FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.13.46

तावत् सर्वे वत्सपाला: पश्यतोऽजस्य तत्क्षणात् । व्यद‍ृश्यन्त घनश्यामा: पीतकौशेयवासस: ॥ ४६ ॥
tāvat sarve vatsa-pālāḥ
[taavat sarve vatsa-paalaah]
paśyato ’jasya tat-kṣaṇāt
[pashyato ’jasya tat-kshanaat]
vyadṛśyanta ghana-śyāmāḥ
[vyadrishyanta ghana-shyaamaah]
pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ
[peeta-kausheya-vaasasah]
Word-for-word
tāvat — so long sarve — all vatsa - pālāḥ — both the calves and the boys tending them paśyataḥ — while he was watching ajasya — of Lord Brahmā tat - kṣaṇāt — immediately vyadṛśyanta — were seen ghana - śyāmāḥ — as having a complexion resembling bluish rainclouds pīta - kauśeya - vāsasaḥ — and dressed in yellow silk garments .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tāvat sarve vatsa-pālāḥ
tāvat
so long
sarve
all
vatsa - pālāḥ
both the calves and the boys tending them
paśyataḥ
while he was watching
ajasya
of Lord Brahmā
paśyato ’jasya tat-kṣaṇāt
tat - kṣaṇāt
immediately
vyadṛśyanta ghana-śyāmāḥ
vyadṛśyanta
were seen
ghana - śyāmāḥ
as having a complexion resembling bluish rainclouds
pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ
pīta - kauśeya - vāsasaḥ
and dressed in yellow silk garments .
Important Words
  • ghana-śyāmāḥ — dark like rainclouds
    Compound: ghana (cloud, dense) + śyāma (dark, blue-black). The standing Bhāgavata epithet for Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa's complexion. Gauḍīyas note that ghana-śyāma is the body-color specifically of svayaṁ-bhagavān; demigods are described differently.
  • pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ — dressed in yellow silk garments
    Compound: pīta (yellow) + kauśeya (silk) + vāsas (garment). The standing epithet for Viṣṇu's pītāmbara. Gauḍīyas read this as the wardrobe-confirmation of Viṣṇu-identity, paired with ghana-śyāma.
  • vatsa-pālāḥ — calves and their tenders
    Compound: vatsa (calf) + pāla (tender). The same compound from verse 4, now applied to forms that are simultaneously cowherds and Viṣṇus. Gauḍīyas read this overlap as a Bhāgavata-style telescoping: Vraja-līlā and Vaikuṇṭha-darśana in one frame.
  • ajasya — of Brahmā
    Genitive of aja. Brahmā 'the unborn' watches the unborn Lord expand. Gauḍīyas use this third occurrence of aja in the chapter to track Brahmā's progress: he is named aja each time his bewilderment deepens, until he is the one cured.
  • tat-kṣaṇāt — immediately
    Compound: tat (that) + kṣaṇa (moment) + ablative. The shift happens in a single instant. Gauḍīyas note this temporal precision: the līlā does not gradually disclose; it flashes.
Then, while Lord Brahmā looked on, all the calves and the boys tending them immediately appeared to have complexions the color of bluish rainclouds and to be dressed in yellow silken garments.
Purport

While Brahmā was contemplating, all the calves and cowherd boys immediately transformed into viṣṇu-mūrtis, having bluish complexions and wearing yellow garments. Brahmā was contemplating his own power and the immense, unlimited power of Kṛṣṇa, but before he could come to a conclusion, he saw this immediate transformation.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Then, while Lord Brahmā looked on, all the calves and the boys tending them immediately appeared to have complexions the color of bluish rainclouds and to be dressed in yellow silken garments.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

When Brahmā began suffering because of bewilderment, the Lord quickly showed him mercy according to Brahmā’s desire to see some other greatness of the Lord. Nine verses describe this. The forms appeared while Brahmā looked on. This indicates disregard for him. They appeared, not depending on his power of vision, but appeared spontaneously to his eyes (vyadṛśyanta). They appeared by their own power. The verb is reflexive (became visible by themselves).

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

When Brahmā began suffering because of bewilderment, the Lord quickly showed him mercy. The forms were seen by Brahmā who was looking (paśyataḥ). The possessive case is used for the instrumental case. Or as Brahmā gazed at the Lord with fear and humility, the forms manifested. Because of the astonishing description, the forms could not be illusory. The forms were manifested in a special way (vy-adrśyanta). Or while Brahmā watched, they forms became visible.

Related values & verses
Related values
Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Raksha (Protective Responsibility)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Kritajnata (Gratitude)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Hrih (Modesty / Sense of Shame)Satya (Truthfulness)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)
Related verses
BG 5.4 BG 5.18 BG 13.7 BG 18.1 BG 16.1 BG 13.5 BG 15.7 BG 6.47
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Before Brahmā's eyes, every calf and boy turns dark-blue and clad in yellow silk — every member of Vraja is, in essence, Viṣṇu. The whole world becomes transparent to the Lord when grace removes the veil.
Reflection Questions
  • If, for one minute, I saw every person around me as a viṣṇu-mūrti, how would I behave?
  • What would lift the veil even slightly — sustained chanting, fasting, association?
Analogy

Brahmā opens his eyes expecting to see the cowherd boys and instead sees a hundred Viṣṇus — the cloud-dark, yellow-silked Viṣṇu form replicated across every grazing space. The līlā tears back the cowherd-curtain and the deeper register of the Lord shows through.

Stories
Cloud-dark and yellow-silked — the Viṣṇu signature

Throughout the Bhāgavatam, Viṣṇu's body is described as ghana-śyāma (rain-cloud dark) and clothed in pīta-kauśeya (yellow silk). Whenever the Bhāgavata wants to flag the appearance of the supreme form to a witness — Dhruva at 4.9, Prahlāda at 7.9, Akrūra at 10.40 — these are the words.

Here the Bhāgavata uses both at once for the calves and boys: every one of them is now ghana-śyāma in complexion and pīta-kauśeya-clad. Gauḍīyas read this as the precise visual signature that confirms what Balarāma had already seen with the cakṣus vayunena — the boys are not boys, they are Viṣṇu-mūrtis.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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