Shloka 11
Brahmā’s Bewilderment and Kṛṣṇa Becoming the Calves and Cowherd Boys
Brahma-vimohana-līlā
बिभ्रद् वेणुं जठरपटयो: शृङ्गवेत्रे च कक्षे वामे पाणौ मसृणकवलं तत्फलान्यङ्गुलीषु । तिष्ठन् मध्ये स्वपरिसुहृदो हासयन् नर्मभि: स्वै: स्वर्गे लोके मिषति बुभुजे यज्ञभुग् बालकेलि: ॥ ११ ॥
bibhrad veṇuṁ jaṭhara-paṭayoḥ śṛṅga-vetre ca kakṣe vāme pāṇau masṛṇa-kavalaṁ tat-phalāny aṅgulīṣu tiṣṭhan madhye sva-parisuhṛdo hāsayan narmabhiḥ svaiḥ svarge loke miṣati bubhuje yajña-bhug bāla-keliḥ
Kṛṣṇa, der yajña-bhuk — der nur Opfergaben des yajña annimmt —, saß, um Seine Kinderspiele zu offenbaren, mitten unter Seinen Freunden. Rechts, zwischen Taille und eng gebundenem Tuch, steckte die Flöte; links unter dem Arm trug Er das Horn und den Stock zum Treiben der Kälber. In der Hand hielt Er einen zarten Bissen Reis mit Joghurt, zwischen den Fingern Stücke von Früchten. Wie der Blütenwirbel eines Lotus blickte Er zu den Gefährten, scherzte in süßer Vertrautheit und ließ fröhliches Gelächter aufklingen, während Er aß; und die Bewohner des Himmels staunten, dass der Herr, der nur im yajña speist, nun im Wald mit Seinen Freunden aß.
When Kṛṣṇa was eating with His cowherd boyfriends, a certain bumblebee came there to take part in the eating. Thus Kṛṣṇa joked, “Why have you come to disturb My brāhmaṇa friend Madhumaṅgala? You want to kill a brāhmaṇa. This is not good.” All the boys would laugh and enjoy, speaking such joking words while eating. Thus the inhabitants of the higher planets were astonished at how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who eats only when yajña is offered, was now eating like an ordinary child with His friends in the forest.
FAQs
This verse portrays Kṛṣṇa as a simple cowherd boy holding His flute, standing among friends and joking—showing that the Supreme Lord reveals His sweetness (mādhurya) through intimate Vraja-līlā.
Although He appears as a playful child in Vṛndāvana, He is the same Supreme Lord who is the ultimate recipient and enjoyer of all yajñas; the verse highlights His divinity within His humanlike pastime.
Remembering Kṛṣṇa’s simple, joyful presence with devotees encourages a life of devotion that is affectionate and personal—cultivating bhakti through remembrance, humility, and sacred joy rather than mere formality.