Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 24
Rāsa-līlā Begins; Divine Multiplication; Moral Doubt and Its Resolution
ततश्च कृष्णोपवने जलस्थल- प्रसूनगन्धानिलजुष्टदिक्तटे । चचार भृङ्गप्रमदागणावृतो यथा मदच्युद् द्विरद: करेणुभि: ॥ २४ ॥
tataś ca kṛṣṇopavane jala-sthala prasūna-gandhānila-juṣṭa-dik-taṭe cacāra bhṛṅga-pramadā-gaṇāvṛto yathā mada-cyud dviradaḥ kareṇubhiḥ
Then the Lord strolled through a small forest on the bank of the Yamunā. This forest was filled to its limits with breezes carrying the fragrances of all the flowers growing on the land and in the water. Followed by His entourage of bees and beautiful women, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared like an intoxicated elephant with his she-elephants.
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, it is implicit here that after playing in the water Lord Kṛṣṇa had His body massaged, and that He then dressed Himself in His favorite clothing before resuming His pastimes with the gopīs.
FAQs
In this verse, Śukadeva describes Kṛṣṇa roaming along fragrant forest banks, surrounded by the gopīs, using the poetic image of a powerful elephant moving among his female companions.
The comparison highlights Kṛṣṇa’s majestic, irresistible presence and the gopīs’ close, delighted accompaniment—an intense poetic way to portray the momentum and intimacy of the rāsa-līlā setting.
A devotee can remember Kṛṣṇa as the supreme attractor and cultivate focused bhakti—hearing and meditating on His līlā with reverence—so the mind is drawn from worldly attraction toward divine love.