This is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.44.51): "Devakī and Vasudeva, knowing their son to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, began to pray to Him although He was present before them as their child." Similarly, when Arjuna saw the universal form of the Lord, he was so afraid that he begged pardon for his dealings with Kṛṣṇa as an intimate friend. As a friend, Arjuna often behaved unceremoniously with the Lord, and upon seeing the awesome universal form, Arjuna said:
- sakheti matvā prasabhaṁ yad uktaṁ
- he kṛṣṇa he yādava he sakheti
- ajānatā mahimānaṁ tavedaṁ
- mayā pramādāt praṇayena vāpi
"My dear Kṛṣṇa, sometimes I insulted You by calling You "my dear friend Kṛṣṇa" without knowing the greatness of your inconceivable power. Please forgive me. I was mad to address You like a common friend or a common man." (Bhagavad-gītā 11.41)