Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 30
Bhagavān’s Avatāras, Their Protections (Poṣaṇa), and the Limits of Knowing Him
गृह्णीत यद् यदुपबन्धममुष्य माता शुल्बं सुतस्य न तु तत् तदमुष्य माति । यज्जृम्भतोऽस्य वदने भुवनानि गोपी संवीक्ष्य शङ्कितमना: प्रतिबोधितासीत् ॥ ३० ॥
gṛhṇīta yad yad upabandham amuṣya mātā śulbaṁ sutasya na tu tat tad amuṣya māti yaj jṛmbhato ’sya vadane bhuvanāni gopī saṁvīkṣya śaṅkita-manāḥ pratibodhitāsīt
Lorsque la mère Yaśodā voulut attacher les mains de son fils avec des cordes, elle constata que, même en en ajoutant, la corde restait toujours trop courte : il n’y entrait pas. Puis le Seigneur bâilla doucement et ouvrit la bouche, et la gopī y vit tous les univers. Elle fut saisie de doute, mais finit par être convaincue autrement de la nature mystique (yoga-māyā) de son enfant.
One day Lord Kṛṣṇa as the naughty child disturbed His mother Yaśodā, and she began to tie up the child with ropes just to punish Him. But no matter how much rope she used, she found it always insufficient. Thus she became fatigued, but in the meantime the Lord opened His mouth, and the affectionate mother saw within the mouth of her son all the universes situated together. The mother was astonished, but out of her deep affection for Kṛṣṇa she thought that the Almighty Godhead Nārāyaṇa had kindly looked after her son just to protect Him from all the continuous calamities happening to Him. Because of her deep affection for Kṛṣṇa, she could never think that her very son was Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead Himself. That is the action of yoga-māyā, the internal potency of the Supreme Lord, which acts to perfect all the pastimes of the Lord with His different types of devotees. Who could play such wonders without being God?
FAQs
This verse says that whenever Yaśodā attempted to tie Krishna with a rope, it was always insufficient—showing that the Supreme cannot be bound by material means, yet He allows intimacy in devotion.
When Krishna yawned and Yaśodā looked into His mouth, she saw the worlds within—an awe-inspiring revelation that awakened her to His divinity even amid her motherly affection.
The shloka reminds seekers that spiritual reality cannot be controlled by external force or technique alone; sincerity, humility, and loving devotion are what bring divine closeness.