अध्याय १९० — वामदेव-वाम्य-वृत्तान्तः
The Vāmadeva Horses Episode and the Ethics of Promise
स एष कृष्णो वार्ष्णेय: पुराणपुरुषो विभु: । आस्ते हरिरचिन्त्यात्मा क्रीडनज्जिव महाभुज:,ये वृष्णिकुल-भूषण महाबाहु श्रीकृष्ण ही वे सर्वव्यापी, अचिन्त्यस्वरूप, पुराण-पुरुष श्रीहरि हैं जो पहले बालरूपमें मुझे दिखायी दिये थे। वे ही यहाँ अवतीर्ण हो भाँति-भाँतिकी लीलाएँ करते हुए-से दीख रहे हैं
sa eṣa kṛṣṇo vārṣṇeyaḥ purāṇapuruṣo vibhuḥ | āste harir acintyātmā krīḍann iva mahābhujaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya disse: “Este mesmo Kṛṣṇa, o Vārṣṇeya, é o Puruṣa primordial, o Todo-Poderoso. Aqui ele permanece como Hari, de natureza inconcebível—parecendo entregar-se ao jogo divino, de braços poderosos. É o mesmo Śrī Hari, que tudo permeia, a quem outrora contemplei em forma infantil; agora, descido aqui, parece encenar muitas espécies de lila.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
The verse affirms Kṛṣṇa’s supreme, all-pervading divinity: though he appears as a human hero, he is the primeval Person (purāṇapuruṣa), of inconceivable nature, whose actions are best understood as līlā—divine play—inviting reverence and devotion rather than merely worldly judgment.
Mārkaṇḍeya identifies the present Kṛṣṇa before the listeners as the very same Hari he had previously witnessed in a wondrous child-form. He emphasizes that Kṛṣṇa’s current earthly presence and varied activities are manifestations of the divine, not ordinary human conduct.