Shloka 13
Garga Muni Names Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma; the Butter-Thief Pastimes; Yaśodā Sees the Universe in Kṛṣṇa’s Mouth
आसन् वर्णास्त्रयो ह्यस्य गृह्णतोऽनुयुगं तनू: । शुक्लो रक्तस्तथा पीत इदानीं कृष्णतां गत: ॥ १३ ॥
āsan varṇās trayo hy asya gṛhṇato ’nuyugaṁ tanūḥ śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ
Dieser Herr nimmt in jedem Zeitalter eine Gestalt an. Früher offenbarte Er drei Farben – weiß, rot und gelb –, und jetzt ist Er in dunkler, kṛṣṇa-farbener Tönung erschienen.
Partially explaining the position of Lord Kṛṣṇa and partially covering the facts, Garga Muni indicated, “Your son is a great personality, and He can change the color of His body in different ages.” The word gṛhṇataḥ indicates that Kṛṣṇa is free to make His choice. In other words, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and may therefore do whatever He desires. In Vedic literature the different colors assumed by the Personality of Godhead in different millenniums are stated, and therefore when Garga Muni said, “Your son has assumed these colors,” he indirectly said, “He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Because of Kaṁsa’s atrocities, Garga Muni tried to avoid disclosing this fact, but he indirectly informed Nanda Mahārāja that Kṛṣṇa, his son, was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord is described as appearing in three colors—white, red, and yellow—in different ages, and that in the present time He has taken the blackish form known as Kṛṣṇa.
Garga Muni was identifying the extraordinary nature of the child in Nanda’s home, explaining that the same Supreme Lord appears in different yugas with different characteristics, and that this child is that Lord appearing now as Kṛṣṇa.
It encourages faith that the Supreme guides every age and that one should follow the age-appropriate path of devotion (yuga-dharma) while centering one’s life on loving remembrance and service to Kṛṣṇa.