Shloka 27
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma’s Forest Games and the Slaying of Pralamba
निरीक्ष्य तद्वपुरलमम्बरे चरत् प्रदीप्तदृग् भ्रुकुटितटोग्रदंष्ट्रकम् । ज्वलच्छिखं कटककिरीटकुण्डल- त्विषाद्भुतं हलधर ईषदत्रसत् ॥ २७ ॥
nirīkṣya tad-vapur alam ambare carat pradīpta-dṛg bhru-kuṭi-taṭogra-daṁṣṭrakam jvalac-chikhaṁ kaṭaka-kirīṭa-kuṇḍala- tviṣādbhutaṁ haladhara īṣad atrasat
When Lord Balarama saw the gigantic body of the demon moving swiftly in the sky—with blazing eyes and terrible teeth—the Lord seemed to become a little frightened.
Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī explains Lord Baladeva’s so-called fear as follows: Balarāma was playfully acting out the role of an ordinary cowherd boy, and to maintain the mood of this pastime He appeared slightly disturbed by the horrible demoniac body. Also because the demon had appeared as a cowherd boyfriend of Kṛṣṇa’s and because Kṛṣṇa had accepted him as a friend, Baladeva was slightly apprehensive about killing him. Balarāma could also have been worried that since this cowherd boy was actually a demon in disguise, at that very moment another such demon might have been attacking Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. Thus the omniscient and omnipotent Supreme Lord Balarāma exhibited the pastime of becoming slightly nervous in the presence of the horrible demon Pralamba.
FAQs
This verse portrays an astonishing, fearsome figure moving in the sky—blazing-eyed, fanged, flaming-maned, and ornamented—so intense that even Lord Balarāma felt slight uneasiness.
The narration emphasizes the extraordinary, frightening appearance of the adversary; Balarāma’s “slight” uneasiness highlights the dramatic mood of the līlā, not any lack of divine power.
Even the strongest may feel a moment of unease when facing sudden danger; spiritual steadiness means acknowledging fear without being ruled by it, and taking refuge in dharma and devotion.