Bhagavatapurana 10.13

10.13.1

* //
/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
sādhu pṛṣṭaṃ mahā-bhāga tvayā bhāgavatottama /
yan nūtanayasīśasya śṛṇvann api kathāṃ muhuḥ //

Śrī Śuka said: / Well asked, O highly fortunate one, O best of devotees, / since, though hearing again and again, you make the Lord's story ever new.

1. Sri Suka said:—A very good enquiry hast thou started, O foremost one among Hari's votaries; listening as thou art to the stories of the Almighty Lord, thou makest them ever fresh (by thy queries).

10.13.2

satām ayaṃ sāra-bhṛtāṃ nisargo yad-artha-vāṇī-śruti-cetasām api /
prati-kṣaṇaṃ navya-vad acyutasya yat striyā viṭānām iva sādhu vārtā //

This is the nature of virtuous devotees who grasp the essence, whose speech, ears, and minds are devoted to Him, / that the news of Acyuta feels ever fresh at every moment, just as news of a woman does to lustful men.

2. This is the nature of the righteous who know what is essential in all things, that the stories of Achyuta are ever new to them though their speech, ears and mind are ever devoted to them, even as the topic of women is entertaining to gallants.

10.13.3

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

Listen attentively, O King; I shall tell you even what is secret. / Spiritual masters will reveal even a secret to an affectionate disciple.

3. Listen to me with attention, O king, I shall tell thee even what is most secret; for preceptors would impart to their beloved pupil even what is most hidden.

10.13.4

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

Having thus saved the cowherd boys from the mouth of death, Agha, / the Lord brought them to the riverbank and spoke as follows:

4. Having thus saved his companions who were tending the calves from the deadly mouth of Agha, the glorious Lord brought them down to the sands of the river and said to them:—

10.13.5

aho 'tiramyaṃ pulinaṃ vayasyāḥ sva-keli-sampan mṛdulāccha-bālukam /
sphuṭat-saro-gandha-hṛtāli-patrika- dhvani-pratidhvāna-lasad-drumākulam //

“O friends, how charming is this sandy bank, a perfection for our play, with its soft, pure sands, / crowded with trees that shine with the reverberations of the humming bees and chirping birds attracted by the fragrance of blooming lotuses!

5. “Friends, how charming is this bank of deep, soft and unstained sand; most agreeable for our sports! It is surrounded with trees most bewitching with the echoing notes and the humming of birds and bees drawn hither by the fragrance of the blowing lotuses.

10.13.6

atra bhoktavyam asmābhir divārūḍhaṃ kṣudhārditāḥ /
vatsāḥ samīpe 'paḥ pītvā carantu śanakais tṛṇam //

We should eat our meal here, for the day is far advanced and we are afflicted with hunger. / Let the calves drink water nearby and graze slowly on the grass.”

6. “Here let us have our break-fast; the day is already far advanced and we are hungry; let the calves drink water and leisurely graze on grass near at hand.

10.13.7

tatheti pāyayitvārbhā vatsān ārudhya śādvale /
muktvā śikyāni bubhujuḥ samaṃ bhagavatā mudā //

Agreeing, the boys gave water to the calves, left them on the lush grass, / set down their lunch bundles, and ate together with the Lord in great delight.

7. Accordingly they led the calves to the water and enclosed them on the green; they opened their wallets (set aside their slings) and in great delight messed along with Sri Krishna.

10.13.7.p1

kṛṣṇasya viṣvak puru-rāji-maṇḍalair $ abhyānanāḥ phulla-dṛśo vrajārbhakāḥ &

Surrounding Kṛṣṇa in large circular rows, / their faces turned toward Him, their eyes blossoming with joy, the boys of Vraja

8. In many a circle round Krishna sat the boys of the Vraja, all facing Him with their eyes wide open; thus seated with Krishna in the forest, they shone like petals arranged round the pericarp of a lotus.

10.13.8

sahopaviṣṭā vipine virejuś % chadā yathāmbhoruha-karṇikāyāḥ //

shone brightly seated together in the forest, like the petals of a lotus whorl.

10.13.9

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

Some made plates of flowers, some of leaves, / some of sprouts, shoots, fruits, / fiber-baskets, barks, and stones, and thus took their meal.

9. Some used flowers and leaves as their plates, some tender leaves and shoots; some fruits; some their own slings; some barks; and some pieces of stone; and they ate out of them.

10.13.10

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

All showing one another the special flavors of their own food, / laughing and making one another laugh, they ate alongside their Lord.

10. With the Lord ate all of them making one another relish the taste of their dish; they laughed and set others alaughing.

10.13.10.p1

bibhrad veṇuṃ jaṭhara-paṭayoḥ śṛṅga-vetre ca kakṣe $ vāme pāṇau masṛṇa-kavalaṃ tat-phalāny aṅgulīṣu &

Tucking His flute between His belly and garment, and His horn and staff beneath His armpit, / holding a soft morsel of food in His left hand and fruits between His fingers,

11. With his flute between his belly and his garment, the horn and the cane underneath his left arm, the soft morsel in the left hand, and fruits between his fingers, seated in the middle, walled in by his comrades, he cracked jokes, induced laughter in them and ate—He, the one deity of all sacrifices, exhibiting the sportive mood of lads, while the celestial world witnessed it (in wonder).

10.13.11

tiṣṭhan madhye sva-parisuhṛdo hāsayan narmabhiḥ svaiḥ % svarge loke miṣati bubhuje yajña-bhug bāla-keliḥ //

sitting in the middle and making His close friends laugh with His jokes, / the enjoyer of sacrifices, playing as a boy, ate while the heavenly world watched.

10.13.12

bhārataivaṃ vatsa-peṣu bhuñjāneṣv acyutātmasu /
vatsās tv antar-vane dūraṃ viviśus tṛṇa-lobhitāḥ //

O descendant of Bharata, while the cowherd boys, their minds merged in Acyuta, were thus eating, / the calves, lured by the grass, wandered deep into the interior of the forest.

12. O Bharata, while the cowherds were thus having their repast, with their hearts absorbed in Achyuta, the calves allured by luxuriant pasture strayed far away into the woods.

10.13.13

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

Seeing them terrified with fear, Kṛṣṇa, fear unto fear itself, said to them: / “Friends, do not stop eating; I shall bring the calves right here.”

13. Beholding them cast in fear, Krishna dispelled their fear and said “O friends, do not stop eating. Here, will I get you your calves.”

10.13.14

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

Having said this, searching for their calves in the mountain caves, groves, / and bowers, the Lord Kṛṣṇa set out, holding a morsel of food in His hand.

14. Having thus assured them the blessed Lord Krishna with the morsel of food in his hand went far searching for the calves over mountains, in caves, bushes and dark forests.

10.13.14.p1

ambhojanma-janis tad-antara-gato māyārbhakasyeśitur $ draṣṭuṃ mañju mahitvam anyad api tad-vatsān ito vatsapān &

The lotus-born [Brahmā], who had stepped in between, to behold further charming majesty of the Lord acting as a boy by his creative power, led away from there his calves and cowherd boys,

15. Meanwhile, eager to enjoy another delightful work of His glorious power, Brahma the Lotus-born carried away thence His calves and friends and, O best of Kurus, secreted them at some other place; for he had already watched from the sky with great wonder and delight how the powerful Lord saved them from Aghasura.

10.13.15

nītvānyatra kurūdvahāntaradadhāt khe 'vasthito yaḥ purā % dṛṣṭvāghāsura-mokṣaṇaṃ prabhavataḥ prāptaḥ paraṃ vismayam //

and took them elsewhere, O best of the Kurus, and concealed them, while remaining in the sky—he who formerly, having seen the liberation of the demon Agha from that powerful Lord, had been struck with the utmost wonder.

10.13.16

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

Then, having returned and not seeing the calves nor the cowherd boys upon the sandbank, / Kṛṣṇa searched for both everywhere in the forest.

16. Thereupon, failing to find the calves there and, on the sand-bank too, the cowherd boys, Krishna searched for both of them on all sides in the forest.

10.13.17

kvāpy adṛṣṭvāntar-vipine vatsān pālāṃś ca viśva-vit /
sarvaṃ vidhi-kṛtaṃ kṛṣṇaḥ sahasāvajagāma ha //

Not seeing the calves and the keepers anywhere in the heart of the forest, Kṛṣṇa, the knower of all, / immediately understood that it was all done by the creator [Brahmā].

17. Not finding anywhere in the forest the calves and the boys, the Omniscient Krishna at once saw that it was all the work of Brahma.

10.13.18

tataḥ kṛṣṇo mudaṃ kartuṃ tan-mātṝṇāṃ ca kasya ca /
ubhayāyitam ātmānaṃ cakre viśva-kṛd īśvaraḥ //

Then, to bring joy to their mothers and to the creator, / Kṛṣṇa, the Lord and creator of the universe, made himself take the form of both.

18. Now to the joy of their mothers as well as to Brahma, Krishna, the one supreme maker of the Universe, exhibited himself as both (calves and their herdsmen.)

10.13.18.p1

yāvad vatsapa-vatsakālpaka-vapur yāvat karāṅghry-ādikaṃ $ yāvad yaṣṭi-viṣāṇa-veṇu-dala-śig yāvad vibhūṣāmbaram &

With bodies the exact small size of the cowherd boys and the calves, with identical hands, feet, and limbs, / with the same staffs, horns, flutes, leaf-cups, and bundles, with the same ornaments and garments,

20. Himself being the Atman (Lord) himself, the cows and the calves and the guide to the cowherds and playing his own games, the Atman of all entered Vraja.

10.13.19

yāvac chīla-guṇābhidhākṛti-vayo yāvad vihārādikaṃ % sarvaṃ viṣṇumayaṃ giro 'ṅga-vad ajaḥ sarva-svarūpo babhau //

with the same character, qualities, names, appearances, ages, and identical play and the rest— / the unborn Lord, who is the form of everything, shone forth as all Viṣṇu, just as words describe his limbs.

10.13.20

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

Himself, the Self, driving back his own calves with his own cowherd boys / and playing with his own pastimes, the Self of all entered Vraja.

10.13.21

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

Leading the respective calves separately and placing them in their respective pens, / he became the respective self [of each boy], O King, and entered their respective dwellings.

21. He drove separately the respective cows, to their several houses, tied them in their respective stalls, and having entered the several houses he was, O king, the same as the property of each.

10.13.22

tan-mātaro veṇu-rava-tvarotthitā utthāpya dorbhiḥ parirabhya nirbharam /
sneha-snuta-stanya-payaḥ-sudhāsavaṃ matvā paraṃ brahma sutān apāyayan //

Their mothers, rising up quickly at the sound of the flutes, lifted them with their arms and embraced them tightly; / taking them to be their sons, they nursed the supreme Brahman with nectar-like milk streaming from their breasts out of affection.

22. Impatiently rising at the sound of the flute, their mothers closely embraced their sons with their arms and mistaking Para-Brahman for their children suckled them at their breast overflowing with love and milk sweet as ambrosia.

10.13.23

tato nṛponmardana-majja-lepanā- laṅkāra-rakṣā-tilakāśanādibhiḥ /
saṃlālitaḥ svācaritaiḥ praharṣayan sāyaṃ gato yāma-yamena mādhavaḥ //

Then, O King, after being bathed, massaged, anointed, decorated, / protected with amulets, marked with tilaka, fed, and fondled, delighting them with his deeds, Mādhava went to sleep as evening arrived.

23. So, O king, he returned in the evening after his appointed sports during different parts of the day and by His fine ways gave them delight while the mothers comforted Him in their intense love with shampooing, baths, pigments, ornaments, _tilaka_ as talisman, delicious food and the like.

10.13.24

gāvas tato goṣṭham upetya satvaraṃ huṅkāra-ghoṣaiḥ parihūta-saṅgatān /
svakān svakān vatsatarān apāyayan muhur lihantyaḥ sravad audhasaṃ payaḥ //

Then the cows, arriving swiftly at the pen, called their own respective young calves / with bellowing sounds, and as the calves gathered, they repeatedly licked them and nursed them with milk flowing from their udders.

24. Following Him in haste the kine entered their stalls calling to them their several calves by their own voices and suckled them at their overflowing udders and licked them all over.

10.13.25

go-gopīnāṃ mātṛtāsminn āsīt snehardhikāṃ vinā /
purovad āsv api hares tokatā māyayā vinā //

The motherhood of the cows and cowherd women toward him was just as before, though with increased affection; / and Hari's boyhood toward them was also as before, yet without his creative power [acting as a barrier].

25. Towards Him (Krishna) the motherly care of cows and of Gopa women was wholly the same as before and only their affection grew stronger; and towards them Hari's behaviour as a child was the same as before, and only the delusion on their part grew stronger.

10.13.26

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

For a whole year, the creeper of affection among the inhabitants of Vraja toward their own children / grew day by day without bounds, just as toward Kṛṣṇa, as though never seen before.

26. Day by day for one complete year the creeper of affection in the hearts of all people at Vraja towards their own children grew slowly, while towards Krishna it was unlimited and grew in unprecedented manner (V. as before.)

10.13.27

ittham ātmātmanātmānaṃ vatsa-pāla-miṣeṇa saḥ /
pālayan vatsapo varṣaṃ cikrīḍe vana-goṣṭhayoḥ //

In this way, the cowherd boy, the Self, protecting himself by himself / under the guise of the calves and their keepers, played for a year in the forest and the cowpens.

27. Thus in the forms of cowherd boys, Sri Krishna the Paramatman, now as one tending the calves, protected as it were himself by himself and spent one year in sportful activities in the woods as well as at Vraja.

10.13.28

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

One day, five or six nights before the year was complete, / the unborn Lord entered the forest grazing the calves in the company of Rāma.

28. On one day when the year was to close in five or six nights, along with Bala Rama he entered the woods in the course of His tending the calves.

10.13.29

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

Then the cows, grazing on grass at the top of Govardhana Hill, / saw the calves grazing at a distance near Vraja.

29. Then from a great distance the cows grazing grass (pasture) on the summit of mount Govardhana espied their calves near Vraja.

10.13.30

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

Seeing them, overcome by affection for them, oblivious of themselves, that herd of cows, / bounding over paths difficult even for their keepers, with hump and neck outstretched, tails raised, running as if on two legs, rushed swiftly with lowing sounds, milk dripping [from their udders].

30. When they saw, they forgot themselves and were in a trance through their affection for the calves took to a path hard to be followed by their protectors and looked like bi-footed creatures with their heads and tails erect, showering milk all round and running in breathless haste.

10.13.31

sametya gāvo 'dho vatsān vatsavatyo 'py apāyayan /
gilantya iva cāṅgāni lihantyaḥ svaudhasaṃ payaḥ //

Reaching the calves below, the cows, even though they had other young calves, nursed them, / licking their limbs and pouring forth the milk from their udders as if swallowing them whole.

31. These cows came up to those calves and, in spite of other calves they had, suckled them at their udders and licked them as if they would devour them (in intense eagerness).

10.13.32

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

The cowherds, filled with shame and great anger at the futility of their efforts to restrain them, / came down with difficulty over the rugged path, and saw their sons along with the calves.

32. Having with great difficulty made their way down from the inaccessible mountain side the Gopas met the cows in their anger enhanced by their perplexity and feelings of disgrace on account of their inability to control and restrain them and saw (to their joy) their own sons along with their calves.

10.13.33

tad-īkṣaṇotprema-rasāplutāśayā jātānurāgā gata-manyavo 'rbhakān /
uduhya dorbhiḥ parirabhya mūrdhani ghrāṇair avāpuḥ paramāṃ mudaṃ te //

Their hearts flooded with the aesthetic flavor of intense love at the sight of them, their anger gone, affection awakened, / they lifted up the boys with their arms, embraced them, and smelled their heads, attaining supreme joy.

33. They saw them, with hearts overwhelmed with overflowing love, in their rising affection forgot their anger, raised and embraced the children in their arms and smelled them on their crown and were transported with joy.

10.13.34

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

Then the elder cowherds, deeply comforted by the embrace of their children, / slowly departed with difficulty, their eyes filled with tears as they remembered them.

34. Then the aged Gopas most happy to embrace their children let them go with great reluctance, their eyes brimming with tears as they remembered their children.

10.13.35

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

Seeing the yearning of Vraja and the swell of affection at every moment, / even toward children who had already been weaned, Rāma, not knowing the cause, began to reflect:

35. Bala Rama observed every moment the intense and growing affection on the part of Vraja towards even the children weaned away from their mother’s breast, and not understanding its cause, thought (as follows):— 36. What wonder it is that the love in the heart of the whole Vraja, myself not excepted, grows incalculably intense towards Vasudeva, the one Lord of all, as well as towards all children.

10.13.36

kim etad adbhutam iva vāsudeve 'khilātmani /
vrajasya sātmanas tokeṣv apūrvaṃ prema vardhate //

"What wonderful thing is this, that such unprecedented love increases among the people of Vraja / toward their children, as it does toward Vāsudeva, the Self of all, and toward myself?

35. Bala Rama observed every moment the intense and growing affection on the part of Vraja towards even the children weaned away from their mother’s breast, and not understanding its cause, thought (as follows):— 36. What wonder it is that the love in the heart of the whole Vraja, myself not excepted, grows incalculably intense towards Vasudeva, the one Lord of all, as well as towards all children.

10.13.37

keyaṃ vā kuta āyātā daivī vā nāry utāsurī /
prāyo māyāstu me bhartur nānyā me 'pi vimohinī //

"What is this, and whence has it come? Is it divine, human, or demonic? / It must probably be the creative power of my Master; no other power could bewilder even me."

37. What is this? Whence is this? Is it a deity or a woman or a Rakshasi? (No). Most surely it cannot be any other than Maya, the illusive power of my Lord, for it deludes me, too.

10.13.38

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

Thinking thus, that descendant of Daśārha saw the calves along with their companions— / he saw them all as Vaikuṇṭha with his eye of discernment.

38. Thus intensely thinking over it BalaRama saw through His mental vision, all to be Krishna himself.

10.13.39

naite sureśā ṛṣayo na caite tvam eva bhāsīśa bhid-āśraye 'pi /
sarvaṃ pṛthak tvaṃ nigamāt kathaṃ vadety uktena vṛttaṃ prabhuṇā balo 'vait //

"These are not the lords of the gods, nor are they sages; you alone shine forth, O Lord, even in this abode of distinction. / Tell me, how are you everything yet distinct according to the Vedic word?" When thus addressed, Bala understood what had happened through the Lord.

39. These are neither the great gods, nor the Rishis; Thou thyself appearest, O Lord, in all these different forms. "How came all this difference, please tell me;" thus asked the Lord answered in brief and BalaRama understood it. [V. Please tell me how all this difference came to be; thus asked, the Lord said that it was through His own will as stated in the Vedas and BalaRama realised it.]

10.13.40

tāvad etyātmabhūr ātma- mānena truṭy-anehasā /
purovad ābdaṃ krīḍantaṃ dadṛśe sa-kalaṃ harim //

Meanwhile the self-born [Brahmā] arrived, having spent a mere fraction of a moment by his own reckoning of time, / and saw Hari playing for a full year with his companions, just as before.

40. Thereupon, in the space of a winking according to his own measure of time, Brahma came down and saw Hari and everything sporting through a year, all as before.

10.13.41

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

"All the boys of Gokula, together with the calves, / are sleeping in the dwelling of my creative power and have not awakened even today.

41. "Here are as many boys and calves as there were in Gokula—all of them have not as yet risen from the bed of my Maya.

10.13.42

ita ete 'tra kutratyā man-māyā-mohitetare /
tāvanta eva tatrābdaṃ krīḍanto viṣṇunā samam //

"From where have these others come here, distinct from those bewildered by my creative power, / the exact same number, playing for a year together with Viṣṇu?"

42. "Who and whence are these that are other than those deluded by me and have been for one year sporting with Vishnu?"

10.13.43

evam eteṣu bhedeṣu ciraṃ dhyātvā sa ātma-bhūḥ /
satyāḥ ke katare neti jñātuṃ neṣṭe kathañcana //

Thus contemplating these distinctions for a long time, the self-born [Brahmā] / was in no way able to discern which were real and which were not.

43. Thus Brahma long contemplated on these differences and was not at all able to see who were the real ones and who were not.

10.13.44

evaṃ sammohayan viṣṇuṃ vimohaṃ viśva-mohanam /
svayaiva māyayājo 'pi svayam eva vimohitaḥ //

Thus trying to bewilder Viṣṇu, who is free from bewilderment and the bewilderer of the universe, / the unborn [Brahmā] was himself bewildered by his own creative power,

44. Thus in trying to delude Vishnu who is untouched by any delusion and deludes all, Brahma, got himself deluded by his own powers of delusion.

10.13.45

tamyāṃ tamovan naihāraṃ khadyotārcir ivāhani /
mahatītara-māyaiśyaṃ nihanty ātmani yuñjataḥ //

just as mist in the darkness of night or the glow of a firefly in daylight [is extinguished]; / so does the lesser creative power of another destroy its own power when directed against the Great One.

45. In the darkness of a night, that which is caused by a mist is merged; the light emitted by a fire-fly is merged in the light of day, similarly any other deluding power when used against Atman loses its force and (only) takes away the Lord's presence (grace) from him (who uses it).

10.13.46

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

Then, in that very instant, while the unborn [Brahmā] looked on, all the cowherd boys / were seen to have the dark hue of rain clouds and yellow silk garments,

46. At that moment, as Brahma was looking on, all the calves were seen to be Persons of cloud-like complexion clad in *Pitambaras*. 47. With four arms weilding Sankha, Chakra Gada and Padma wearing crowns and ear-rings, strings of pearls and Vanamalas (garlands of flowers),

10.13.47

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

with four arms holding the conch, discus, mace, and lotus, / wearing crowns, earrings, necklaces, and forest garlands;

46. At that moment, as Brahma was looking on, all the calves were seen to be Persons of cloud-like complexion clad in *Pitambaras*. 47. With four arms weilding Sankha, Chakra Gada and Padma wearing crowns and ear-rings, strings of pearls and Vanamalas (garlands of flowers),

10.13.48

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

with hands adorned with the Śrīvatsa mark, armlets on their arms, jewel-like conch-bracelets, / shining with anklets, bracelets, waistbands, and finger-rings;

48. & 49. Adorned with Srivatsa, Angada (on upper arms) and with bracelets of precious jewels [V. with their chest adorned with Sri Vatsa and their neck adorned with Kaustubha] resplendent with Nupuras (anklets), zones and finger-rings; brilliant with fresh garlands of tender tulasi, all over the person, head to foot, offered by the highly righteous.

10.13.49

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

covered from head to foot with fresh garlands of tulasī / soft over all their limbs, offered by those of great merit;

48. & 49. Adorned with Srivatsa, Angada (on upper arms) and with bracelets of precious jewels [V. with their chest adorned with Sri Vatsa and their neck adorned with Kaustubha] resplendent with Nupuras (anklets), zones and finger-rings; brilliant with fresh garlands of tender tulasi, all over the person, head to foot, offered by the highly righteous.

10.13.50

candrikā-viśada-smeraiḥ sāruṇāpāṅga-vīkṣitaiḥ /
svakārthānām iva rajaḥ- sattvābhyāṃ sraṣṭṛ-pālakāḥ //

with smiles brilliant as moonlight, and glances from the reddish corners of their eyes, / appearing as creators and sustainers through passion and purity, as if fulfilling their own devotees' desires;

50. With smiles bright like moonlight and with their sidelong looks of reddish eyes, they were seen creators and protectors of the purpose of their votaries through Rajas and Satva.

10.13.51

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

worshiped individually by all moving and unmoving beings, from the self down to a clump of grass, / endowed with physical forms, with various offerings such as dance and song;

51. They were severally worshipped by all the mobile and the immobile creatures in their best forms, from Brahma (the four-faced) to the clump of grass, with dancing, music and other courses of worship,

10.13.52

aṇimādyair mahimabhir ajādyābhir vibhūtibhiḥ /
catur-viṃśatibhis tattvaiḥ parītā mahad-ādibhiḥ //

surrounded by the mystic powers such as lightness, by faculties beginning with nature, / and by the twenty-four primary principles beginning with the cosmic intellect;

52. Attended by Powers of Anima and the like, and likewise by Maya and others and also by the Mahat and other Principles, twenty four in number.

10.13.53

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

worshiped by time, nature, latent impressions, desire, karma, the qualities, and the rest, / taking embodied forms, their own power eclipsed by his greatness;

53. They were waited upon by Time, Nature, Tendencies, Desire, Action, Qualities and the like, all in a personal form with their powers eclipsed by those of the Almighty Lord.

10.13.54

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

whose forms consisted purely of the single essence of truth, knowledge, infinity, and bliss, / their vast greatness untouched even by the vision of the Upaniṣads.

54. All were forms of absolutely one essence of reality, consciousness, and unlimited blissfulness and of incomprehensible glory never approached even by those who have attained the divine vision of Upanishadic wisdom.

10.13.55

evaṃ sakṛd dadarśājaḥ para-brahmātmano 'khilān /
yasya bhāsā sarvam idaṃ vibhāti sa-carācaram //

Thus all at once the unborn [Brahmā] beheld them all as the supreme Brahman himself, / by whose light all this universe, with both the moving and unmoving, shines forth.

55. Thus but once saw Brahma all those forms were one with ParaBrahman, whose rays make all this mobile and the immobile Universe shine (live).

10.13.56

tato 'tikutukodvṛtya- stimitaikādaśendriyaḥ /
tad-dhāmnābhūd ajas tūṣṇīṃ pūr-devy-antīva putrikā //

Then, with his eleven senses paralyzed by overwhelming astonishment, / the unborn [Brahmā] fell silent before His glory, like a clay doll before a city's tutelary deity.

56. At that moment in his inexplicable curiosity and wonder Brahma had all his eleven senses overpowered and rendered still by their effulgence and he stood in motionless silence like a doll by the side of a village deity.

10.13.56.p1

itīreśe 'tarkye nija-mahimani sva-pramitike $ paratrājāto 'tan-nirasana-mukha-brahmaka-mitau &

Thus, while the Lord of Maya [manifested] His unfathomable majesty, which is known only by Himself, beyond [the reach of the senses], unborn, and ascertained by the negation of what is not Brahman,

57. When Brahma, the lord of Saraswati, was unable to perceive what it was and stood perplexed in respect of the incomprehensible ParaBrahman of its own peculiar and unlimited glory shining by itself in perfect bliss, which is known only through Vedic texts that discribe Him (it) in the negative, showing what it is not, the Unborn and Omnipotent Lord, far above Prakriti, soon drew off the curtain of His Maya (from Brahma).

10.13.57

anīśe 'pi draṣṭuṃ kim idam iti vā muhyati sati % cacchādājo jñātvā sapadi paramo 'jā-javanikām //

and when the other unborn [Brahmā] was bewildered, unable even to see or comprehend what this was, the Supreme Unborn Lord immediately drew the curtain of His creative power.

10.13.58

tato 'rvāk pratilabdhākṣaḥ kaḥ paretavad utthitaḥ /
kṛcchrād unmīlya vai dṛṣṭīr ācaṣṭedaṃ sahātmanā //

Then, his outer vision restored, Brahmā arose as if from the dead. / Opening his eyes with great difficulty, he looked upon this universe along with himself.

58. Thereupon with his eyes restored to grasping external things and like one rising with difficulty from death, Brahma opened his eyes and perceived all this universe as well as himself.

10.13.59

sapady evābhitaḥ paśyan diśo 'paśyat puraḥ-sthitam /
vṛndāvanaṃ janājīvya- drumākīrṇaṃ samā-priyam //

Glancing immediately in all directions, he saw Vṛndāvana standing before him, / crowded with trees that provide livelihoods for people, delightful in all seasons,

59. At once he turned and looked in every direction saw before him the Brindavana abounding in trees which were a source of living to its people, and in all desired things in inexhaustible supply.

10.13.60

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

where human beings, beasts, and other creatures, naturally inveterate enemies, lived together / like friends, their anger, thirst, and other faults dissipated by the abode of the unconquered Lord.

60. And there lived together in friendship those men, bears and other creatures, naturally at enmity, and by the Lord's presence (now) cured of their hatred and thirst and other appetites and feelings.

10.13.60.p1

tatrodvahat paśupa-vaṃśa-śiśutva-nāṭyaṃ $ brahmādvayaṃ param anantam agādha-bodham &

There, acting the role of a cowherd boy, the non-dual, supreme, infinite Brahman of bottomless consciousness—

61. And there Brahma (the four-faced) saw the one, second less Brahman that behaved like a child born of the king of cowherds the Supreme, unlimited and absolute consciousness as He was, that was, with a morsel of food in hand searching as before for the calves and his mates.

10.13.61

vatsān sakhīn iva purā parito vicinvad % ekaṃ sa-pāṇi-kavalaṃ parameṣṭhy acaṣṭa //

searching everywhere for the calves and his companions just as before, alone with a morsel of food in his hand—was seen by the Lord of the highest abode.

10.13.61.p2

dṛṣṭvā tvareṇa nija-dhoraṇato 'vatīrya $ pṛthvyāṃ vapuḥ kanaka-daṇḍam ivābhipātya &

Seeing [Him], he quickly descended from his mount, threw down his body upon the earth like a golden staff,

62. No sooner did he see *It* than he hastily alighted from the vehicle and fell, like a staff of gold, prostrate before Him and touched with the crests of his four crowns the feet (of the Lord), and while praising Him, bathed them with tears of pure joy.

10.13.61.p3

dṛṣṭvā tvareṇa nija-dhoraṇato 'vatīrya $ pṛthvyāṃ vapuḥ kanaka-daṇḍam ivābhipātya &

Seeing [Him], he quickly descended from his mount, threw down his body upon the earth like a golden staff,

10.13.62

spṛṣṭvā catur-mukuṭa-koṭibhir aṅghri-yugmaṃ % natvā mud-aśru-sujalair akṛtābhiṣekam //

touched both His feet with the tips of his four crowns, bowed down, and bathed them with the pure water of tears of joy.

10.13.63

utthāyotthāya kṛṣṇasya cirasya pādayoḥ patan /
āste mahitvaṃ prāg-dṛṣṭaṃ smṛtvā smṛtvā punaḥ punaḥ //

Rising again and again and falling at Kṛṣṇa's feet for a long time, / he remained there, repeatedly remembering the majesty he had witnessed before.

63. He repeatedly rises and falls at Krishna's feet for a long while and stands remembering over and over and contemplating the glory of the Lord which he witnessed before.

10.13.64

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 with bowed neck, / he stood with folded hands, humble, concentrated, trembling, and spoke in a faltering voice.

64. Slowly then he got up and rubbed his eyes (intently) looked at Mukunda, and with his head bent forwards with folded hands, in great humility and self-control, he with a trembling body and voice praised (the Lord).