Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.13.43
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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eteṣu bhedeṣu
—
among these distinct ones
Phrase: eteṣu (these) + bhedeṣu (in the differences). Brahmā stares at the two sets of boys, both 'differences,' and cannot adjudicate. Gauḍīyas treasure bheda as the technical word — the chapter's title-doctrine of bheda-abheda is named here verbatim.
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satyāḥ
—
real
Plural masculine of satya. Brahmā's question: who is satya, who is asatya? The standard Vedic categories. Gauḍīyas read this as the moment when ordinary epistemology fails — the answer is that both are satya in different ways, the acintya part of bhedābheda.
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katare
—
which
Interrogative — 'which of two'. The use of katara (not 'which of many') marks Brahmā's framing: he assumes only one set can be real. Gauḍīyas point out this assumption is precisely what the līlā will dismantle.
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jñātum
—
to know, to discriminate
Infinitive of √jñā. Brahmā the supreme jñānin cannot jñātum here. Gauḍīyas read this verse as the Bhāgavata's standing critique of pure jñāna-mārga: the highest knower cannot know without bhakti's grace.
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kathañcana
—
in any way at all
Adverb — 'by any means whatsoever'. The total negation. Brahmā cannot decide by any method. Gauḍīyas treasure kathañcana as the verbal stamp of the chapter's epistemological lesson: discrimination has its limits, and Kṛṣṇa marks them.
Brahmā was puzzled. “The original boys and calves are still sleeping as I have kept them,” he thought, “but another set is here playing with Kṛṣṇa. How has this happened?” Brahmā could not grasp what was happening. Which boys were real, and which were not real? Brahmā was unable to come to any definite conclusion. He pondered the matter for a long while. “How can there be two sets of calves and boys at the same time? Have the boys and calves here been created by Kṛṣṇa, or has Kṛṣṇa created the ones lying asleep? Or are both merely creations of Kṛṣṇa?” Brahmā thought about the subject in many different ways. “After I go to the cave and see that the boys and calves are still there, does Kṛṣṇa go take them away and put them here so that I come here and see them, and does Kṛṣṇa then take them from here and put them there?” Brahmā could not figure out how there could be two sets of calves and cowherd boys exactly alike. Although thinking and thinking, he could not understand at all.
In this way Brahma was thinking and investigating. "Of the two groups-those bewildered by me and those playing here with Krsna, which group is real and which is false? The ones that I bewildered who are here sleeping, are they the real ones or something created by Krsna? Or are the ones playing in the distance the real ones or something created by Krsna? Or are both something newly created by Krsna, while he took the real ones to some other universe? Or has Krsna made two forms which are real and brought one set over there and one set here where I am? Let that be. In any case I am looking at two different groups in two different places at the same time. Seeing the boys in both places I am confused." After meditating for some time, he then thought, "I will use my power of omniscience to understand this". But even then, after a long time in samadhi, Brahma could not understand. "Of the two groups situated in different places, which is the real group (satyah) , created by the Lord, and which is false, created by maya devi. This I cannot understand at all."
Brahmā tried to figure out the two groups, one sleeping and one playing. He reflected about both groups. Which of them was the real group of the original boys and calves? Which was the false group? Did the Lord take the sleeping boys (and wake them up) and manufacture some false boys and calves and place them here in a sleeping condition? Or are the boys who are playing with the Lord made by māyā? Or I am seeing some illusion of the boys playing? Though he thought for a long time, he could not come to any conclusion. Though he was the spreader of māyā and had perfect knowledge, he could not understand because of the Lord’s māyā.
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Like a man trying to count whether the reflection in the mirror or the original face is real, who finds that both pass every test — Brahmā tries to discriminate between his sleeping captives and the year-long Vraja, and finds the criteria collapse. Acintya-bhedābheda has just been demonstrated to the creator.
My note
Source: vedabase.io