Shloka 25
Uddhava Sent to Vraja: Consolation to Nanda-Yaśodā and the Gopīs’ Separation
तालत्रयं महासारं धनुर्यष्टिमिवेभराट् । बभञ्जैकेन हस्तेन सप्ताहमदधाद् गिरिम् ॥ २५ ॥
tāla-trayaṁ mahā-sāraṁ dhanur yaṣṭim ivebha-rāṭ babhañjaikena hastena saptāham adadhād girim
As a royal elephant snaps a stick, Kṛṣṇa broke with one hand a mighty giant bow three tālas long; and with that same single hand He held a mountain aloft for seven days.
According to Ācārya Viśvanātha, a tāla (“palm tree”) is a measurement of about sixty hastas, or ninety feet. Thus the great bow Kṛṣṇa broke was two hundred seventy feet long.
FAQs
This verse recalls Kṛṣṇa’s Govardhana-līlā: He sustained the mountain for seven days, demonstrating His divine power and His protection of the Vrajavāsīs.
In Canto 10 Chapter 46, Śukadeva highlights Kṛṣṇa’s extraordinary pastimes to deepen remembrance and devotion as Uddhava encounters the intense love of Vraja, where Kṛṣṇa’s deeds are constantly cherished.
Regularly recalling Kṛṣṇa’s protective and powerful līlās builds trust, steadies the mind in difficulty, and strengthens bhakti through hearing and contemplation (śravaṇa and smaraṇa).