Shloka 36
Utthāna Ceremony, Śakaṭa-bhañga, Tṛṇāvarta-vadha, and the Vision of the Universe in Kṛṣṇa’s Mouth
पीतप्रायस्य जननी सुतस्य रुचिरस्मितम् । मुखं लालयती राजञ्जृम्भतो ददृशे इदम् ॥ ३५ ॥ खं रोदसी ज्योतिरनीकमाशा: सूर्येन्दुवह्निश्वसनाम्बुधींश्च । द्वीपान् नगांस्तद्दुहितृर्वनानि भूतानि यानि स्थिरजङ्गमानि? ॥ ३६ ॥
pīta-prāyasya jananī sutasya rucira-smitam mukhaṁ lālayatī rājañ jṛmbhato dadṛśe idam
O King Parīkṣit, when baby Kṛṣṇa had almost finished drinking and mother Yaśodā was affectionately touching and gazing upon His beautiful face with its radiant smile, the child yawned; and within His mouth she saw the entire sky, the higher worlds and the earth, the lights of all directions, the sun and moon, fire and air, the oceans, islands, mountains, rivers, forests, and all beings—moving and unmoving.
By the arrangement of Yoga-māyā, Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with mother Yaśodā were all regarded as ordinary. So here was an opportunity for Kṛṣṇa to show His mother that the whole universe is situated within Him. In His small form, Kṛṣṇa was kind enough to show His mother the virāṭ-rūpa, the universal form, so that she could enjoy seeing what kind of child she had on her lap. The rivers have been mentioned here as the daughters of the mountains ( nagāṁs tad-duhitṝḥ ). It is the flowing of the rivers that makes big forests possible. There are living entities everywhere, some of them moving and some of them not moving. No place is vacant. This is a special feature of God’s creation.
FAQs
In Canto 10, Chapter 7, verse 36, Śukadeva describes that Yaśodā saw the entire cosmos—sky, planets, directions, sun and moon, elements, oceans, mountains, rivers, forests, and all beings—within Kṛṣṇa’s open mouth, revealing His supreme nature amid intimate Vraja affection.
The vision occurs during a simple mother-and-child moment when Kṛṣṇa yawns; it underscores that the Supreme Lord, who contains all worlds, simultaneously allows Himself to be loved as Yaśodā’s son—highlighting the sweetness of vatsalya-bhakti even over displays of majesty.
It teaches reverence and intimacy together: cultivate devotion that remembers God’s greatness, yet relates to Him with loving trust—seeing daily life as held within the divine, and responding with gratitude, humility, and steady bhakti.