are coordinating reality at a level our ordinary causation cannot reach. To call that a fairy tale is to assume in advance that nothing exists outside the material register the senses report. The Gauḍīya line does not ask you to suspend reason; it asks you to admit that reason, unaided, cannot adjudicate what is possible for the source of reason. Sit with the verse for a year and watch which framing — 'charming myth' or 'literal arrangement of Yoga-māyā' — actually changes how you live. The tradition is empirical in that sense.
  • Vasudeva worshiping his own son as Viṣṇu sounds cold and theological, while Yaśodā's plain motherly love sounds warmer and more real. Why would the tradition prize the awe-struck father over the loving mother?
    It does not — and this is exactly Viśvanātha Cakravartī's point. Yaśodā's vātsalya, where she does not even register Kṛṣṇa's Godhood, is in fact higher in the Gauḍīya estimation than Vasudeva's reverent worship. Vasudeva loves Kṛṣṇa as Bhagavān; Yaśodā loves Kṛṣṇa as her son who needs his face wiped. Aiśvarya-jñāna (knowledge of His majesty) keeps a respectful distance; mādhurya and vātsalya let Him be tied to a grinding mortar. The verse is not asking you to choose theology over love — it is showing you two authentic moods and quietly indicating which one Kṛṣṇa Himself prefers to receive. The corrective the verse offers a modern reader is the opposite of what the objection assumes: do not collapse Kṛṣṇa into a generic 'divine spark' to make Him relatable. Honor His Personhood first; then the intimacy of Vraja becomes available, not as sentimentality, but as the real thing.
Analogy

Two acts must happen simultaneously for a substitution to work — the prince must leave the palace at the very instant the decoy enters it, or the timing fails. Yoga-māyā's birth as Nanda-Yaśodā's daughter at the exact moment Vasudeva lifts Kṛṣṇa to leave the prison is this choreographed simultaneity. Bhagavān's līlā is not improvised; it is precisely timed by His own internal śakti.

Stories
Yoga-māyā throughout the Bhāgavatam

Yoga-māyā is named as the orchestrator of Bhagavān's līlās — She arranges the rāsa-līlā (10.29.1), conceals Kṛṣṇa's divinity from Yaśodā (10.7-9), arranges the Mahābhārata's outcomes, even hides Kṛṣṇa from Brahmā during brahma-vimohana-līlā. She is the personal śakti who makes līlā possible.

This verse marks Her own birth as Nanda-Yaśodā's daughter — Subhadrā / Ekānaṁśā, later worshipped at Vindhyācala. The Gauḍīya tradition recognizes Yoga-māyā as Kṛṣṇa's hlādinī-saṁvit-sandhinī-śakti in her līlā-managing form; mādhurya-rasa runs through Her arrangement.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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