Shloka 11
Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent
Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear
देहं मानुषमाश्रित्य कति वर्षाणि वृष्णिभि: । यदुपुर्यां सहावात्सीत् पत्न्य: कत्यभवन् प्रभो: ॥ ११ ॥
dehaṁ mānuṣam āśritya kati varṣāṇi vṛṣṇibhiḥ yadu-puryāṁ sahāvātsīt patnyaḥ katy abhavan prabhoḥ
Though the Supreme Lord has no material body, He appears in human form. For how many years did He live with the descendants of Vṛṣṇi in Yadupurī? How many wives did the Lord marry, and for how many years did He reside in Dvārakā?
In many places the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, possessing a spiritual, blissful body. His bodily feature is narākṛti, that is, exactly like that of a human being. Here the same idea is repeated in the words mānuṣam āśritya, which indicate that He accepts a body exactly like that of a man. Everywhere it is confirmed that Kṛṣṇa is never nirākāra, or formless. He has His form, exactly like that of a human being. There is no doubt about this.
FAQs
In this verse, Parīkṣit Mahārāja specifically asks Śukadeva Gosvāmī the duration of Kṛṣṇa’s residence in Yadupurī (Dvārakā) with the Vṛṣṇis; the verse frames the inquiry and leads into the detailed narration that follows.
Parīkṣit is eager to hear the Lord’s human-like pastimes (līlā) in detail—His life among the Yadus, His royal household, and how the Supreme Lord expands His relationships, all of which deepen devotional understanding.
The verse highlights that the Lord meets devotees within relatable human settings; for modern life, it encourages seeing daily duties and relationships as places to remember God and cultivate devotion rather than as obstacles to spirituality.