The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahma

Verse 1 (bhagavata.10.13.1)

श्रीशुक उवाच साधु पृष्टं महाभाग त्वया भागवतोत्तम । यन्नूतनयसीशस्य शृण्वन्नपि कथां मुहुः ॥ 13.1 ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca sādhu pṛṣṭaṁ mahā-bhāga tvayā bhāgavatottama yan nūtanayasīśasya śṛṇvann api kathāṁ muhuḥ

Shri Shuka said: O most fortunate one, best among devotees, well have you asked this, for even hearing the story of the Lord again and again, you find it ever new.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.10.13.2)

सतामयं सारभृतां निसर्गो यदर्थवाणीश्रुतिचेतसामपि । प्रतिक्षणं नव्यवदच्युतस्य यत् स्त्रिया विटानामिव साधुवार्ता ॥ 13.2 ॥

satām ayaṁ sāra-bhṛtāṁ nisargo yad-artha-vāṇī-śruti-cetasām api prati-kṣaṇaṁ navya-vad acyutasya yat striyā viṭānām iva sādhu vārtā

This is simply the nature of the pure of heart who have grasped what truly matters — even for those whose speech, ears and mind are otherwise devoted to purposeful things, the story of Achyuta seems new at every moment, exactly as talk of women never grows stale for a man of lust.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.10.13.3)

शृणुष्वावहितो राजन्नपि गुह्यं वदामि ते । ब्रूयुः स्निग्धस्य शिष्यस्य गुरवो गुह्यमप्युत ॥ 13.3 ॥

śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājann api guhyaṁ vadāmi te brūyuḥ snigdhasya śiṣyasya guravo guhyam apy uta

O King, listen with full attention, for I shall now tell you something quite secret — since teachers do reveal even their most hidden matters to a devoted disciple.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.10.13.4)

तथाघवदनान्मृत्यो रक्षित्वा वत्सपालकान् । सरित्पुलिनमानीय भगवानिदमब्रवीत् ॥ 13.4 ॥

tathāgha-vadanān mṛtyo rakṣitvā vatsa-pālakān sarit-pulinam ānīya bhagavān idam abravīt

So then, having rescued the calves and their young herders from the mouth of Agha, death itself in disguise, Bhagavan brought them all to the riverbank and spoke to them as follows.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.10.13.5)

अहोऽतिरम्यं पुलिनं वयस्याः स्वकेलिसम्पन्मृदुलाच्छबालुकम् । स्फुटत्सरोगन्धहृतालिपत्रिक- ध्वनिप्रतिध्वानलसद्द्रुमाकुलम् ॥ 13.5 ॥

aho ’tiramyaṁ pulinaṁ vayasyāḥ sva-keli-sampan mṛdulāccha-bālukam sphuṭat-saro-gandha-hṛtāli-patrika- dhvani-pratidhvāna-lasad-drumākulam

He said: friends, look how lovely this riverbank is — soft, bright sand perfect for our games, and all around, groves ringing with the hum of bees and the chirp of birds drawn by the fragrance of blooming lotuses.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.10.13.6)

अत्र भोक्तव्यमस्माभिर्दिवारूढं क्षुधार्दिताः । वत्साः समीपेऽपः पीत्वा चरन्तु शनकैस्तृणम् ॥ 13.6 ॥

atra bhoktavyam asmābhir divārūḍhaṁ kṣudhārditāḥ vatsāḥ samīpe ’paḥ pītvā carantu śanakais tṛṇam

Let us take our meal right here, for the day has grown late and we are all hungry now; and let the calves, close by, drink their fill and slowly graze on the grass.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.10.13.7)

तथेति पाययित्वार्भा वत्सानारुध्य शाद्वले । मुक्त्वा शिक्यानि बुभुजुः समं भगवता मुदा ॥ 13.7 ॥

tatheti pāyayitvārbhā vatsān ārudhya śādvale muktvā śikyāni bubhujuḥ samaṁ bhagavatā mudā

So be it, they said, and the boys, having watered the calves and tethered them on the green meadow, opened their bundles and sat down to eat together with Bhagavan in great delight.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.10.13.8)

कृष्णस्य विष्वक् पुरुराजिमण्डलै- रभ्याननाः फुल्लदृशो व्रजार्भकाः । सहोपविष्टा विपिने विरेजु- श्छदा यथाम्भोरुहकर्णिकायाः ॥ 13.8 ॥

kṛṣṇasya viṣvak puru-rāji-maṇḍalair abhyānanāḥ phulla-dṛśo vrajārbhakāḥ sahopaviṣṭā vipine virejuś chadā yathāmbhoruha-karṇikāyāḥ

Seated all around him, their faces turned toward Krishna and their eyes shining bright, the boys of Vraja, ringed in circle upon circle, shone in that forest just as the petals of a lotus surround its own inner whorl.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.10.13.9)

केचित् पुष्पैर्दलैः केचित्पल्लवैरङ्कुरैः फलैः । शिग्भिस्त्वग्भिर्दृषद्भिश्च बुभुजुः कृतभाजनाः ॥ 13.9 ॥

kecit puṣpair dalaiḥ kecit pallavair aṅkuraiḥ phalaiḥ śigbhis tvagbhir dṛṣadbhiś ca bubhujuḥ kṛta-bhājanāḥ

Some laid their food out on flowers, some on leaves, some on tender shoots, buds or fruit; others made their plates of baskets, bark, or bare stones, and so ate their meal.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.10.13.10)

सर्वे मिथो दर्शयन्तः स्वस्वभोज्यरुचिं पृथक् । हसन्तो हासयन्तश्चाभ्यवजह्रुः सहेश्वराः ॥ 13.10 ॥

sarve mitho darśayantaḥ sva-sva-bhojya-ruciṁ pṛthak hasanto hāsayantaś cā- bhyavajahruḥ saheśvarāḥ

All of them, showing one another the particular taste of what each had brought, laughed and made each other laugh, and so, with the Lord himself among them, they ate together.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.10.13.11)

बिभ्रद् वेणुं जठरपटयोः शृङ्गवेत्रे च कक्षे वामे पाणौ मसृणकवलं तत्फलान्यङ्गुलीषु । तिष्ठन् मध्ये स्वपरिसुहृदो हासयन् नर्मभिः स्वैः स्वर्गे लोके मिषति बुभुजे यज्ञभुग् बालकेलिः ॥ 13.11 ॥

bibhrad veṇuṁ jaṭhara-paṭayoḥ śṛṅga-vetre ca kakṣe vāme pāṇau masṛṇa-kavalaṁ tat-phalāny aṅgulīṣu tiṣṭhan madhye sva-parisuhṛdo hāsayan narmabhiḥ svaiḥ svarge loke miṣati bubhuje yajña-bhug bāla-keliḥ

His flute tucked into the cloth at his waist, his horn and stick held in his armpit, a soft morsel in his left hand and bits of fruit between his fingers, seated in the midst of his own dear friends and setting them all laughing with his teasing — thus did he who accepts every sacrificial offering sit and eat, as a mere child at play, while the dwellers of heaven looked on.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.10.13.12)

भारतैवं वत्सपेषु भुञ्जानेष्वच्युतात्मसु । वत्सास्त्वन्तर्वने दूरं विविशुस्तृणलोभिताः ॥ 13.12 ॥

bhārataivaṁ vatsa-peṣu bhuñjāneṣv acyutātmasu vatsās tv antar-vane dūraṁ viviśus tṛṇa-lobhitāḥ

O Bharata, while the calf-herds — their hearts fixed on none but Achyuta — sat absorbed in their meal, the calves themselves, tempted by fresh grass, wandered far off into the depths of the forest.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.10.13.13)

तान् दृष्ट्वा भयसन्त्रस्तानूचे कृष्णोऽस्य भीभयम् । मित्राण्याशान्मा विरमतेहानेष्ये वत्सकानहम् ॥ 13.13 ॥

tān dṛṣṭvā bhaya-santrastān ūce kṛṣṇo ’sya bhī-bhayam mitrāṇy āśān mā viramate- hāneṣye vatsakān aham

Seeing them scattered in fright, Krishna — who is the terror even of fear itself — said: friends, do not stop your meal, I shall go myself and bring the calves back here.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.10.13.14)

इत्युक्त्वाद्रिदरीकुञ्जगह्वरेष्वात्मवत्सकान् । विचिन्वन्भगवान्कृष्णः सपाणिकवलो ययौ ॥ 13.14 ॥

ity uktvādri-darī-kuñja- gahvareṣv ātma-vatsakān vicinvan bhagavān kṛṣṇaḥ sapāṇi-kavalo yayau

So saying, Bhagavan Krishna, still carrying that morsel of food in his hand, went off searching for his calves among the mountain caves, the thickets and the deep ravines.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.10.13.15)

अम्भोजन्मजनिस्तदन्तरगतो मायार्भकस्येशितु- र्द्रष्टुं मञ्जु महित्वमन्यदपि तद्वत्सानितो वत्सपान् । नीत्वान्यत्र कुरूद्वहान्तरदधात् खेऽवस्थितो यः पुरा दृष्ट्वाघासुरमोक्षणं प्रभवतः प्राप्तः परं विस्मयम् ॥ 13.15 ॥

ambhojanma-janis tad-antara-gato māyārbhakasyeśitur draṣṭuṁ mañju mahitvam anyad api tad-vatsān ito vatsapān nītvānyatra kurūdvahāntaradadhāt khe ’vasthito yaḥ purā dṛṣṭvāghāsura-mokṣaṇaṁ prabhavataḥ prāptaḥ paraṁ vismayam

Meanwhile Brahma, lotus-born, who had watched from the sky the deliverance of Aghasura and was struck with the deepest wonder at that power, now wished to see still more of the sweet glory of this Lord who plays the part of an ordinary child — and so, O scion of Kuru, he spirited the calves and their herders away to another place.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.10.13.16)

ततो वत्सानदृष्ट्वैत्य पुलिनेऽपि च वत्सपान् । उभावपि वने कृष्णो विचिकाय समन्ततः ॥ 13.16 ॥

tato vatsān adṛṣṭvaitya puline ’pi ca vatsapān ubhāv api vane kṛṣṇo vicikāya samantataḥ

Failing to find the calves, Krishna returned to the riverbank, but there too he could not find the boys, and so he began searching everywhere for both, the calves and their herders alike.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.10.13.17)

क्वाप्यदृष्ट्वान्तर्विपिने वत्सान्पालांश्च विश्ववित् । सर्वं विधिकृतं कृष्णः सहसावजगाम ह ॥ 13.17 ॥

kvāpy adṛṣṭvāntar-vipine vatsān pālāṁś ca viśva-vit sarvaṁ vidhi-kṛtaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ sahasāvajagāma ha

When Krishna, who knows all things, could nowhere in the forest find either the calves or their herders, he understood at once, and completely, that this was entirely the doing of the Ordainer himself.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.10.13.18)

ततः कृष्णो मुदं कर्तुं तन्मातृणां च कस्य च । उभयायितमात्मानं चक्रे विश्वकृदीश्वरः ॥ 13.18 ॥

tataḥ kṛṣṇo mudaṁ kartuṁ tan-mātṝṇāṁ ca kasya ca ubhayāyitam ātmānaṁ cakre viśva-kṛd īśvaraḥ

Then Krishna, the maker of the whole universe, so as to give delight both to the mothers of the calves and to Brahma himself, made his own self appear at once as the calves and as their herders.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.10.13.19)

यावद् वत्सपवत्सकाल्पकवपुर्यावत् कराङ्घ्र्यादिकं यावद् यष्टिविषाणवेणुदलशिग् यावद् विभूषाम्बरम् । यावच्छीलगुणाभिधाकृतिवयो यावद् विहारादिकं सर्वं विष्णुमयं गिरोऽङ्गवदजः सर्वस्वरूपो बभौ ॥ 13.19 ॥

yāvad vatsapa-vatsakālpaka-vapur yāvat karāṅghry-ādikaṁ yāvad yaṣṭi-viṣāṇa-veṇu-dala-śig yāvad vibhūṣāmbaram yāvac chīla-guṇābhidhākṛti-vayo yāvad vihārādikaṁ sarvaṁ viṣṇumayaṁ giro ’ṅga-vad ajaḥ sarva-svarūpo babhau

Every one of those little calf-herders and calves — down to their hands and feet, their sticks and horns and flutes and satchels, their ornaments and clothes, their very natures, qualities, names, forms, ages and games — the unborn Lord took on entire, all of it made of Vishnu, as naturally as his own limbs, until he himself shone forth as the very form of every one of them.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.10.13.20)

स्वयमात्मात्मगोवत्सान् प्रतिवार्यात्मवत्सपैः । क्रीडन्नात्मविहारैश्च सर्वात्मा प्राविशद् व्रजम् ॥ 13.20 ॥

svayam ātmātma-govatsān prativāryātma-vatsapaiḥ krīḍann ātma-vihāraiś ca sarvātmā prāviśad vrajam

Thus stopping his own calves with his own herders — himself as both — the all-Self entered Vraja, sporting all the while in these self-same games.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.10.13.21)

तत्तद्वत्सान्पृथङ्नीत्वा तत्तद्गोष्ठे निवेश्य सः । तत्तदात्माभवद् राजंस्तत्तत्सद्म प्रविष्टवान् ॥ 13.21 ॥

tat-tad-vatsān pṛthaṅ nītvā tat-tad-goṣṭhe niveśya saḥ tat-tad-ātmābhavad rājaṁs tat-tat-sadma praviṣṭavān

O King, leading each set of calves separately into its own shed, and himself becoming each of them in turn, he then entered each and every home.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.10.13.22)

तन्मातरो वेणुरवत्वरोत्थिता उत्थाप्य दोर्भिः परिरभ्य निर्भरम् । स्नेहस्नुतस्तन्यपयःसुधासवं मत्वा परं ब्रह्म सुतानपाययन् ॥ 13.22 ॥

tan-mātaro veṇu-rava-tvarotthitā utthāpya dorbhiḥ parirabhya nirbharam sneha-snuta-stanya-payaḥ-sudhāsavaṁ matvā paraṁ brahma sutān apāyayan

Their mothers, hearing the flute's sound, rose at once from whatever they were doing, lifted their sons up, held them tight in their arms, and — taking that milk which love had made overflow their breasts for the very taste of nectar — gave it to their sons to drink, as though feeding the Supreme Brahman himself.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.10.13.23)

ततो नृपोन्मर्दनमज्जलेपना- लङ्काररक्षातिलकाशनादिभिः । संलालितः स्वाचरितैः प्रहर्षयन् सायं गतो यामयमेन माधवः ॥ 13.23 ॥

tato nṛponmardana-majja-lepanā- laṅkāra-rakṣā-tilakāśanādibhiḥ saṁlālitaḥ svācaritaiḥ praharṣayan sāyaṁ gato yāma-yamena mādhavaḥ

Then, O King, Madhava, following the appointed round of that day's pastimes, delighted by the very care lavished on him — the oil-massage, the bath, the sandal paste, the ornaments, the protective charms, the tilaka mark, the food — would return home each evening at the fixed hour.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.10.13.24)

गावस्ततो गोष्ठमुपेत्य सत्वरं हुङ्कारघोषैः परिहूतसङ्गतान् । स्वकान् स्वकान् वत्सतरानपाययन् मुहुर्लिहन्त्यः स्रवदौधसं पयः ॥ 13.24 ॥

gāvas tato goṣṭham upetya satvaraṁ huṅkāra-ghoṣaiḥ parihūta-saṅgatān svakān svakān vatsatarān apāyayan muhur lihantyaḥ sravad audhasaṁ payaḥ

The cows too came hurrying back to their sheds, lowing loudly to call their own calves near, and licking them again and again, they fed them full with the milk streaming from their swollen udders.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.10.13.25)

गोगोपीनां मातृतास्मिन्नासीत्स्नेहर्धिकां विना । पुरोवदास्वपि हरेस्तोकता मायया विना ॥ 13.25 ॥

go-gopīnāṁ mātṛtāsminn āsīt snehardhikāṁ vinā purovad āsv api hares tokatā māyayā vinā

In all this the motherhood of the cows and gopis toward these calves and boys grew now beyond anything it had been before — with no illusion involved at all — precisely as, in earlier days, they had felt for Hari himself as their own true child.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.10.13.26)

व्रजौकसां स्वतोकेषु स्नेहवल्ल्याब्दमन्वहम् । शनैर्निःसीम ववृधे यथा कृष्णे त्वपूर्ववत् ॥ 13.26 ॥

vrajaukasāṁ sva-tokeṣu sneha-vally ābdam anvaham śanair niḥsīma vavṛdhe yathā kṛṣṇe tv apūrvavat

Day by day, throughout that whole year, the vine of love that the people of Vraja bore for their own sons grew and grew without limit, growing exactly as their unprecedented love for Krishna himself had once grown.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.10.13.27)

इत्थमात्मात्मनात्मानं वत्सपालमिषेण सः । पालयन् वत्सपो वर्षं चिक्रीडे वनगोष्ठयोः ॥ 13.27 ॥

ittham ātmātmanātmānaṁ vatsa-pāla-miṣeṇa saḥ pālayan vatsapo varṣaṁ cikrīḍe vana-goṣṭhayoḥ

Thus, by himself, through himself, protecting his own self under the guise of a calf-herder, Bhagavan, having become the keeper of the calves, sported in this way in both the forest and the cow-pen for a full year.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.10.13.28)

एकदा चारयन् वत्सान्सरामो वनमाविशत् । पञ्चषासु त्रियामासु हायनापूरणीष्वजः ॥ 13.28 ॥

ekadā cārayan vatsān sa-rāmo vanam āviśat pañca-ṣāsu tri-yāmāsu hāyanāpūraṇīṣv ajaḥ

One day, tending the calves, the unborn Krishna went into the forest together with Rama — this when only five or six nights remained before the full year would be complete.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.10.13.29)

ततो विदूराच्चरतो गावो वत्सानुपव्रजम् । गोवर्धनाद्रिशिरसि चरन्त्यो ददृशुस्तृणम् ॥ 13.29 ॥

tato vidūrāc carato gāvo vatsān upavrajam govardhanādri-śirasi carantyo dadṛśus tṛṇam

Just then the cows, grazing atop Govardhana Hill, spotted from afar their own calves cropping grass close to Vraja.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.10.13.30)

दृष्ट्वाथ तत्स्नेहवशोऽस्मृतात्मा स गोव्रजोऽत्यात्मपदुर्गमार्गः । द्विपात्ककुद्ग्रीव उदास्यपुच्छो- ऽगाद्धुङ्कृतैरास्रुपया जवेन ॥ 13.30 ॥

dṛṣṭvātha tat-sneha-vaśo ’smṛtātmā sa go-vrajo ’tyātmapa-durga-mārgaḥ dvi-pāt kakud-grīva udāsya-puccho ’gād dhuṅkṛtair āsru-payā javena

The moment they saw them, overcome with love and quite beside themselves, those cows, heedless of the rough and broken path, went bounding down at full speed, milk streaming from their udders, heads and necks and tails held high, lowing loudly, almost as if running on two legs alone.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.10.13.31)

समेत्य गावोऽधो वत्सान् वत्सवत्योऽप्यपाययन् । गिलन्त्य इव चाङ्गानि लिहन्त्यः स्वौधसं पयः ॥ 13.31 ॥

sametya gāvo ’dho vatsān vatsavatyo ’py apāyayan gilantya iva cāṅgāni lihantyaḥ svaudhasaṁ payaḥ

Reaching them, the cows — even those with new calves of their own already at home — began feeding these older calves too, licking their bodies over and over as if to swallow them whole, and pouring out the milk of their udders without end.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.10.13.32)

गोपास्तद्रोधनायासमौघ्यलज्जोरुमन्युना । दुर्गाध्वकृच्छ्रतोऽभ्येत्य गोवत्सैर्ददृशुः सुतान् ॥ 13.32 ॥

gopās tad-rodhanāyāsa- maughya-lajjoru-manyunā durgādhva-kṛcchrato ’bhyetya go-vatsair dadṛśuḥ sutān

The cowherds themselves, ashamed and furious at having failed to hold the cows back, made their own way with great difficulty over that same rough path, and there, among the calves, they saw their own sons.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.10.13.33)

तदीक्षणोत्प्रेमरसाप्लुताशया जातानुरागा गतमन्यवोऽर्भकान् । उदुह्य दोर्भिः परिरभ्य मूर्धनि घ्राणैरवापुः परमां मुदं ते ॥ 13.33 ॥

tad-īkṣaṇotprema-rasāplutāśayā jātānurāgā gata-manyavo ’rbhakān uduhya dorbhiḥ parirabhya mūrdhani ghrāṇair avāpuḥ paramāṁ mudaṁ te

The instant they saw them, their hearts drowned in a flood of love, their anger vanished, tenderness welled up in its place, and lifting their sons up, they clasped them in their arms, breathed in the scent of their heads, and knew the deepest joy.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.10.13.34)

ततः प्रवयसो गोपास्तोकाश्लेषसुनिर्वृताः । कृच्छ्राच्छनैरपगतास्तदनुस्मृत्युदश्रवः ॥ 13.34 ॥

tataḥ pravayaso gopās tokāśleṣa-sunirvṛtāḥ kṛcchrāc chanair apagatās tad-anusmṛty-udaśravaḥ

Then those elder cowherds, wholly satisfied with embracing their sons, slowly and with great reluctance let them go, and even as they turned away, tears rose in their eyes at the mere memory of them.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.10.13.35)

व्रजस्य रामः प्रेमर्धेर्वीक्ष्यौत्कण्ठ्यमनुक्षणम् । मुक्तस्तनेष्वपत्येष्वप्यहेतुविदचिन्तयत् ॥ 13.35 ॥

vrajasya rāmaḥ premardher vīkṣyautkaṇṭhyam anukṣaṇam mukta-staneṣv apatyeṣv apy ahetu-vid acintayat

Watching this ever-mounting tide of love in every creature of Vraja, moment after moment, Balarama, who could see no cause for it, began to reflect — noting how it reached even those calves long weaned, for whom such tenderness seemed to have no reason at all.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.10.13.36)

किमेतदद्भुतमिव वासुदेवेऽखिलात्मनि । व्रजस्य सात्मनस्तोकेष्वपूर्वं प्रेम वर्धते ॥ 13.36 ॥

kim etad adbhutam iva vāsudeve ’khilātmani vrajasya sātmanas tokeṣv apūrvaṁ prema vardhate

What strange wonder is this, he thought — that the love the people of Vraja bear for these boys of their own, though it is Vasudeva, the Self of all, who is really at its root, should keep swelling like this, unlike anything before?

Verse 37 (bhagavata.10.13.37)

केयं वा कुत आयाता दैवी वा नार्युतासुरी । प्रायो मायास्तु मे भर्तुर्नान्या मेऽपि विमोहिनी ॥ 13.37 ॥

keyaṁ vā kuta āyātā daivī vā nāry utāsurī prāyo māyāstu me bhartur nānyā me ’pi vimohinī

Who is she, and where has she come from — some goddess, or some demoness? It must surely be nothing but the illusive power of my own Lord, for no other force could bewilder even me.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.10.13.38)

इति सञ्चिन्त्य दाशार्हो वत्सान्सवयसानपि । सर्वानाचष्ट वैकुण्ठं चक्षुषा वयुनेन सः ॥ 13.38 ॥

iti sañcintya dāśārho vatsān sa-vayasān api sarvān ācaṣṭa vaikuṇṭhaṁ cakṣuṣā vayunena saḥ

Thinking this, Dasharha Balarama looked with his own inward, awakened sight and saw that all those calves, and all those boy companions too, were nothing but Vaikuntha itself.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.10.13.39)

नैते सुरेशा ऋषयो न चैते त्वमेव भासीश भिदाश्रयेऽपि । सर्वं पृथक्त्वं निगमात् कथं वदे- त्युक्तेन वृत्तं प्रभुणा बलोऽवैत् ॥ 13.39 ॥

naite sureśā ṛṣayo na caite tvam eva bhāsīśa bhid-āśraye ’pi sarvaṁ pṛthak tvaṁ nigamāt kathaṁ vadety uktena vṛttaṁ prabhuṇā balo ’vait

He said: my lord, these are neither gods nor sages — it is you alone, appearing thus even within the guise of difference. The scriptures speak of all things as separate — how then can this be called difference at all? Asked this, the Lord explained the whole matter, and Bala came to understand it.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.10.13.40)

तावदेत्यात्मभूरात्ममानेन त्रुट्यनेहसा । पुरोवदाब्दं क्रीडन्तं ददृशे सकलं हरिम् ॥ 13.40 ॥

tāvad etyātmabhūr ātma- mānena truṭy-anehasā purovad ābdaṁ krīḍantaṁ dadṛśe sa-kalaṁ harim

Meanwhile Brahma, to whom, by his own measure of time, only a single instant seemed to have passed, returned — and found Krishna still at play, exactly as before, together with all those complete forms of his own self, though by human reckoning a whole year had gone by.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.10.13.41)

यावन्तो गोकुले बालाः सवत्साः सर्व एव हि । मायाशये शयाना मे नाद्यापि पुनरुत्थिताः ॥ 13.41 ॥

yāvanto gokule bālāḥ sa-vatsāḥ sarva eva hi māyāśaye śayānā me nādyāpi punar utthitāḥ

He thought: whatever boys and calves there were in Gokula, they are all still lying asleep on the very bed of my illusion — not one of them has risen yet, even to this day.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.10.13.42)

इत एतेऽत्र कुत्रत्या मन्मायामोहितेतरे । तावन्त एव तत्राब्दं क्रीडन्तो विष्णुना समम् ॥ 13.42 ॥

ita ete ’tra kutratyā man-māyā-mohitetare tāvanta eva tatrābdaṁ krīḍanto viṣṇunā samam

Then who are these here, and where have they come from — distinct as they are from those whom my own illusion has bewildered, and yet playing there all year with Vishnu, matching them in every number?

Verse 43 (bhagavata.10.13.43)

एवमेतेषु भेदेषु चिरं ध्यात्वा स आत्मभूः । सत्याः के कतरे नेति ज्ञातुं नेष्टे कथञ्चन ॥ 13.43 ॥

evam eteṣu bhedeṣu ciraṁ dhyātvā sa ātma-bhūḥ satyāḥ ke katare neti jñātuṁ neṣṭe kathañcana

Thus, pondering long over this difference between the two sets, the self-born Brahma could not, in any way, determine which of them was real and which was not.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.10.13.44)

एवं सम्मोहयन् विष्णुं विमोहं विश्वमोहनम् । स्वयैव माययाजोऽपि स्वयमेव विमोहितः ॥ 13.44 ॥

evaṁ sammohayan viṣṇuṁ vimohaṁ viśva-mohanam svayaiva māyayājo ’pi svayam eva vimohitaḥ

So it was that in trying to bewilder Vishnu — who himself bewilders the whole universe and cannot ever be bewildered — the unborn Brahma ended up bewildered by nothing other than his own illusion.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.10.13.45)

तम्यां तमोवन्नैहारं खद्योतार्चिरिवाहनि । महतीतरमायैश्यं निहन्त्यात्मनि युञ्जतः ॥ 13.45 ॥

tamyāṁ tamovan naihāraṁ khadyotārcir ivāhani mahatītara-māyaiśyaṁ nihanty ātmani yuñjataḥ

Just as the glow of snow is lost in the darkness of night, and the glimmer of a firefly is lost in the light of day, so does the lesser power of anyone who pits his own mastery against a far greater one simply destroy itself in the act.

Verse 46 (bhagavata.10.13.46)

तावत् सर्वे वत्सपालाः पश्यतोऽजस्य तत्क्षणात् । व्यदृश्यन्त घनश्यामाः पीतकौशेयवाससः ॥ 13.46 ॥

tāvat sarve vatsa-pālāḥ paśyato ’jasya tat-kṣaṇāt vyadṛśyanta ghana-śyāmāḥ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ

At that very instant, before Brahma's own eyes, all those calf-herders suddenly appeared dark as a rain-cloud, dressed in garments of yellow silk.

Verse 47 (bhagavata.10.13.47)

चतुर्भुजाः शङ्खचक्रगदाराजीवपाणयः । किरीटिनः कुण्डलिनो हारिणो वनमालिनः ॥ 13.47 ॥

catur-bhujāḥ śaṅkha-cakra- gadā-rājīva-pāṇayaḥ kirīṭinaḥ kuṇḍalino hāriṇo vana-mālinaḥ

They had four arms each, holding conch, discus, mace and lotus, crowned, wearing earrings, adorned with garlands and necklaces of forest flowers.

Verse 48 (bhagavata.10.13.48)

श्रीवत्साङ्गददोरत्नकम्बुकङ्कणपाणयः । नूपुरैः कटकैर्भाताः कटिसूत्राङ्गुलीयकैः ॥ 13.48 ॥

śrīvatsāṅgada-do-ratna- kambu-kaṅkaṇa-pāṇayaḥ nūpuraiḥ kaṭakair bhātāḥ kaṭi-sūtrāṅgulīyakaiḥ

The mark of Shrivatsa lay upon their chests, armlets graced their arms, jeweled bracelets shone on their hands, and anklets, foot-rings and a girdle at the waist completed their splendor.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.10.13.49)

आङ्घ्रिमस्तकमापूर्णास्तुलसीनवदामभिः । कोमलैः सर्वगात्रेषु भूरिपुण्यवदर्पितैः ॥ 13.49 ॥

āṅghri-mastakam āpūrṇās tulasī-nava-dāmabhiḥ komalaiḥ sarva-gātreṣu bhūri-puṇyavad-arpitaiḥ

From foot to crown they were covered entirely in soft, fresh garlands of tulasi, offered by devotees of boundless merit.

Verse 50 (bhagavata.10.13.50)

चन्द्रिकाविशदस्मेरैः सारुणापाङ्गवीक्षितैः । स्वकार्थानामिव रजःसत्त्वाभ्यां स्रष्टृपालकाः ॥ 13.50 ॥

candrikā-viśada-smeraiḥ sāruṇāpāṅga-vīkṣitaiḥ svakārthānām iva rajaḥ- sattvābhyāṁ sraṣṭṛ-pālakāḥ

With smiles bright and pure as moonlight, and sidelong glances tinged faintly red, they seemed, like the qualities of passion and goodness themselves, to be shaping and guarding the fortunes of their own devotees.

Verse 51 (bhagavata.10.13.51)

आत्मादिस्तम्बपर्यन्तैर्मूर्तिमद्भिश्चराचरैः । नृत्यगीताद्यनेकार्हैः पृथक्पृथगुपासिताः ॥ 13.51 ॥

ātmādi-stamba-paryantair mūrtimadbhiś carācaraiḥ nṛtya-gītādy-anekārhaiḥ pṛthak pṛthag upāsitāḥ

Every embodied being, moving and unmoving alike, from Brahma down to the humblest blade of grass, was worshiping them, each in its own separate way, through dance and song and every fitting means.

Verse 52 (bhagavata.10.13.52)

अणिमाद्यैर्महिमभिरजाद्याभिर्विभूतिभिः । चतुर्विंशतिभिस्तत्त्वैः परीता महदादिभिः ॥ 13.52 ॥

aṇimādyair mahimabhir ajādyābhir vibhūtibhiḥ catur-viṁśatibhis tattvaiḥ parītā mahad-ādibhiḥ

They stood surrounded by the great powers beginning with the siddhi of animation, by the divine potencies beginning with Aja, and by the twenty-four principles of creation beginning with the mahat-tattva.

Verse 53 (bhagavata.10.13.53)

कालस्वभावसंस्कारकामकर्मगुणादिभिः । स्वमहिध्वस्तमहिभिर्मूर्तिमद्भिरुपासिताः ॥ 13.53 ॥

kāla-svabhāva-saṁskāra- kāma-karma-guṇādibhiḥ sva-mahi-dhvasta-mahibhir mūrtimadbhir upāsitāḥ

Time, inherent nature, conditioning, desire, action and the qualities of matter — powers whose own force is utterly eclipsed before that glory — these too, taking bodily form, were found worshiping them.

Verse 54 (bhagavata.10.13.54)

सत्यज्ञानानन्तानन्दमात्रैकरसमूर्तयः । अस्पृष्टभूरिमाहात्म्या अपि ह्युपनिषद्दृशाम् ॥ 13.54 ॥

satya-jñānānantānanda- mātraika-rasa-mūrtayaḥ aspṛṣṭa-bhūri-māhātmyā api hy upaniṣad-dṛśām

They were embodiments of a single, undivided essence — being, consciousness and endless bliss — a vast glory that not even the seers of the Upanishads could ever fully touch.

Verse 55 (bhagavata.10.13.55)

एवं सकृद् ददर्शाजः परब्रह्मात्मनोऽखिलान् । यस्य भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति सचराचरम् ॥ 13.55 ॥

evaṁ sakṛd dadarśājaḥ para-brahmātmano ’khilān yasya bhāsā sarvam idaṁ vibhāti sa-carācaram

Thus, in a single moment, the unborn Brahma beheld them all as forms of the Supreme Brahman itself — that very light by which this whole universe, with all its moving and unmoving beings, is made to shine.

Verse 56 (bhagavata.10.13.56)

ततोऽतिकुतुकोद्वृत्यस्तिमितैकादशेन्द्रियः । तद्धाम्नाभूदजस्तूष्णीं पूर्देव्यन्तीव पुत्रिका ॥ 13.56 ॥

tato ’tikutukodvṛtya- stimitaikādaśendriyaḥ tad-dhāmnābhūd ajas tūṣṇīṁ pūr-devy-antīva putrikā

Then, his eleven senses all thrown into turmoil by sheer wonder and struck utterly still, Brahma stood silent before that radiance, exactly as a village girl's little clay doll stands mute before the town deity.

Verse 57 (bhagavata.10.13.57)

इतीरेशेऽतर्क्ये निजमहिमनि स्वप्रमितिके परत्राजातोऽतन्निरसनमुखब्रह्मकमितौ । अनीशेऽपि द्रष्टुं किमिदमिति वा मुह्यति सति चच्छादाजो ज्ञात्वा सपदि परमोऽजाजवनिकाम् ॥ 13.57 ॥

itīreśe ’tarkye nija-mahimani sva-pramitike paratrājāto ’tan-nirasana-mukha-brahmaka-mitau anīśe ’pi draṣṭuṁ kim idam iti vā muhyati sati cacchādājo jñātvā sapadi paramo ’jā-javanikām

Faced thus with a glory beyond all reckoning, self-evident, beyond every category, known only through the negation of all that it is not by the seers of the Upanishads, Brahma found himself unable even to see — and as he stood there bewildered, wondering what is this — the Supreme Lord, understanding his state at once, drew back the curtain of his own illusion.

Verse 58 (bhagavata.10.13.58)

ततोऽर्वाक्प्रतिलब्धाक्षः कः परेतवदुत्थितः । कृच्छ्रादुन्मील्य वै दृष्टीराचष्टेदं सहात्मना ॥ 13.58 ॥

tato ’rvāk pratilabdhākṣaḥ kaḥ paretavad utthitaḥ kṛcchrād unmīlya vai dṛṣṭīr ācaṣṭedaṁ sahātmanā

Regaining his outward awareness then, like a dead man rising back to life, Brahma, with great effort, forced his eyes open and beheld this whole world once more, himself included in it.

Verse 59 (bhagavata.10.13.59)

सपद्येवाभितः पश्यन् दिशोऽपश्यत्पुरःस्थितम् । वृन्दावनं जनाजीव्यद्रुमाकीर्णं समाप्रियम् ॥ 13.59 ॥

sapady evābhitaḥ paśyan diśo ’paśyat puraḥ-sthitam vṛndāvanaṁ janājīvya- drumākīrṇaṁ samā-priyam

Looking all around, he found before him at once that same Vrindavana, thick with the very trees on which the people there depended for their living, a place equally dear in every season alike.

Verse 60 (bhagavata.10.13.60)

यत्र नैसर्गदुर्वैराः सहासन् नृमृगादयः । मित्राणीवाजितावासद्रुतरुट्तर्षकादिकम् ॥ 13.60 ॥

yatra naisarga-durvairāḥ sahāsan nṛ-mṛgādayaḥ mitrāṇīvājitāvāsa- druta-ruṭ-tarṣakādikam

There, creatures naturally hostile to one another — men and beasts alike — dwelt together as though the closest of friends; hatred, thirst and hunger seemed simply to have dissolved away, so near to where the Unconquerable made his home.

Verse 61 (bhagavata.10.13.61)

तत्रोद्वहत् पशुपवंशशिशुत्वनाट्यं ब्रह्माद्वयं परमनन्तमगाधबोधम् । वत्सान् सखीनिव पुरा परितो विचिन्व- देकं सपाणिकवलं परमेष्ठ्यचष्ट ॥ 13.61 ॥

tatrodvahat paśupa-vaṁśa-śiśutva-nāṭyaṁ brahmādvayaṁ param anantam agādha-bodham vatsān sakhīn iva purā parito vicinvad ekaṁ sa-pāṇi-kavalaṁ parameṣṭhy acaṣṭa

And there, playing out the guise of a mere child of the cowherd clan, that one, supreme, infinite Brahman of unfathomable knowledge appeared before Brahma the Creator — just as before, alone, a single morsel still in hand, searching all around for his friends, the calves.

Verse 62 (bhagavata.10.13.62)

दृष्ट्वा त्वरेण निजधोरणतोऽवतीर्य पृथ्व्यां वपुः कनकदण्डमिवाभिपात्य । स्पृष्ट्वा चतुर्मुकुटकोटिभिरङ्घ्रियुग्मं नत्वा मुदश्रुसुजलैरकृताभिषेकम् ॥ 13.62 ॥

dṛṣṭvā tvareṇa nija-dhoraṇato ’vatīrya pṛthvyāṁ vapuḥ kanaka-daṇḍam ivābhipātya spṛṣṭvā catur-mukuṭa-koṭibhir aṅghri-yugmaṁ natvā mud-aśru-sujalair akṛtābhiṣekam

The moment he saw this, Brahma hastily got down from his own mount, flung his body to the earth like a rod of gold, touched the Lord's two feet with the tips of his four crowns, bowed low before him, and, without meaning to, bathed those feet in the pure water of his own tears of joy.

Verse 63 (bhagavata.10.13.63)

उत्थायोत्थाय कृष्णस्य चिरस्य पादयोः पतन् । आस्ते महित्वं प्राग्दृष्टं स्मृत्वा स्मृत्वा पुनः पुनः ॥ 13.63 ॥

utthāyotthāya kṛṣṇasya cirasya pādayoḥ patan āste mahitvaṁ prāg-dṛṣṭaṁ smṛtvā smṛtvā punaḥ punaḥ

Rising again and again only to fall once more at Krishna's feet, Brahma remained there a long while, remembering, over and over, the glory he had just beheld.

Verse 64 (bhagavata.10.13.64)

शनैरथोत्थाय विमृज्य लोचने मुकुन्दमुद्वीक्ष्य विनम्रकन्धरः । कृताञ्जलिः प्रश्रयवान् समाहितः सवेपथुर्गद्गदयैलतेलया ॥ 13.64 ॥

śanair athotthāya vimṛjya locane mukundam udvīkṣya vinamra-kandharaḥ kṛtāñjaliḥ praśrayavān samāhitaḥ sa-vepathur gadgadayailatelayā

Then, slowly rising, wiping his eyes, and looking up at Mukunda, Brahma, his neck bowed low, his hands folded in reverence, humble and utterly composed yet trembling in body, began — in a voice choked with feeling — to offer his praises.