Shloka 30
Brahmā’s Bewilderment and Kṛṣṇa Becoming the Calves and Cowherd Boys
Brahma-vimohana-līlā
दृष्ट्वाथ तत्स्नेहवशोऽस्मृतात्मा स गोव्रजोऽत्यात्मपदुर्गमार्ग: । द्विपात्ककुद्ग्रीव उदास्यपुच्छो- ऽगाद्धुङ्कृतैरास्रुपया जवेन ॥ ३० ॥
dṛṣṭvātha tat-sneha-vaśo ’smṛtātmā sa go-vrajo ’tyātmapa-durga-mārgaḥ dvi-pāt kakud-grīva udāsya-puccho ’gād dhuṅkṛtair āsru-payā javena
Als die Kühe ihre eigenen Kälber vom Gipfel des Govardhana sahen, vergaßen sie, vom wachsenden Muttergefühl überwältigt, sich selbst und ihre Hüter. Obwohl der Weg sehr rau war, rannten sie in großer Unruhe, als hätten sie nur zwei Beine; die Euter, voll, ließen Milch fließen, Kopf und Schwanz waren erhoben, und der Höcker bewegte sich mit dem Hals. Laut brüllend und tränenfeucht stürmten sie voran, bis sie ihre Kälber erreichten, um sie zu säugen.
Generally the calves and cows are pastured separately. The elderly men take care of the cows, and the small children see to the calves. This time, however, the cows immediately forgot their position as soon as they saw the calves below Govardhana Hill, and they ran with great force, their tails erect and their front and hind legs joined, until they reached their calves.
FAQs
This verse describes the leader bull of Vraja becoming overwhelmed upon seeing Kṛṣṇa—running toward Him, bellowing and shedding tears—showing that pure bhakti in Vraja naturally arises even in animals through Kṛṣṇa’s presence.
Because he is overcome by affection (sneha) for Kṛṣṇa and forgets himself in ecstatic emotion; the verse portrays spontaneous, uncalculated love responding to Kṛṣṇa’s darśana.
It encourages cultivating sincere attachment to Kṛṣṇa—so that remembrance and emotion become natural—by regular darśana, nāma-japa, and hearing Kṛṣṇa-kathā, aiming for heartfelt devotion rather than mere ritual.