Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 6
Brahmā’s Bewilderment and Kṛṣṇa Becoming the Calves and Cowherd Boys
Brahma-vimohana-līlā
अत्र भोक्तव्यमस्माभिर्दिवारूढं क्षुधार्दिता: । वत्सा: समीपेऽप: पीत्वा चरन्तु शनकैस्तृणम् ॥ ६ ॥
atra bhoktavyam asmābhir divārūḍhaṁ kṣudhārditāḥ vatsāḥ samīpe ’paḥ pītvā carantu śanakais tṛṇam
I think we should take our lunch here, since we are already hungry because the time is very late. Here the calves may drink water and go slowly here and there and eat the grass.
FAQs
This verse shows the simple, affectionate Vraja mood: Kṛṣṇa and the boys pause to eat when the day is advanced, while ensuring the calves are cared for—revealing divine play expressed through ordinary village life.
In the Vṛndāvana līlā, Kṛṣṇa acts as an ideal cowherd companion—thoughtful and responsible—so the calves are tended before the boys eat, setting the scene just before Brahmā’s bewildering episode unfolds in this chapter.
Do your duties with care and kindness—attend to those dependent on you first, then take what you need—while keeping life simple and devotional in spirit.