Shloka 28
Brahmā’s Bewilderment and Kṛṣṇa Becoming the Calves and Cowherd Boys
Brahma-vimohana-līlā
एकदा चारयन् वत्सान्सरामो वनमाविशत् । पञ्चषासु त्रियामासु हायनापूरणीष्वज: ॥ २८ ॥
ekadā cārayan vatsān sa-rāmo vanam āviśat pañca-ṣāsu tri-yāmāsu hāyanāpūraṇīṣv ajaḥ
One day, five or six nights before the year was completed, Śrī Kṛṣṇa—the unborn Lord—while tending the calves, entered the forest together with Balarāma.
Up to this time, even Balarāma was captivated by the bewilderment that covered Brahmā. Even Balarāma did not know that all the calves and cowherd boys were expansions of Kṛṣṇa or that He Himself was also an expansion of Kṛṣṇa. This was disclosed to Balarāma just five or six days before the completion of the year.
FAQs
Śukadeva describes the setting for Kṛṣṇa’s Vraja-līlā: Kṛṣṇa, with Balarāma, goes into the forest to graze the calves during a particular seasonal time, leading into the events of Brahmā’s bewilderment.
Although Kṛṣṇa appears as a child in Vṛndāvana, He is the eternal Supreme Lord who is never born like conditioned beings; the word 'aja' highlights His divinity within the sweetness of His humanlike pastimes.
Use it for līlā-smaraṇa: remember Kṛṣṇa’s simple, pastoral service mood in Vraja, and cultivate devotion through humble daily duties while keeping the Lord at the center.