Shloka 26
Kirmīra-rākṣasa-saṃgamaḥ (Encounter and Slaying of Kirmīra) | किर्मीरेण सह भीमसेनसमागमः
शिशुर्भूत्वा दिवं खं च पृथिवीं च परंतप । त्रिभिविक्रमणै: कृष्ण क्रान्तवानसि तेजसा,परंतप श्रीकृष्ण! आपने वामनावतारके समय छोटे-से बालक होकर भी अपने तेजसे तीन डगोंद्वारा द्युलोक, अन्तरिक्ष और भूलोक--तीनोंको नाप लिया
śiśur bhūtvā divaṃ khaṃ ca pṛthivīṃ ca parantapa | tribhir vikramaṇaiḥ kṛṣṇa krāntavān asi tejasā ||
Arjuna said: “O scorcher of foes, O Kṛṣṇa—though you became a mere child (in the Vāmana incarnation), by the power of your own splendor you strode across the three realms with three steps: heaven, the mid-space, and the earth.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Lord’s supreme, all-pervading power: even when appearing in a humble form (a child), the divine can encompass and govern the entire cosmos. Ethically, it encourages humility before dharma and trust in divine sovereignty beyond outward appearances.
Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa and recalls the Vāmana/Trivikrama episode—where the Lord, as a small brahmacārin child, measured the three worlds in three strides—using it as praise and as evidence of Kṛṣṇa’s divine greatness.