Shloka 18
Rāsa-līlā Begins; Divine Multiplication; Moral Doubt and Its Resolution
कृष्णविक्रीडितं वीक्ष्य मुमुहु: खेचरस्त्रिय: । कामार्दिता: शशाङ्कश्च सगणो विस्मितोऽभवत् ॥ १८ ॥
kṛṣṇa-vikrīḍitaṁ vīkṣya mumuhuḥ khe-cara-striyaḥ kāmārditāḥ śaśāṅkaś ca sa-gaṇo vismito ’bhavat
Als die Gattinnen der Halbgötter Kṛṣṇas spielerische Taten von ihren Himmelswagen aus sahen, gerieten sie in Verzückung und wurden von Begierde erregt. Selbst der Mond, samt seinem Gefolge der Sterne, war erstaunt.
FAQs
This verse says that even celestial women watching from the sky were overwhelmed, and the moon with his attendants was astonished—showing that Kṛṣṇa’s līlā captivates not only humans but also higher beings and even celestial luminaries.
To emphasize the extraordinary, transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa’s pastime: the moon, who ordinarily illuminates the night and witnesses worldly romance, becomes merely a stunned observer before Kṛṣṇa’s divine play.
It encourages cultivating reverent attention (śravaṇa and manana) to Kṛṣṇa’s līlā—recognizing that divine beauty and devotion can transform the heart more powerfully than ordinary attractions.