Shloka 26
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma’s Forest Games and the Slaying of Pralamba
तमुद्वहन् धरणिधरेन्द्रगौरवं महासुरो विगतरयो निजं वपु: । स आस्थित: पुरटपरिच्छदो बभौ तडिद्द्युमानुडुपतिवाडिवाम्बुद: ॥ २६ ॥
tam udvahan dharaṇi-dharendra-gauravaṁ mahāsuro vigata-rayo nijaṁ vapuḥ sa āsthitaḥ puraṭa-paricchado babhau taḍid-dyumān uḍupati-vāḍ ivāmbudaḥ
As the great demon carried Balarama, the Lord became as heavy as massive Mount Sumeru. He then resumed his actual form — an effulgent body covered with golden ornaments.
Here the demon Pralamba is compared to a cloud, his golden ornaments to lightning within that cloud, and Lord Balarāma to the moon shining through it. Great demons can assume various forms by exerting their mystic power, but when the Lord’s spiritual potency curtails their power, they can no longer maintain an artificial form and must again manifest their actual, demoniac body. Lord Balarāma suddenly became as heavy as a great mountain, and although the demon tried to carry Him high on his shoulders, he could not go on.
FAQs
It poetically describes a powerful demon associated with Govardhana-like pride, whose own radiance is dimmed, yet who appears impressive due to golden ornaments—like a lightning-lit cloud with the moon.
The comparison highlights outer splendor (gold ornaments) masking inner darkness and diminished true brilliance—an image often used to depict demonic pride and deceptive glamour.
External show and status can conceal inner decline; cultivating humility and devotion is emphasized over pride, which ultimately leads to downfall.