Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 36
Brahmā’s Bewilderment and Kṛṣṇa Becoming the Calves and Cowherd Boys
Brahma-vimohana-līlā
किमेतदद्भुतमिव वासुदेवेऽखिलात्मनि । व्रजस्य सात्मनस्तोकेष्वपूर्वं प्रेम वर्धते ॥ ३६ ॥
kim etad adbhutam iva vāsudeve ’khilātmani vrajasya sātmanas tokeṣv apūrvaṁ prema vardhate
Apakah keajaiban ini? Kasih seluruh penduduk Vraja—termasuk aku—terhadap anak-anak lelaki dan anak lembu ini sedang meningkat seperti belum pernah terjadi, bagaikan kasih kita kepada Vāsudeva Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Ātman bagi semua makhluk.
This increase of affection was not māyā; rather, because Kṛṣṇa had expanded Himself as everything and because the whole life of everyone in Vṛndāvana was meant for Kṛṣṇa, the cows, because of affection for Kṛṣṇa, had more affection for the older calves than for the new calves, and the men increased in their affection for their sons. Balarāma was astonished to see all the residents of Vṛndāvana so affectionate toward their own children, exactly as they had been for Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, the cows had grown affectionate toward their calves — as much as toward Kṛṣṇa. Balarāma was surprised to see the acts of yoga-māyā. Therefore He inquired from Kṛṣṇa, “What is happening here? What is this mystery?”
FAQs
It describes an astonishing rise of unprecedented prema in the Vraja residents toward their own children, even though the ultimate object of love is Vāsudeva, the Soul of all.
Because due to Kṛṣṇa’s divine arrangement in the Brahmā-vimohana līlā, the Vraja-vāsīs experienced an extraordinary surge of affection, revealing how all love ultimately rests in Kṛṣṇa, the akhila-ātmā.
By seeing the Divine presence behind relationships and directing one’s deepest affection toward God, while caring for family as a sacred trust connected to the Supreme.
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