Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.18.17
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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pralambaḥ
—
Pralamba
Pra+√lamb — to hang down, to draw out, to deceive. The very name encodes his strategy: he stretches the game out, draws Balarāma far, hangs Him from his shoulder. The name is the plot in compressed form.
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gopa-rūpī
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assuming the form of a cowherd boy
Gopa (cowherd) + rūpin (one having the form of). The same gopa-rūpa Kṛṣṇa wears in verse 2 is now worn by an asura. Form is shared; substance is not. A Gauḍīya warning about disguise.
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asuraḥ
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the demon
A+sura — non-divine. Asura is not merely 'enemy'; in Gauḍīya parsing it names the consciousness oriented away from the suras' worship-pole. Pralamba's asura-nature is not in his costume but in his intent.
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jihīrṣayā
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with the desire of kidnapping
Desiderative of √hṛ — wanting to seize/abduct. The intent makes the asura. The verse names the inner verb that the outer form conceals — a structural inversion of Kṛṣṇa's chadma in verse 2.
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cārayatoḥ
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while the two of Them were herding (the animals)
Dual present participle of √cāra (causative) — tending, pasturing. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are go-pa (cow-protector) by name and now by act. The demon enters precisely while the protectors are protecting — a calculated breach.
Having described how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma acted just like ordinary boys, Śukadeva Gosvāmī will now reveal one of the Lord’s transcendental pastimes that is beyond the range of human activity. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the demon Pralamba disguised himself as a particular cowherd boy who on that day had remained at home with duties to perform.
While Balarama and Krsna were engaged in herding the cows, Pralambha approached in the form of a cowherd boy. He took the form of one of the boys who stayed home that day for other work. He approached with a desire to take Krsna and Balarama away.
Having described sweet human pastimes which hid their powers, Śukadeva now describes an extraordinary pastimes showing Balarāma’s power. Pralamba took the form of one cowherd who has absent that day.
- Which 'friend' in my life have I not properly examined for impersonation?
- Where am I trusting the costume more than I am noticing the person inside it?
A demon walks into Vraja by adopting the costume of a friend. Māyā's strategy in saṁsāra is the same — it gets close to the soul by dressing like its companions. The cure is not better watching; it is Bhagavān's sarva-darśana inside the group.
My note
Source: vedabase.io