280 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 10, Ch. 4

tam aha bhrataram devi
krpané karunam sati

snuseyam tava kalydna
striyam ma hantum arhasi

tam—unto Karnsa; Gha—said; bhradtaram—her brother; devi—
mother Devaki; krpand—helplessly; karunam—piteously; sati—the
chaste lady; snusa@ iyam tava—this child will be your daughter-in-law,
the wife of your future son; kalyana—O all-auspicious one; striyam—a
woman; mé—not; hantum—to kill; arhasi—you deserve.

TRANSLATION

Devaki helplessly, piteously appealed to Karnsa: My dear
brother, all good fortune unto you. Don’t kill this girl. She will be
your daughter-in-law. Indeed, it is unworthy of you to kill a
woman.

PURPORT

Karnsa had previously excused Devaki because he thought that a
woman should not be killed, especially when pregnant. But now, by the
influence of maya, he was prepared to kill a woman—not only a woman,
but a small, helpless newborn child. Devaki wanted to save her brother
from this terrible, sinful act. Therefore she told him, ‘“‘Don’t be so
atrocious as to kill a female child. Let there be all good fortune for you.”
Demons can do anything for their personal benefit, not considering what
is pious or vicious. But Devaki, on the contrary, although safe because
she had already given birth to her own son, Krsna, was anxious to save
the daughter of someone else. This was natural for her.

TEXT 5
cam afraea ghee setraTy Ul 4 II

bahavo himsita bhratah
sisavah pavakopamah

tvayd daiva-nisrstena
putrikaika pradiyatam
