Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 41
Aghāsura-vadha: The Killing and Deliverance of Aghāsura
श्रीराजोवाच ब्रह्मन्कालान्तरकृतं तत्कालीनं कथं भवेत् । यत् कौमारे हरिकृतं जगु: पौगण्डकेऽर्भका: ॥ ४१ ॥
śrī-rājovāca brahman kālāntara-kṛtaṁ tat-kālīnaṁ kathaṁ bhavet yat kaumāre hari-kṛtaṁ jaguḥ paugaṇḍake ’rbhakāḥ
Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquired: O great sage, how could things done in the past have been described as being done at the present? Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed this pastime of killing Aghāsura during His kaumāra age. How then, during His paugaṇḍa age, could the boys have described this incident as having happened recently?
FAQs
Because the cowherd boys, now described as in paugaṇḍa boyhood, are praising deeds Kṛṣṇa performed in their earlier kaumāra childhood, and Parīkṣit wants to understand how this chronological shift is being presented.
They are stages of childhood: kaumāra refers to early childhood, while paugaṇḍa refers to a later boyhood stage; this verse contrasts the two to highlight the apparent time discrepancy in the narration.
It models attentive, respectful inquiry—when something in scripture seems inconsistent, a sincere student asks clarifying questions rather than dismissing the text, deepening understanding and devotion.