स देवो लीलया कृत्वा कथं चाश्वमुखोऽभवत् । यो जातो यादवे वंशे पूतनाशकटादिकम्
sa devo līlayā kṛtvā kathaṃ cāśvamukho'bhavat | yo jāto yādave vaṃśe pūtanāśakaṭādikam
Jener Gott selbst, der alles als göttliches Spiel (Līlā) vollbringt—wie wurde er denn pferdegesichtig (Hayānana)? Er, der im Geschlecht der Yādavas geboren wurde und Pūtanā, Śakaṭa und die übrigen vernichtete.
Narrator/Questioner within Dharmāraṇya Māhātmya (contextual inquiry)
Scene: A devotional narrator marvels: the playful God who destroyed Pūtanā and the cart-demon is questioned—how did he appear horse-faced? Visual juxtaposition of infant Kṛṣṇa līlā with a radiant Hayānana/Hayagrīva-like visage.
The Lord’s forms are līlā: the same supreme divinity manifests diverse appearances to accomplish protection and restoration of dharma.
The verse transitions within Dharmāraṇya’s narrative to theological inquiry; the site-context remains Dharmāraṇya rather than a named tīrtha.
None; it introduces a doctrinal question about divine manifestation (avatāra/līlā).