Canto 10: The Summum BonumChapter 13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.13.35

vrajasya rāmaḥ premardher

vīkṣyautkaṇṭhyam anukṣaṇam

mukta-staneṣv apatyeṣv apy

ahetu-vid acintayat

SYNONYMS

vrajasya — of the herd of cows; rāmaḥBalarāma; prema-ṛdheḥ — because of an increase of affection; vīkṣya — after observing; aut-kaṇṭhyam — attachment; anu-kṣaṇam — constantly; mukta-staneṣu — who had grown up and were no longer drawing milk from their mothers; apatyeṣuin regard to those calves; api — even; ahetu-vit — not understanding the reason; acintayat — began to consider as follows.

TRANSLATION

Because of an increase of affection, the cows had constant attachment even to those calves that were grown up and had stopped sucking milk from their mothers. When Baladeva saw this attachment, He was unable to understand the reason for it, and thus He began to consider as follows.

PURPORT

The cows had younger calves who had started sucking milk from their mothers, and some of the cows had newly given birth, but now, because of love, the cows enthusiastically showed their affection for the older calves, which had left off milking. These calves were grown up, but still the mothers wanted to feed them. Therefore Balarāma was a little surprised, and He wanted to inquire from Kṛṣṇa about the reason for their behavior. The mothers were actually more anxious to feed the older calves, although the new calves were present, because the older calves were expansions of Kṛṣṇa. These surprising events were taking place by the manipulation of yogamāyā. There are two māyās working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa — mahāmāyā, the energy of the material world, and yogamāyā, the energy of the spiritual world. These uncommon events were taking place because of the influence of yogamāyā. From the very day on which Brahmā stole the calves and boys, yogamāyā acted in such a way that the residents of Vṛndāvana, including even Lord Balarāma, could not understand how yogamāyā was working and causing such uncommon things to happen. But as yogamāyā gradually acted, Balarāma in particular was able to understand what was happening, and therefore He inquired from Kṛṣṇa.

<<< >>>

Buy Online Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari