Shloka 27
इत्थमात्मात्मनात्मानं वत्सपालमिषेण स: । पालयन् वत्सपो वर्षं चिक्रीडे वनगोष्ठयो: ॥ २७ ॥
ittham ātmātmanātmānaṁ vatsa-pāla-miṣeṇa saḥ pālayan vatsapo varṣaṁ cikrīḍe vana-goṣṭhayoḥ
Thus Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, becoming Himself the cowherd boys and the groups of calves, maintained Himself by Himself. Under the pretext of tending the calves, He continued His līlās in Vṛndāvana and in the forest for one full year.
Everything was Kṛṣṇa. The calves, the cowherd boys and their maintainer Himself were all Kṛṣṇa. In other words, Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself in varieties of calves and cowherd boys and continued His pastimes uninterrupted for one year. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa’s expansion is situated in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul. Similarly, instead of expanding Himself as the Supersoul, He expanded Himself as a portion of calves and cowherd boys for one continuous year.
FAQs
This verse states that Kṛṣṇa, by His own Self and potency, expanded Himself—appearing as the calves and cowherd boys—and continued His Vraja pastimes for an entire year.
In the context of Brahmā’s bewilderment, Kṛṣṇa maintained the forms of the calves and boys for one year, protecting the flow of His Vraja-līlā and demonstrating His supreme, independent power.
The verse teaches trust in the Lord’s supreme ability to protect and sustain; a devotee can practice steady bhakti, knowing that Kṛṣṇa can arrange and uphold what is needed beyond ordinary logic.