Shloka 44
Brahmā’s Bewilderment and Kṛṣṇa Becoming the Calves and Cowherd Boys
Brahma-vimohana-līlā
एवं सम्मोहयन् विष्णुं विमोहं विश्वमोहनम् । स्वयैव माययाजोऽपि स्वयमेव विमोहित: ॥ ४४ ॥
evaṁ sammohayan viṣṇuṁ vimohaṁ viśva-mohanam svayaiva māyayājo ’pi svayam eva vimohitaḥ
Thus, desiring to bewilder the all-pervading Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Viṣṇu—who is never bewildered but bewilders the whole universe—Brahmā himself became bewildered by his own māyā.
Brahmā wanted to bewilder Kṛṣṇa, who bewilders the entire universe. The whole universe is under Kṛṣṇa’s mystic power ( mama māyā duratyayā ), but Brahmā wanted to mystify Him. The result was that Brahmā himself was mystified, just as one who wants to kill another may himself be killed. In other words, Brahmā was defeated by his own attempt. In a similar position are the scientists and philosophers who want to overcome the mystic power of Kṛṣṇa. They challenge Kṛṣṇa, saying, “What is God? We can do this, and we can do that.” But the more they challenge Kṛṣṇa in this way, the more they are implicated in suffering. The lesson here is that we should not try to overcome Kṛṣṇa. Rather, instead of endeavoring to surpass Him, we should surrender to Him ( sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ).
FAQs
This verse states that Viṣṇu (Kṛṣṇa) is vimoha—never bewildered—while He is viśva-mohana, the one who can bewilder the whole universe; therefore attempts to delude Him rebound upon the deluder.
Although Brahmā tried to test and bewilder Kṛṣṇa, the verse explains that Brahmā (Aja) ended up bewildered by his own māyā, revealing Kṛṣṇa’s absolute supremacy.
It warns that pride in one’s power or intellect can itself become a cause of delusion; humility before the Supreme and reliance on bhakti help one avoid being trapped by one’s own mental “māyā.”