Text 58] The Advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa: Introduction
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TEXT 58
किं दुःसहं नु साधूनां विदुषां किमपेक्षितम् । किमकार्यं कदर्याणां दुस्त्यजं किं धृतात्मनाम् ॥५८॥
kim duḥsaham nu sādhūnām viduṣām kim apekṣitam kim akāryam kadaryāṇām dustyajam kim dhṛtāmanām
kim —what is;  duḥsaham —painful;  nu —indeed;  sādhūnām —for saintly persons;  viduṣām —of learned persons;  kim apekṣitam —what is dependence;  kim akāryam —what is forbidden work;  kadaryāṇām —of persons in the lowest grade;  dustyajam —very difficult to give up;  kim —what is;  dhṛta-ātmanām —of persons who are self-realized.
TRANSLATION
What is painful for saintly persons who strictly adhere to the truth? How could there not be independence for pure devotees who know the Supreme Lord as the substance? What deeds are forbidden for persons of the lowest character? And what cannot be given up for the sake of Lord Kṛṣṇa by those who have fully surrendered at His lotus feet?
PURPORT
Since the eighth son of Devakī was to kill Kamsa, one might ask what the need was for Vasudeva to deliver the first-born child. The answer is that Vasudeva had promised Kamsa that he would deliver all the children born of Devakī. Kamsa, being an  asura , did not believe that the eighth child would kill him; he took it for granted that he might be killed by any of the children of Devakī. Vasudeva, therefore, to save Devakī, promised to give Kamsa every child, whether male or female. From another point of view, Vasudeva and Devakī were very pleased when they understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, would come as their eighth son. Vasudeva, a pure devotee of the Lord, was eager to see Kṛṣṇa appear as his child from the eighth pregnancy of