Text 66] The Advent of Lord Krṣṇa: Introduction
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womb;  viṣṇum —(accepting) as Viṣṇu;  ca —and;  sva-vadham prati —fearing his own death from Viṣṇu;  devakīm —Devakī;  vasudevam ca —and her husband, Vasudeva;  nigrhya —arresting;  nigaḍaiḥ —by iron shackles;  grhe —confined at home;  jātam jātam —each one who was born, one after another;  ahan —killed;  putram —the sons;  tayoḥ —of Vasudeva and Devakī;  ajana-śaṅkayā —with the doubt that they would be Viṣṇu.
TRANSLATION
After the departure of the great saint Nārada, Kaṁsa thought that all the members of the Yadu dynasty were demigods and that any of the children born from the womb of Devakī might be Viṣṇu. Fearing his death, Kaṁsa arrested Vasudeva and Devakī and chained them with iron shackles. Suspecting each of the children to be Viṣṇu, Kaṁsa killed them one after another because of the prophecy that Viṣṇu would kill him.
PURPORT
Śrila Jīva Gosvāmī, in his notes on this verse, has mentioned how Nārada Muni gave Kaṁsa this information. This incident is described in the  Hari-vaṁśa . Nārada Muni went to see Kaṁsa by providence, and Kaṁsa received him very well. Nārada, therefore, informed him that any one of the sons of Devakī might be Viṣṇu. Because Viṣṇu was to kill him, Kaṁsa should not spare any of Devakī's children, Nārada Muni advised. Nārada's intention was that Kaṁsa, by killing the children, would increase his sinful activities so that Krṣṇa would soon appear to kill him. Upon receiving the instructions of Nārada Muni, Kaṁsa killed all the children of Devakī one after another.
The word  ajana-śaṅkayā  indicates that Lord Viṣṇu never takes birth ( ajana ) and that He therefore appeared as Krṣṇa, taking birth just like a human being ( mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam ). Kaṁsa attempted to kill all the babies born of Devakī and Vasudeva, although he knew that if Viṣṇu were born, He would not be killed. Actually it came to pass that when Viṣṇu appeared as Krṣṇa, Kaṁsa could not kill Him; rather, as foretold, it was He who killed Kaṁsa. One should know in truth how Krṣṇa, who takes His birth transcendentally, acts to kill the demons but is never