Shloka 57
Brahmā’s Bewilderment and Kṛṣṇa Becoming the Calves and Cowherd Boys
Brahma-vimohana-līlā
इतीरेशेऽतर्क्ये निजमहिमनि स्वप्रमितिके परत्राजातोऽतन्निरसनमुखब्रह्मकमितौ । अनीशेऽपि द्रष्टुं किमिदमिति वा मुह्यति सति चच्छादाजो ज्ञात्वा सपदि परमोऽजाजवनिकाम् ॥ ५७ ॥
itīreśe ’tarkye nija-mahimani sva-pramitike paratrājāto ’tan-nirasana-mukha-brahmaka-mitau anīśe ’pi draṣṭuṁ kim idam iti vā muhyati sati cacchādājo jñātvā sapadi paramo ’jā-javanikām
The Supreme Brahman is beyond all mental speculation, self-manifest in His own bliss, and transcendent to material energy. He is known by the crest-jewels of the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, which refute irrelevant knowledge. Thus, when the Lord’s glory was revealed through the manifestation of the four-armed Viṣṇu forms, Brahmā, lord of Sarasvatī, became bewildered—thinking, “What is this?”—and could not even see. Understanding Brahmā’s condition, Śrī Kṛṣṇa at once removed the curtain of His yoga-māyā.
Brahmā was completely mystified. He could not understand what he was seeing, and then he was not even able to see. Lord Kṛṣṇa, understanding Brahmā’s position, then removed that yoga-māyā covering. In this verse, Brahmā is referred to as ireśa. Irā means Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning, and Ireśa is her husband, Lord Brahmā. Brahmā, therefore, is most intelligent. But even Brahmā, the lord of Sarasvatī, was bewildered about Kṛṣṇa. Although he tried, he could not understand Lord Kṛṣṇa. In the beginning the boys, the calves and Kṛṣṇa Himself had been covered by yoga-māyā, which later displayed the second set of calves and boys, who were Kṛṣṇa’s expansions, and which then displayed so many four-armed forms. Now, seeing Brahmā’s bewilderment, Lord Kṛṣṇa caused the disappearance of that yoga-māyā. One may think that the māyā taken away by Lord Kṛṣṇa was mahā-māyā, but Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura comments that it was yoga-māyā, the potency by which Kṛṣṇa is sometimes manifest and sometimes not manifest. The potency which covers the actual reality and displays something unreal is mahā-māyā, but the potency by which the Absolute Truth is sometimes manifest and sometimes not is yoga-māyā. Therefore, in this verse the word ajā refers to yoga-māyā.
FAQs
This verse says Brahmā, though a cosmic controller, could not comprehend Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable glory and became bewildered; Kṛṣṇa then withdrew the māyā-veil that had arisen from Brahmā’s own attempt to test Him.
Because Brahmā’s confusion came from trying to measure and negate Kṛṣṇa’s divine display; Kṛṣṇa, knowing Brahmā’s inner state, mercifully ended the delusion so Brahmā could recognize His supremacy.
Do not try to reduce the Divine to mere logic or ego-driven testing; humility and devotion invite clarity, while pride and control-oriented thinking deepen confusion.