O subtle and supremely subtle One, whose greatness surpasses even the greatest, who is the root and transcendent Self of matter, intellect, senses, speech, and all their sources—thus did the gods address the blessed Lord, seeking His grace. The earth herself, oppressed by mighty demons born of her own being and weighed down by the burden of mountains, approached Him, the ultimate refuge of all worlds, to beg for relief from her unbearable suffering. As the assembly gathered, Indra, the slayer of Vṛtra, stood forth, accompanied by the two Aśvins, Varuṇa, the Rudras, the Vasus with the Sun, the Wind, Fire, and many others. All the gods, O Lord of gods, are assembled here for this purpose, Indra declared. Whatever I have done, O Master, command us, for we ever abide by Your order, free from fault. Thus praised, the blessed Supreme Lord, Hari, drew forth from Himself two hairs—one white and one black. He spoke to the gods: "These two hairs of mine, descending to the earth, will remove the suffering caused by its burden. Let all the gods, with their own portions, also descend to earth and wage war against the mad and mighty demons who have arisen there. Those Daityas on earth will be utterly destroyed, shattered by various weapons—of this there is no doubt." He continued, "The wife of Vasudeva, Devakī, who is like a goddess, will bear the eighth embryo, which will be my hair, O gods. Descending there, he will slay Kaṃsa on earth, who has arisen from Kālanemi." Having spoken thus, Hari vanished from their sight. The gods, bowing reverently to the great-souled Lord who had become invisible, ascended to the summit of Mount Meru and then descended to the earth. It was declared by the blessed sage Nārada that the eighth embryo of Devakī would be born for the destruction of Kaṃsa. When Kaṃsa heard this prophecy from Nārada, he was seized with rage and immediately confined Devakī and Vasudeva in his house under strict guard. As before, whenever a child was born to them, Vasudeva would dutifully present the newborn to Kaṃsa. By the will of Viṣṇu, the six sons of Hiraṇyakaśipu, renowned as the Six Embryos, were placed, through the agency of Nidra, one after another into Devakī’s womb. Yoganidra, the great enchantress and Vaishnavi power by whom the whole world is deluded, was addressed by the blessed Hari: "Go, O Nidra, at my command, and one by one transfer the Six Embryos who dwell in the netherworld into the womb of Devakī. When those are slain by Kaṃsa, then the sinless one known as Shesha, by a portion of himself, will become the seventh in her womb." He instructed further, "In Gokula, Rohiṇī, the wife of Vasudeva, resides; at the time of her delivery, you must transfer the embryo into her womb. Because of the fear of the king of the Bhojas, and due to obstruction and restraint, people will say that Devakī's seventh embryo has fallen. Because of the drawing out of the embryo, he will be known in the world as Saṅkarṣaṇa—the hero, resplendent like the peak of the white mountain." Hari then declared, "After this, I shall be born in the auspicious womb of Devakī; you must go without delay to Yaśodā. In the rainy season, on the eighth day of the dark fortnight, at night, I shall be born; and on the ninth day, you will give birth. On Yaśodā’s bed, I shall be placed, and you, O blameless one, by the will of my power, Vasudeva will carry you from Devakī. Kaṃsa will seize you, O goddess, and hurl you upon the rocky summit of a mountain, but in the sky you will attain your place. Then Indra, bowing in reverence, will receive you as his sister after you have been divided into a hundred parts." He foretold her future deeds: "After slaying Shumbha, Nishumbha, and thousands of other demons, you will adorn the entire earth with many abodes. You are prosperity, humility, fame, beauty, the earth, fortitude, modesty, nourishment, dawn, and whatever else exists—you are indeed all these. Those who call you Arya, Durga, Ambika in the Vedas, Bhadra, Bhadrakali, Kshemya, or Kshemankari—morning and afternoon, those of humble form will praise you; by my grace, all their desires will be fulfilled. When worshipped with offerings of liquor, meat, and various foods and delicacies, you will grant all desires to people, if you are pleased. By my grace, all of them will always be blessed, without doubt or hesitation. Go, O goddess, as has been declared." As previously described, the Mother of the Universe, at the command of the Lord of gods, arranged the placement of the six embryos and drew away another’s embryo. When the seventh month under the star Rohiṇī arrived, Hari Himself entered the womb of Devakī for the benefit of the three worlds. On that very day, Yoga-nidrā entered the womb of Yaśodā, just as the Supreme Lord had instructed. Then, O twice-born, the planets moved auspiciously in the sky; portions of Viṣṇu descended to earth, and the seasons became favorable. No one, due to her intense radiance, was able to look upon Devakī; seeing her shining, their minds became disturbed. Unseen by men and women, the hosts of gods praised Devakī, who bore Viṣṇu in her form, day and night, saying: "You are Svāhā, you are Svadhā, you are knowledge, you are nectar, you are indeed light; you have descended to earth for the protection of all worlds. Be gracious, O goddess; bring auspiciousness to the whole world. For the sake of love, you bear the Lord, by whom the entire universe is sustained.