Shloka 18
श्रीकृष्ण-जन्म, वसुदेव-यमुनातरण, बालिका-उत्क्षेपः, देवी-प्रादुर्भावः
यमुनां चातिगम्भीरां नानावर्तशताकुलाम् वसुदेवो वहन् विष्णुं जानुमात्रवहां ययौ
yamunāṃ cātigambhīrāṃ nānāvartaśatākulām vasudevo vahan viṣṇuṃ jānumātravahāṃ yayau
Bearing Viṣṇu Himself, Vasudeva entered the Yamunā, though she was exceedingly deep and churned by hundreds of whirling eddies; yet the river became for him only knee-deep, and he passed across.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The miracle of the Yamunā becoming knee-deep for Vasudeva
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: reverent
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: To reach Vraja and begin His pastoral līlā while remaining protected from Kaṃsa, the Lord makes the Yamunā yield and become fordable for His bearer.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Safe establishment of Kṛṣṇa among the cowherds, enabling future restoration of dharma through His līlās
Concept: Nature (the Yamunā) becomes obedient to Bhagavān and to those carrying His purpose, revealing divine immanence governing the elements.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Let devotion express as steady duty: carry what is sacred (values, vows, service) through adversity, trusting that the path opens.
Vishishtadvaita: The Lord is both transcendent and the inner ruler of prakṛti; the elements remain real yet are directed by His will.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Vatsalya
FAQs
It signals nature’s obedience to Vishnu’s presence: the river’s perilous depth and whirlpools yield, enabling Vasudeva to safely carry the Lord to Gokula.
Through narrative causality: while Vasudeva acts with devotion and resolve, the environment itself transforms—showing that Vishnu’s will upholds and safeguards the course of dharma.
The verse affirms that Krishna is not merely a heroic child but Vishnu Himself—the supreme, all-pervading reality—whose presence commands cosmic order even within a human birth-story.