स देवो लीलया कृत्वा कथं चाश्वमुखोऽभवत् । यो जातो यादवे वंशे पूतनाशकटादिकम्
sa devo līlayā kṛtvā kathaṃ cāśvamukho'bhavat | yo jāto yādave vaṃśe pūtanāśakaṭādikam
Ce Dieu même, qui accomplit tout comme un pur jeu—comment donc devint-il au visage de cheval (Hayānana) ? Lui qui naquit dans la lignée des Yādava et anéantit Pūtanā, Śakaṭa et les autres.
Narrator/Questioner within Dharmāraṇya Māhātmya (contextual inquiry)
Scene: A devotional narrator marvels: the playful God who destroyed Pūtanā and the cart-demon is questioned—how did he appear horse-faced? Visual juxtaposition of infant Kṛṣṇa līlā with a radiant Hayānana/Hayagrīva-like visage.
The Lord’s forms are līlā: the same supreme divinity manifests diverse appearances to accomplish protection and restoration of dharma.
The verse transitions within Dharmāraṇya’s narrative to theological inquiry; the site-context remains Dharmāraṇya rather than a named tīrtha.
None; it introduces a doctrinal question about divine manifestation (avatāra/līlā).