Shloka 1
Paugaṇḍa Cowherding, Tālavana, the Slaying of Dhenukāsura, and Revival from Poisoned Yamunā Water
श्रीशुक उवाच ततश्च पौगण्डवय:श्रीतौ व्रजे बभूवतुस्तौ पशुपालसम्मतौ । गाश्चारयन्तौ सखिभि: समं पदै- र्वृन्दावनं पुण्यमतीव चक्रतु: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca tataś ca paugaṇḍa-vayaḥ-śrītau vraje babhūvatus tau paśu-pāla-sammatau gāś cārayantau sakhibhiḥ samaṁ padair vṛndāvanaṁ puṇyam atīva cakratuḥ
ശ്രീശുകൻ പറഞ്ഞു: തുടർന്ന് വ്രജത്തിൽ വസിക്കുമ്പോൾ ശ്രീരാമനും ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണനും പൗഗണ്ഡവയസ്സിൽ (ആറ് മുതൽ പത്ത്) എത്തിയപ്പോൾ, ഗോപന്മാർ അവർക്കു പശുക്കളെ മേയിക്കുന്ന ചുമതല നൽകി. സഖാക്കളോടൊപ്പം പശുക്കളെ മേയിച്ചുകൊണ്ട്, തങ്ങളുടെ പദ്മപാദമുദ്രകളാൽ അവർ വൃന്ദാവനത്തെ അത്യന്തം പുണ്യമയമാക്കി.
Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to encourage His cowherd boyfriends, who had been swallowed by Aghāsura and then stolen by Lord Brahmā. Therefore the Lord decided to bring them into the palm-tree forest called Tālavana, where there were many delicious ripe fruits. Since Lord Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual body had apparently grown slightly in age and strength, the senior men of Vṛndāvana, headed by Nanda Mahārāja, decided to promote Kṛṣṇa from the task of herding calves to the status of a regular cowherd boy. He would now take care of the full-grown cows, bulls and oxen. Out of great affection, Nanda Mahārāja had previously considered Kṛṣṇa too small and immature to take care of full-grown cows and bulls. It is stated in the Kārttika-māhātmya section of the Padma Purāṇa:
FAQs
This verse says Vṛndāvana becomes exceedingly holy because Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma roam there with their friends—sanctifying the land by their very footsteps while tending the cows.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating to King Parīkṣit, continuing the account of Kṛṣṇa’s Vraja pastimes as the boys enter the paugaṇḍa stage.
Honor sacred places and sacred remembrance: keep Kṛṣṇa at the center of daily life, associate with devotees (like the sakhās), and let one’s “footsteps” make one’s environment purifying through bhakti-centered actions.