Shloka 52
अध्याय १९० — वामदेव-वाम्य-वृत्तान्तः
The Vāmadeva Horses Episode and the Ethics of Promise
य: स देवो मया दृष्ट: पुरा पद्मायतेक्षण: । स एष पुरुषव्याप्र सम्बन्धी ते जनार्दन:,नरश्रेष्ठ! पुरातन प्रलयके समय मुझे जिन कमल-दललोचन देवता भगवान् बालमुकुन्दका दर्शन हुआ था, तुम्हारे सम्बन्धी ये भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण वे ही हैं
yaḥ sa devo mayā dṛṣṭaḥ purā padmāyatekṣaṇaḥ | sa eṣa puruṣavyāghra sambandhī te janārdanaḥ ||
Wahai harimau di antara manusia, dewa yang dahulu kulihat—bermata laksana teratai—dialah Janārdana yang hadir ini. Ia adalah kerabatmu; dialah Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms the continuity of the Supreme Lord across cosmic time: the same divine being seen in a primordial vision is present here as Kṛṣṇa. Ethically, it grounds trust and surrender in dharma by identifying Kṛṣṇa not merely as a human ally but as the eternal protector.
Sage Mārkaṇḍeya identifies Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa) to the addressed hero as the very lotus-eyed deity he had once seen long ago—associated with the time of pralaya—thereby revealing Kṛṣṇa’s divine identity and intimate connection to the listener.