90
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 10, Ch. 1]
Devakī. Therefore he wanted to deliver all the children quickly so that the eighth turn would come and Kṛṣṇa would appear. He begot one child every year so that Kṛṣṇa's turn to appear would come as soon as possible.
TEXT 59
दृष्ट्वा समत्वं तच्छौरेः सत्ये चैव व्यवस्थितिम् ।
कंसस्तुष्टमना राजन् प्रहसन्निदमब्रवीत् ॥५९॥
dṛṣṭvā samatvaṁ tac chaureḥ satye caiva vyavasthitim kaṁsas tuṣṭa-manā rājan prahasann idam abravīt
dṛṣṭvā —by seeing;  samatvaṁ —being equipoised, undisturbed in distress or happiness;  tat —that;  śaureḥ —of Vasudeva;  satye —in truthfulness;  ca —indeed;  eva —certainly;  vyavasthitim —the firm situation;  kaṁsaḥ —Kaṁsa;  tuṣṭa-manāḥ —being very satisfied (with Vasudeva's behavior in delivering the first child to keep his promise);  rājan —O Mahārāja Parikṣit;  prahasan —with a smiling face;  idam —this;  abravīt —said.
TRANSLATION
My dear King Parikṣit, when Kaṁsa saw that Vasudeva, being situated in truthfulness, was completely equipoised in giving him the child, he was very happy. Therefore, with a smiling face, he spoke as follows.
PURPORT
The word  samatvaṁ  is very significant in this verse.  Samatvaṁ  refers to one who is always equipoised, unaffected by either happiness or distress. Vasudeva was so steadily equipoised that he did not seem in the least agitated when delivering his first-born child into the hands of Kaṁsa to be killed. In  Bhagavad-gītā  (2.56) it is said,  duḥkheṣvanudvigna-manāḥ sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ . In the material world, one should not be very eager to be happy, nor should one be very much disturbed by material distress. Lord Kṛṣṇa advised Arjuna: