FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.12.27

तान् वीक्ष्य कृष्ण: सकलाभयप्रदो ह्यनन्यनाथान् स्वकरादवच्युतान् । दीनांश्च मृत्योर्जठराग्निघासान् घृणार्दितो दिष्टकृतेन विस्मित: ॥ २७ ॥
tān vīkṣya kṛṣṇaḥ sakalābhaya-prado
[taan veekshya krishnah sakalaabhaya-prado]
hy ananya-nāthān sva-karād avacyutān
[hy ananya-naathaan sva-karaad avachyutaan]
dīnāṁś ca mṛtyor jaṭharāgni-ghāsān
[deenaamsh cha mrityor jatharaagni-ghaasaan]
ghṛṇārdito diṣṭa-kṛtena vismitaḥ
[ghrinaardito dishta-kritena vismitah]
Word-for-word
tān — all those boys vīkṣya — seeing kṛṣṇaḥ — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa sakala - abhaya - pradaḥ — who is the source of fearlessness for everyone hi — indeed ananya - nāthān — especially for the cowherd boys, who did not know anyone except Kṛṣṇa sva - karāt — from the control of His hand avacyutān — now gone out dīnān ca — helpless mṛtyoḥ jaṭhara - agni - ghāsān — who had all entered like straws into the fire of the abdomen of Aghāsura, who was very bold and hungry, like death personified (because the asura had assumed a big body, he must have had a very strong appetite) ghṛṇā - arditaḥ — therefore, being compassionate due to causeless mercy diṣṭa - kṛtena — by things arranged by His internal potency vismitaḥ — He also, for the time being, was astonished .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tān vīkṣya kṛṣṇaḥ sakalābhaya-prado
tān
all those boys
vīkṣya
seeing
kṛṣṇaḥ
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa
sakala - abhaya - pradaḥ
who is the source of fearlessness for everyone
hi
indeed
hy ananya-nāthān sva-karād avacyutān
ananya - nāthān
especially for the cowherd boys, who did not know anyone except Kṛṣṇa
sva - karāt
from the control of His hand
avacyutān
now gone out
dīnāṁś ca mṛtyor jaṭharāgni-ghāsān
dīnān ca
helpless
mṛtyoḥ jaṭhara - agni - ghāsān
who had all entered like straws into the fire of the abdomen of Aghāsura, who was very bold and hungry, like death personified (because the asura had assumed a big body, he must have had a very strong appetite)
ghṛṇā - arditaḥ
therefore, being compassionate due to causeless mercy
ghṛṇārdito diṣṭa-kṛtena vismitaḥ
diṣṭa - kṛtena
by things arranged by His internal potency
vismitaḥ
He also, for the time being, was astonished .
Important Words
  • sakala-abhaya-pradaḥ — the giver of all fearlessness
    Compound: sakala (all) + abhaya (fearlessness) + prada (giver). Kṛṣṇa's standing title — abhaya-mudrā Lord. Gauḍīyas: His very nature is to remove fear, even when momentarily He shows the appearance of considering. The title in this verse is the answer to the verse's question.
  • ananya-nāthān — having no other Lord
    Compound: ananya (no other) + nātha (Lord). The boys recognize no Lord but Kṛṣṇa. This is the technical definition of pure bhakti — ananya-bhakti, exclusive devotion. Gauḍīyas (Rūpa Gosvāmī, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11) make this exclusivity the very mark of uttamā bhakti.
  • sva-karāt avacyutān — slipped from His own hand
    Compound: sva (own) + kara (hand) + avacyuta (fallen, slipped). The friends have slipped from His grasp — a maximally tender image. Even the Lord's hand can momentarily not hold what walks past it; this is the līlā's pretense of vulnerability.
  • diṣṭa-kṛtena — as if arranged by providence
    Compound: diṣṭa (destined) + kṛta (done). 'As if done by fate' — a curious phrase, since Kṛṣṇa is fate. Gauḍīyas read this as Bhagavān playing inside His own internal energy (yoga-māyā), letting the situation unfold.
Kṛṣṇa saw that all the cowherd boys, who did not know anyone but Him as their Lord, had now gone out of His hand and were helpless, having entered like straws into the fire of the abdomen of Aghāsura, who was death personified. It was intolerable for Kṛṣṇa to be separated from His friends the cowherd boys. Therefore, as if seeing that this had been arranged by His internal potency, Kṛṣṇa was momentarily struck with wonder and unsure of what to do.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Kṛṣṇa saw that all the cowherd boys, who did not know anyone but Him as their Lord, had now gone out of His hand and were helpless, having entered like straws into the fire of the abdomen of Aghāsura, who was death personified. It was intolerable for Kṛṣṇa to be separated from His friends the cowherd boys. Therefore, as if seeing that this had been arranged by His internal potency, Kṛṣṇa was momentarily struck with wonder and unsure of what to do.
Commentary

Seeing the boys escape from his hands like jewels and fall into the fire of the snake’s stomach like blades of grass, moved with compassion (ghrnaya arditah), Krsna was astonished at the actions of his lila sakti (dista krtena) or of time (dista) in having them enter the serpent’s mouth. What was the cause of astonishment? "It is not possible for these cowherd boys to have prarabdha karma and besides, the supersoul does not give them the tendency for karma. Because supersoul is my expansion, she does not do anything unfavorable to me. Therefore the lila sakti has made this seemingly unfavorable arrangement with a desire to put me, full of prema, into the compassionate mood (karuna rasa) on seeing this unfortunate situation. How astonishing is her control over me, the form of all rasas, the king of all lila ( lila purusottama)." Though the sorrow due to separation from his friends remained, with the rise of astonishment (vismaya bhava), it reduced a little. This is the meaning.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Kṛṣṇa who is the giver of fearlessness to the universe saw that the boys solely depending on him had gone far away from his hands which give fearlessness. They were now suffering since by dying they would be separated from him and were now like grass in the fire of digestion of Agha, who was death personified. He became astonished by the results given through prārabdha-karma (diṣta-kṛteṇa). But actually this event occurred according to the mood of the Lord who is filled with pleasure by performing human-like pastimes. Diṣṭa means his appointed (diṣṭa) śakti which covers his pastimes when the Lord comes as avatāra. Or diṣṭa means a principal following his approval. Pāṇini 4.4.60 says asti nasty diṣṭaṁ matiḥ: the suffix ka is added to diṣṭa to indicate a believer in things based on proof. He was astonished by what had been done before his eyes (diṣṭa-kṛteṇa). He was amazed that in front of him, his dear friends had been swallowed up. Or vismitaḥ can mean that he lost his smile out of grief. “Even if Kṛṣṇa was filled with grief, how were the boys under control of karma?” His discrimination vanished because of being controlled by affection (gṛṇārditaḥ). His nature is to be most merciful. Or, though he was soft with compassion for them because they had no other shelter (ananya-nāthān), he understood that they had escaped from his hands and were about to die. Therefore he was astonished.

Related values & verses
Related values
Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Kritajnata (Gratitude)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Kartavya (Duty / Responsibility)Satya (Truthfulness)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Dana (Charity / Generosity)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
BG 10.1 BG 12.10 BG 13.7 BG 2.66 BG 3.27 BG 13.1 BG 14.8 BG 12.2 BG 9.29 BG 12.5
Concepts
Bhava
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Kṛṣṇa is momentarily 'unsure what to do' — not from weakness but as part of His pastime, since the boys have no Lord but Him. The Lord enters into our predicaments fully, even pausing as if perplexed for love's sake.
Reflection Questions
  • Can I let Kṛṣṇa be tender enough about my situation that He does not solve it instantly?
  • Where am I impatient for a quick answer instead of letting Kṛṣṇa stay with me in the dilemma?
Analogy

Picture a parent who turns for one moment and finds the children have all walked into the river — and the parent, who is also the river's master, stands stunned for an instant. Kṛṣṇa's pause is not weakness; it is the līlā's deliberate beat. The Supreme Person allows Himself to feel for a moment what every devotee has felt: that the beloved is in danger and the path forward is not yet clear.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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