Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.5.29
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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aho
—
alas
An exclamation of sorrow. Nanda allows himself the cry — Vaiṣṇavas are not stoics; grief is voiced, not suppressed. But the cry is brief; what follows is the recognition of destiny (verse 30), not extended lament.
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devakī-putrāḥ
—
the sons of Devakī
Devakī + putra, plural. Six sons of Devakī were killed by Kaṁsa (the seventh, Balarāma, was transferred to Rohiṇī; the eighth, Kṛṣṇa, escaped). The plural is heavy — Nanda is naming a specific count of murders Vasudeva already knows by heart.
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kaṁsena
—
by Kaṁsa
Instrumental — names the agent. Nanda does not soften the fact with passive voice; he names Kaṁsa as the killer. Vaiṣṇava honesty: when speaking of evil, name the evildoer, even if he is the kingdom's king.
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hatāḥ
—
have been killed
Past passive participle of √han ('to strike, to kill'). The same root as Hanumān ('whose jaw was struck'). The verse uses the unsoftened verb.
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avaśiṣṭā
—
remaining
Past participle of ava + √śiṣ ('to remain, to be left over'). The technical word for a remnant. Nanda names the one daughter as the avaśiṣṭā — the leftover — using the language of someone who has counted the dead carefully.
When Vasudeva understood from Nanda Mahārāja that the mystery of Kṛṣṇa’s birth and His having been exchanged with Yaśodā’s daughter was yet undisclosed, he was happy that things were going on nicely. By saying that Vasudeva’s daughter, his youngest child, had gone to the heavenly planets, Nanda Mahārāja indicated that he did not know that this daughter was born of Yaśodā and that Vasudeva had exchanged her with Kṛṣṇa. Thus the doubts of Vasudeva were dispelled.
"You have asked me questions about Vraja, but what answer can I give? Seeing your suffering , I am suffering even more." With this in mind, Nanda responds to Vasudeva’s inquiries (describing the death of Vasudeva’s sons, including the last daughter.) Hearing the reply, Vasudeva was relieved and blissful, knowing that Nanda had not discovered that his child was placed in Yasoda’s bed.
You asked about the welfare of Vraja. Everything is fine there. But I cannot speak of this because of your suffering. Thus Nanda laments in this verse for Vasudeva. Aho indicates anguish.
Seeing Vasudeva lamenting, Nanda, answering his questions about his welfare, politely agreeing but not mentioning everything directly, comforts him when answering. Aho indicates lamentation.
- Notice one situation today where you are gripped by apparent loss, and consciously hand it over to Kṛṣṇa as His arrangement rather than your catastrophe.
- Refuse the urge to broadcast every private spiritual victory — guard the inner life as Vasudeva guarded the secret of Kṛṣṇa's exchange.
- Speak one sentence today to someone in grief that points beyond bodily fate to the soul's protection under Kṛṣṇa, not generic consolation.
A father describing a series of deaths in a friend's house keeps his voice even, not because he does not feel but because the heart that knows Kṛṣṇa speaks of even great losses from a steady ground. Nanda recounting the murders of Devakī's children is the model: grief acknowledged, dharma sustained, Bhagavān not blamed.
My note
Source: vedabase.io