Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 45
Gokula’s Wonder, Kṛṣṇa’s Bhakta-vaśyatā, the Move to Vṛndāvana, and the Slaying of Vatsāsura and Bakāsura
तौ वत्सपालकौ भूत्वा सर्वलोकैकपालकौ । सप्रातराशौ गोवत्सांश्चारयन्तौ विचेरतु: ॥ ४५ ॥
tau vatsa-pālakau bhūtvā sarva-lokaika-pālakau saprātar-āśau go-vatsāṁś cārayantau viceratuḥ
After the killing of the demon, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma finished Their breakfast in the morning, and while continuing to take care of the calves, They wandered here and there. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, the Supreme Personalities of Godhead, who maintain the entire creation, now took charge of the calves as if cowherd boys.
Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. Kṛṣṇa’s daily business here in this material world was to kill the duṣkṛtīs. This did not hamper His daily affairs, for it was routine work. While He tended the calves on the bank of the river Yamunā, two or three incidents took place every day, and although these were serious, killing the demons one after another appeared to be His daily routine work.
FAQs
This verse says Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma move about as calf-herd boys in Vraja, yet they are actually the sole protectors of all worlds—showing the Lord’s sweetness (mādhurya) that hides His majesty.
Śukadeva highlights their true divine identity: although they perform simple village activities like eating breakfast and grazing calves, they are the supreme guardians sustaining and protecting creation.
The verse teaches humility and devotion: do your daily duties simply and sincerely, remembering that God can be present in ordinary life and that service done with love is spiritually powerful.