Shloka 37
Brahmā’s Bewilderment and Kṛṣṇa Becoming the Calves and Cowherd Boys
Brahma-vimohana-līlā
केयं वा कुत आयाता दैवी वा नार्युतासुरी । प्रायो मायास्तु मे भर्तुर्नान्या मेऽपि विमोहिनी ॥ ३७ ॥
keyaṁ vā kuta āyātā daivī vā nāry utāsurī prāyo māyāstu me bhartur nānyā me ’pi vimohinī
ฤทธิ์ลี้ลับนี้คือใคร และมาจากไหน? เป็นเทวีหรืออสูรนารีกันแน่? นางคงเป็นมายาของนายของเรา คือพระศรีกฤษณะ เพราะผู้ใดเล่าจะทำให้เราหลงได้
Balarāma was surprised. This extraordinary show of affection, He thought, was something mystical, performed either by the demigods or some wonderful man. Otherwise, how could this wonderful change take place? “This māyā might be some rākṣasī-māyā, ” He thought, “but how can rākṣasī-māyā have any influence upon Me? This is not possible. Therefore it must be the māyā of Kṛṣṇa.” He thus concluded that the mystical change must have been caused by Kṛṣṇa, whom Balarāma considered His worshipable Personality of Godhead. He thought, “It was arranged by Kṛṣṇa, and even I could not check its mystic power.” Thus Balarāma understood that all these boys and calves were only expansions of Kṛṣṇa.
FAQs
This verse shows Brahmā admitting that only the Lord’s own māyā could bewilder him—indicating Kṛṣṇa’s supreme position and the inconceivable power of His energies.
In the narrative of Brahmā’s bewilderment (brahma-vimohana-līlā), Brahmā perceives an astonishing, illusion-like manifestation and concludes it must be the Lord’s potency, since no ordinary being could delude him.
Even the greatest intellect can be overcome by illusion; therefore one should cultivate humility and take shelter of bhakti—relying on Kṛṣṇa rather than one’s own power to understand reality.