28 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

it, he will immediately appear with all kinds of weapons to kill You.”

After this prayer of Vasudeva, Devaki, the mother of Krsna, offered her
prayers. She was very frightened because of her brother’s atrocities. Devaki
said “My dear Lord, Your eternal forms, like Narayana, Lord Rama,
Sesa, Varaha, Nrsimha, Vamana, Baladeva, and millions of similar incarna-
tions emanating from Visnu, are described in the Vedic literature as
original. You are original because all Your forms as incarnations are
outside of this material creation. Your form was existing before this cosmic
manifestation was created. Your forms are eternal and all-pervading. They
are self-effulgent, changeless and uncontaminated by the material qualities.
Such eternal forms are ever-cognizant and full of bliss; they are situated
in transcendental goodness and are always engaged in different pastimes.
You are not limited to a particular form only; all such transcendental
eternal forms are self-sufficient. I can understand that You are the
Supreme Lord Visnu.

“After many millions of years, when Lord Brahma comes to the end of
his life, the annihilation of the cosmic manifestation takes place. At that
time the five elements—namely earth, water, fire, air and ether—enter into
the mahat-tattva. The mahat-tattva again enters, by the force of time, into
the nonmanifested total material energy; the total material energy enters
into the energetic pradhana, and the pradhana enters into You. Therefore
after the annihilation of the whole cosmic manifestation, You alone
remain with Your transcendental name, form, quality and paraphernalia.

“My Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because You are
the director of the unmanifested total energy, and the ultimate reservoir
of the material nature. My Lord, the whole cosmic manifestation is under
the influence of time, beginning from the moment up to the duration of
the year. All act under Your direction. You are the original director of
everything and the reservoir of all potent energies.

“Therefore my Lord, I request You to save me from the cruel hands of
the son of Ugrasena, Kamsa. I am praying to Your Lordship to please
rescue me from this fearful condition because You are always ready to
give protection to Your servitors.” The Lord has confirmed this statement
in the Bhagavad-gita by assuring Arjuna, “You may declare to the world,
My devotee shall never be vanquished.”

While thus praying to the Lord for rescue, mother Devaki expressed her
motherly affection: “I understand that this transcendental form is general-
ly perceived in meditation by the great sages, but I am still afraid because
as soon as Kamsa understands that You have appeared, he might harm
You. So I request that for the time being You become invisible to our
