FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.85.57

తం ద‍ృష్ట్వా దేవకీ దేవీ మృతాగమననిర్గమమ్ । మేనే సువిస్మితా మాయాం కృష్ణస్య రచితాం నృప ॥ ౫౭ ॥
taṁ dṛṣṭvā devakī devī
[tam drishtvaa devakee devee]
mṛtāgamana-nirgamam
[mritaagamana-nirgamam]
mene su-vismitā māyāṁ
[mene su-vismitaa maayaam]
kṛṣṇasya racitāṁ nṛpa
[krishnasya rachitaam nripa]
tam — this dṛṣṭvā — seeing devakī — Devakī devī — divine mṛta — of the dead (sons) āgamana — the return nirgamam — and departure mene — she thought su — very much vismitā — amazed māyām — magic kṛṣṇasya — by Kṛṣṇa racitām — produced nṛpa — O King (Parīkṣit) .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
taṁ dṛṣṭvā devakī devī
tam
this
dṛṣṭvā
seeing
devakī
Devakī
devī
divine
mṛtāgamana-nirgamam
mṛta
of the dead (sons)
āgamana
the return
nirgamam
and departure
mene su-vismitā māyāṁ
mene
she thought
su
very much
vismitā
amazed
māyām
magic
kṛṣṇasya racitāṁ nṛpa
kṛṣṇasya
by Kṛṣṇa
racitām
produced
nṛpa
O King (Parīkṣit) .
  • mṛta-āgamana-nirgamam — the coming and going of the dead
    Compound: mṛta (dead) + āgamana (arrival) + nirgama (departure). The whole arc compressed into a single noun. The Bhāgavatam reports Devakī's perception phenomenologically — what she actually saw.
  • māyām kṛṣṇasya racitām — the illusion arranged by Kṛṣṇa
    Phrase: māyā + kṛṣṇa + racita (composed, arranged). Devakī correctly identifies the agent. The māyā is Yoga-māyā, not bewilderment-māyā — and Devakī recognizes its author.
  • vismitā — amazed
    Past participle of vi + √smi, 'to smile out in wonder'. Vismaya — wonder — is one of the eight permanent sthāyī-bhāvas of rasa-śāstra. Devakī's response is properly rasic: not grief, not joy alone, but wonder at the entire arrangement.
  • su-vismitā — greatly amazed
    Intensified vismita. The same root as in verse 27 (su-vismitā about Sāndīpani's son). The chapter opens and closes with Devakī's wonder — a deliberate frame.
Seeing her sons return from death and then depart again, saintly Devakī was struck with wonder, O King. She concluded that this was all simply an illusion created by Kṛṣṇa.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Seeing her sons return from death and then depart again, saintly Devakī was struck with wonder, O King. She concluded that this was all simply an illusion created by Kṛṣṇa.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The Lord had her continue her affection for him. That is explained in this verse. She saw her departed sons come and then go. Agamana-nirgamam may also be considered a dvandva compound in the singular as in ūkālo 'j-jhrasva-dīrgha-plutaḥ. (Pāṇini 1.2.27) She considered their birth and coming from Sutala to have been produced by Kṛṣṇa by māyā in order to cheat Kaṁsa. It was a show of his affection for her. They had entered Devakī as embryos with their previous bodies, but they did not come out of Devakī with those forms. After their death by Kaṁsa, they again assumed those devatā forms. That is understood from these verses.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

She considered this a special śakti (māyām) shown by Kṛṣṇa alone. Or she considered it mercy (māyām) created by Kṛṣṇa. O king, this should be understood to be special mercy of the Lord to his mother, and to his brothers, and in relation to this, to Bali.

Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Saurya (Heroism / Bravery)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)
Related verses

A magic show ends and the magician's mother realizes the whole performance was for her. Sons appear from death, vanish into heaven, and the mother sits stunned — māyāṁ kṛṣṇasya racitām. She concludes that her own son is the playwright of her own grief and joy.

📝 My note

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