Shloka 5
Gokula’s Wonder, Kṛṣṇa’s Bhakta-vaśyatā, the Move to Vṛndāvana, and the Slaying of Vatsāsura and Bakāsura
न ते तदुक्तं जगृहुर्न घटेतेति तस्य तत् । बालस्योत्पाटनं तर्वो: केचित्सन्दिग्धचेतस: ॥ ५ ॥
na te tad-uktaṁ jagṛhur na ghaṭeteti tasya tat bālasyotpāṭanaṁ tarvoḥ kecit sandigdha-cetasaḥ
They, led by Nanda, did not accept the boys’ report—“It cannot be so!” For a mere child to uproot such trees seemed too wondrous. Yet some remained doubtful, thinking, “He was foretold to be equal to Nārāyaṇa; perhaps He truly could have done it.”
One view was that it was impossible for a small boy like this to have done such a thing as pulling down the trees. But there were doubts because Kṛṣṇa had been predicted to equal Nārāyaṇa. Therefore the cowherd men were in a dilemma.
FAQs
This verse notes that some listeners, being sandigdha-cetasaḥ (doubtful-minded), could not accept that such an extraordinary act—uprooting two trees—could be done by a child, highlighting how doubt can block acceptance of Kṛṣṇa’s līlā.
Because the event appeared impossible by ordinary logic—“na ghaṭeta”—so a few could not reconcile the child’s apparent age and strength with the miraculous outcome.
It encourages honest self-awareness: when spiritual truths seem “impossible,” one can respond by hearing more, seeking saintly guidance, and cultivating faith rather than letting skepticism close the heart.