Text 2] The Atrocities of King Karnsa 277

habitants of the house, especially the watchmen, heard the crying
of the newborn child and thus awakened from their beds.

PURPORT

The activities of Yogamay4 are distinctly visible in this chapter, in
which Devaki and Vasudeva excuse Kamsa for his many devious,
atrocious activities and Karnsa becomes repentant and falls at their feet.
Before the awakening of the watchmen and the others in the prison
house, many other things happened. Krsna was born and transferred to
the home of Yasoda in Gokula, the strong doors opened and again closed,
and Vasudeva resumed his former condition of being shackled. The
watchmen, however, could not understand all this. They awakened only
when they heard the crying of the newborn child, Yogamaya.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has remarked that the watchmen
were just like dogs. At night the dogs in the street act like watchmen. If
one dog barks, many other dogs immediately follow it by barking. Al-
though the street dogs are not appointed by anyone to act as watchmen,
they think they are responsible for protecting the neighborhood, and as
soon as someone unknown enters it, they all begin to bark. Both
Yogamaya and Mahamaya act in all material activities (prakrteh
kriyam4énéni gunaih karméni sarvasah), but although the energy of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead acts under the Supreme Lord’s direc-
tion (mayddhyaksena prakrtih sityate sa-caracaram), doglike watchmen
such as politicians and diplomats think that they are protecting their
neighborhoods from the dangers of the outside world. These are the ac-
tions of maya. But one who surrenders to Krsna is relieved of the protec-
tion afforded by the dogs and doglike guardians of this material world.

TEXT 2

4g aI Baa TAA a7 |
aaegquinnaa age: adtaa i 2 i

te tu tirnam upavrajya
devakya garbha-janma tat
acakhyur bhoja-rajaya
yad udvignah pratiksate
