श्रीगर्ग उवाच यदूनामहमाचार्यः ख्यातश्च भुवि सर्वदा सुतं मया संस्कृतं ते मन्यते देवकीसुतम्
śrī-garga uvāca yadūnām aham ācāryaḥ khyātaś ca bhuvi sarvadā sutaṁ mayā saṁskṛtaṁ te manyate devakī-sutam
Synonyms
śrī-gargaḥ uvāca—Gargamuni said; yadūnām—of the Yadu dynasty; aham—I am; ācāryaḥ—the priestly guide, or purohita; khyātaḥ ca—this is already known; bhuvi—everywhere; sarvadā—always; sutam—the son; mayā—by me; saṁskṛtam—having undergone the purificatory process; te—of you; manyate—would be considered; devakī-sutam—the son of Devakī..
Translation
Gargamuni said: My dear Nanda Mahārāja, I am the priestly guide of the Yadu dynasty. This is known everywhere. Therefore, if I perform the purificatory process for your sons, Kaṁsa will consider Them the sons of Devakī.
Purport
Gargamuni indirectly disclosed that Kṛṣṇa was the son of Devakī, not of Yaśodā. Since Kaṁsa was already searching for Kṛṣṇa, if the purificatory process were undertaken by Gargamuni, Kaṁsa might be informed, and that would create a catastrophe. It may be argued that although Gargamuni was the priest of the Yadu dynasty, Nanda Mahārāja also belonged to that dynasty. Nanda Mahārāja, however, was not acting as a kṣatriya. Therefore Gargamuni said, "If I act as your priest, this will confirm that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī."