Shloka 16
The Vraja Elders Question Kṛṣṇa’s Identity; Nanda Recounts Garga’s Prophecy
वर्णास्त्रय: किलास्यासन् गृह्णतोऽनुयुगं तनू: । शुक्लो रक्तस्तथा पीत इदानीं कृष्णतां गत: ॥ १६ ॥
varṇās trayaḥ kilāsyāsan gṛhṇato ’nu-yugaṁ tanūḥ śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ
[Garga Muni sagte:] Dein Sohn erscheint in jedem Zeitalter als Inkarnation. Früher nahm Er drei Farben an—weiß, rot und gelb—und nun ist Er in dunkler, krishnafarbener Gestalt erschienen.
This and the next six verses (17 through 22) are taken from the eighth chapter of this canto, in which Garga Muni instructs Nanda Mahārāja about Nanda’s son Kṛṣṇa. The translations found herein for these verses are based on those of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. In Chapter Eight, where the verses originally appear, the reader will find extensive purports by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord accepts different complexions according to the yugas—white, red, and yellow—and in the present time He appears with a dark (kṛṣṇa) complexion.
To show that Kṛṣṇa is the same Supreme Lord who appears age after age as the yuga-avatāra, taking suitable forms for each era, and that His current appearance is the dark-complexioned Kṛṣṇa.
It encourages faith that the Lord guides humanity in every age and invites us to follow the yuga-dharma with devotion—centering life on sincere bhakti rather than pride or mere ritualism.