FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.18.19

तत्रोपाहूय गोपालान् कृष्ण: प्राह विहारवित् । हे गोपा विहरिष्यामो द्वन्द्वीभूय यथायथम् ॥ १९ ॥
tatropāhūya gopālān
[tatropaahooya gopaalaan]
kṛṣṇaḥ prāha vihāra-vit
[krishnah praaha vihaara-vit]
he gopā vihariṣyāmo
[he gopaa viharishyaamo]
dvandvī-bhūya yathā-yatham
[dvandvee-bhooya yathaa-yatham]
Word-for-word
tatra — thereupon upāhūya — calling gopālān — the cowherd boys kṛṣṇaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa prāha — spoke vihāra - vit — the knower of all sports and games he gopāḥ — O cowherd boys vihariṣyāmaḥ — let us play dvandvī - bhūya — dividing into two groups yathā - yatham — suitably .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tatropāhūya gopālān
tatra
thereupon
upāhūya
calling
gopālān
the cowherd boys
kṛṣṇaḥ prāha vihāra-vit
kṛṣṇaḥ
Lord Kṛṣṇa
prāha
spoke
vihāra - vit
the knower of all sports and games
he gopā vihariṣyāmo
he gopāḥ
O cowherd boys
vihariṣyāmaḥ
let us play
dvandvī-bhūya yathā-yatham
dvandvī - bhūya
dividing into two groups
yathā - yatham
suitably .
Important Words
  • vihāra-vit — the knower of all sports and games
    Vihāra (play, recreation) + vit (knower). A title applied to Bhagavān only inside the Vraja-līlā context. He is not merely the knower of Vedas — He is the knower of how children divide into teams. Gauḍīyas treat this epithet as one of His Vraja-svarūpa names.
  • upāhūya — calling
    Upa+ā+√hū — to call near. The Lord calls — the same verb used when He summons devotees through saṅkīrtana. Here His call is to come and play.
  • he gopāḥ — O cowherd boys
    Vocative direct address. He calls them gopāḥ — naming their svarūpa, not their personal names. In Gauḍīya rasa-śāstra, address by category-of-rasa is itself a rasa-deepening act.
  • vihariṣyāmaḥ — let us play
    First person plural future of vi+√hṛ. The verb is inclusive — let us — Bhagavān places Himself inside the playing group. No spectator-Godhead here.
  • dvandvī-bhūya — dividing into two groups
    Dvandva (pair, dyad) + bhū (become). To pair up. Gauḍīyas note that the cosmos itself is dvandvātmaka — pairs of opposites — and Bhagavān playfully imposes this structure on a children's game.
Kṛṣṇa, who knows all sports and games, then called together the cowherd boys and spoke as follows: “Hey cowherd boys! Let’s play now! We’ll divide ourselves into two even teams.”
Purport

The word yathā-yatham means that Kṛṣṇa naturally wanted the two teams to be evenly matched so that there would be a good game. In addition to the pleasure of sporting, the purpose of the game was to kill the demon Pralamba.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Kṛṣṇa, who knows all sports and games, then called together the cowherd boys and spoke as follows: "Hey cowherd boys! Let's play now! We'll divide ourselves into two even teams."
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

He then spoke specifically (pra aha) to attract Pralamba, in order to kill him. Kṛṣṇa is called vihara-vit because he was knowledgeable of everything about the game.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

He then spoke specifically (pra aha) to attract Pralamba, in order to kill him. Kṛṣṇa is called vihara-vit because he was knowledgeable of everything about the game: by this game he would make Balarāma happy and have him get on Pralamba’s shoulders. Or he know all aspects of this particular game.

Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Kṛṣṇa proposes a game: 'Let's divide into two even teams.' The Lord engineers the situation that will surface and end the demon — through ordinary play, not through dramatic confrontation.
Reflection Questions
  • What 'ordinary play' is Kṛṣṇa using right now to surface something that needs ending in my life?
  • Where am I waiting for a dramatic showdown when the resolution is hidden in normal activity?
Analogy

The same Lord who organizes the cosmos is now organizing the team-picking on a forest afternoon. Vihāra-vit — knower of all sports — is the title He wears here, and team-formation is the cosmic act before our eyes.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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