Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.13.61
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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paśupa-vaṁśa-śiśutva-nāṭyam
—
the play of childhood in a cowherd lineage
Compound: paśupa (cowherd) + vaṁśa (lineage) + śiśutva (childhood) + nāṭya (theater, play). The Bhāgavata calls Vraja-līlā precisely nāṭya — drama. Gauḍīyas treasure this: Kṛṣṇa's childhood is sacred theater, deliberately performed, not accidental existence.
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advayam
—
without a second, non-dual
From a- (not) + dvaya (second, dual). Applied in the verse to brahma — brahma advayam: the Absolute one-without-a-second. The Bhāgavata's careful placement: advayam — non-dual — applied directly to Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boy standing in the meadow. Gauḍīyas read this as the Bhāgavata's own use of the advaya-vocabulary while keeping the personalist meaning intact: non-dual does not mean impersonal.
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sa-pāṇi-kavalam
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with a morsel of food in His hand
Same compound as verse 14. The morsel returns. Gauḍīyas treasure this circular detail: He left with kavala in hand; He is still there, with kavala in hand. The līlā is closed; nothing has changed in the eternal present.
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ekam
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alone
Numeral 'one.' He is alone. Gauḍīyas note: in Vraja, the Supreme stands alone — the cosmic retinue has dispersed, and what remains is the boy in the meadow. Aloneness is mādhurya's signature; even the highest aiśvarya recedes.
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agādha-bodham
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of unfathomable knowledge
Compound: agādha (unfathomable, bottomless) + bodha (wisdom, awareness). The Bhāgavata's reminder, in case the hearer is tempted to think the cowherd boy is merely a child: He is agādha-bodha.
The word agādha-bodham, meaning “full of unlimited knowledge,” is significant in this verse. The Lord’s knowledge is unlimited, and therefore one cannot touch where it ends, just as one cannot measure the ocean. What is the extent of our intelligence in comparison to the vast expanse of water in the ocean? On my passage to America, how insignificant the ship was, like a matchbox in the midst of the ocean. Kṛṣṇa’s intelligence resembles the ocean, for one cannot imagine how vast it is. The best course, therefore, is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Don’t try to measure Kṛṣṇa. The word advayam, meaning “one without a second,” is also significant. Because Brahmā was overcast by Kṛṣṇa’s māyā, he was thinking himself the Supreme. In the material world, everyone thinks, “I am the best man in this world. I know everything.” One thinks, “Why should I read Bhagavad-gītā ? I know everything. I have my own interpretation.” Brahmā, however, was able to understand that the Supreme Personality is Kṛṣṇa. īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ . Another of Kṛṣṇa’s names, therefore, is parameśvara. Now Brahmā saw Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearing as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana, not demonstrating His opulence but standing just like an innocent boy with some food in His hand, loitering with His cowherd boyfriends, calves and cows. Brahmā did not see Kṛṣṇa as catur-bhuja, the opulent Nārāyaṇa; rather, he simply saw an innocent boy. Nonetheless, he could understand that although Kṛṣṇa was not demonstrating His power, He was the same Supreme Person. People generally do not appreciate someone unless he shows something wonderful, but here, although Kṛṣṇa did not manifest anything wonderful, Brahmā could understand that the same wonderful person was present like an ordinary child, although He was the master of the whole creation. Thus Brahmā prayed, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi: “You are the original person, the cause of everything. I bow down to You.” This was his realization. Tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. This is what is wanted. Vedeṣu durlabham: one cannot reach Kṛṣṇa merely by Vedic knowledge. Adurlabham ātma-bhaktau: but when one becomes a devotee, then one can realize Him. Brahmā, therefore, became a devotee. In the beginning he was proud of being Brahmā, the lord of the universe, but now he understood, “Here is the Lord of the universe. I am simply an insignificant agent. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi.” Kṛṣṇa was playing like a dramatic actor. Because Brahmā had some false prestige, thinking that he had some power, Kṛṣṇa showed him his real position. A similar incident occurred when Brahmā went to see Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā. When Kṛṣṇa’s doorman informed Lord Kṛṣṇa that Lord Brahmā had arrived, Kṛṣṇa responded, “Which Brahmā? Ask him which Brahmā.” The doorman relayed this question, and Brahmā was astonished. “Is there another Brahmā besides me?” he thought. When the doorman informed Lord Kṛṣṇa, “It is four-headed Brahmā,” Lord Kṛṣṇa said, “Oh, four-headed. Call others. Show him.” This is Kṛṣṇa’s position. For Kṛṣṇa the four-headed Brahmā is insignificant, to say nothing of “four-headed scientists.” Materialistic scientists think that although this planet earth is full of opulence, all others are vacant. Because they simply speculate, this is their scientific conclusion. But from the Bhāgavatam we understand that the entire universe is full of living entities everywhere. Thus it is the folly of the scientists that although they do not know anything, they mislead people by presenting themselves as scientists, philosophers and men of knowledge.
Covering up the four handed forms generated from his own form by yogamaya, Krsna showed Brahma his original form described in the srutis as akhanda advitiya brahma. There (tatra), in Vrndavana, Brahma ( paramesthi) saw (acasta) Krsna (Brahma). How did he look? He was the most skilful representation (natyam) of a child in a cowherd family, in order to make Brahma accept his false conception of "I can bewilder my master". He made a show in which Brahma saw and did not see the calves in the fields and the boys on the river bank. He is addressed as advaya (without two) because all the forms that Brahma had seen until he became stunned had now been covered up by yoga maya. Because he is the root of all the other forms, without a second he is called param, supreme. He is ananta because of the presence of powers thousands of times greater than what he showed to Brahma. He is called agadha bodha because, what to speak of Brahma, even Baladeva and other expansions find it difficult to understand him.
Because he was performing like an actor, Krsna was looking for the calves and boys here and there one year before. One year before, Brahma, under illusion took that to be actual fact. But now, after seeing the calves grazing on the grass in the pasture and boys taking lunch on the river bank, and no longer seeing the illusory boys created by maya that he had stolen, and thererby getting free from his illusion, he understood that this searching for the calves and boys again was some act of Krsna for bewildering him. Thus in the first verse of chapter 14, when Brahma prays, there is no mention of Krsna searching for the calves and boys. Because of yogamaya’s covering of the four handed forms coming from himself, he is described as one ( eka). Because he has many pastimes which attract the devotee, he appeared with curd rice in his hand. Sometimes Krsna shows his formless, quality less aspect to the less qualified person. This is because yogamaya covers the sweetness of Krsna’s form qualities, pastimes, dhama and associates, and leaves only the revelation of the formless to that person. Though there is this extreme difference in realization of Brahman, there is no contradiction in the scriptures which describe this, if this is understood. Some will claim that because of the statement " putting on the dress of a cowherd boy (natyam)," the cowherd boy form is not Brahman’s svarupa, but simply a form illustrates the Lord’s power to bewilder. The Lord only accepts this form of a cowherd boy as convenient object of praise for Brahma in chapter 14 (naumidya te abhra). But this is not in agreement with Sridhara Swami’s opinion, for the subject of prayers should never be unreal things. The form of Krsna holding the curd rice in his hand is eternally existing.
Then Brahmā met Kṛṣṇa—the end result—directly. Brahmā saw Kṛṣṇa as advayam (without a second) because Kṛṣṇa had shown him the many Viṣṇu forms and universes and yet he was still one form from beginning to end. “But there could be another cause of the world which is presently seen.” That causes is one (advayam). Śruti says ekam evādvitīyaṁ brahma: Brahman is only one, without a second. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.1.1) There is nothing of the same variety (sajātīya-bheda). Why give up visible objects (many) and instead imagine invisible things (oneness)? Here in front of me is one person. Though he manifested many forms by means of his own powers, as previously described, he is one form with satya-jṣānānantānanda. By the term advayam, other objects of different type (vijātīya-bheda) are also rejected. Some philosophers also reject internal difference (svagata-bheda) since śakti and the source of the śakti are non-different. He is the controller of everything (param) because he is the cause of everything. He is unlimited (anantam). He is beyond comprehension (agāḍha-bodham) because he is omniscient, his every desire is fulfilled, and he possesses inconceivable śaktis. He is Brahman, because he is the greatest-- since he is the Lord in a human form who is the cause of the puruṣa forms which create universes. Narākṛti paraṁ brahma apaśyat: he saw the Supreme Brahman in a human form. Brahmā will later say dyaiva tvad ṛte ’sya kiṁ mama na te māyātvam ādarśitam: have you not shown me today that both you yourself and everything within this creation are manifestations of your inconceivable potency? (SB 10.14.18) Brahmā also experienced the sweetest pastimes suitable to the human form of the Lord in Kṛṣṇa who is the reservoir of all pastimes according to the principle of lokavat tu līlākaivalyam: the Lord has pastimes similar to the activities of this world. (Brahma-sūtra 2.1.33) Thus Brahmā saw him as a small boy belonging to a cowherd family, the son of Nanda causing great astonishment with great variety (nāṭyam). He did (vahan) this excellently (ut) with the most care. He also experienced pastimes in which he was controlled by his devotees’ prema, attractive to all from Brahmā to the canḍālas which caused him to reject his qualities of Brahman: he saw Kṛṣṇa searching for the calves and his friends. However it was said sarvaṁ vidhi-kṛtaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ sahasāvajagāma: Kṛṣṇa understood it was the work of Brahmā. (SB 10.13.17) Though he knew, he searched as previously. He remained in that form (with the yogurt rice in his hand) for a year, not seeing his friends and the calves. And he also went home every day in a second form just like he went to Śrutadeva and Janaka’s houses in different forms. (SB 10.86.26) In those manifestations time passed quickly for him and his friends. Thus he still had the yogurt rice in his hand.
Then he saw Kṛṣṇa. Though one year had passed, he was searching for the calves and boys as previously to astonish Brahmā. Or he did this out of the happiness of finding friends who would soon be free from māyā. He saw Brahman as a small boy. Kṛṣṇa did this to cause him astonishmsent or bhakti. Brahmā himself could not do this on his own. Or he saw parabrahman as Bhagavān. He performed the pastimes as the son of Nanda. Or he saw him dancing, as boy playing his cowherd flute, sometimes putting it in his right and and sometimes in his left hand. Sometimes he tucked it in his belt so that he could eat. That dancing was extraordinary (advayam). It was parabrahman. Alone he was searching for his friends and the calves as before, since he had withdrawn his forms of them. What Brahmā saw is listed with increasing excellence.
- Krishnananda Pr SB 10-13-61 Hindi - Krishna ke bina sab kuch time pass hai - 2005-08-15
- Padaseva Pr SB 10-13-61 Oriya
- BAVS SB 10-13-61 - 2021-12-08 ISKCON Vrindavan
- 12 - RGS SB 10-13-61-64 Hindi - Aghasur Uddhar Leela-Evening Day-06 - 2014 Haridwar
- Suhotra Sw SB 10-13-61 - Familiarity breeds Contempt - 2004-11-27
Brahmā looks past the radiant cosmic vision and sees, standing alone in the meadow, the same small cowherd boy with curd-rice still between his fingers — searching for the calves. The Vaikuṇṭha-darśana was real, but the substance is this: a boy with a morsel in His hand, doing the work of Vraja. Aiśvarya was a teaching; mādhurya is home.
My note
Source: vedabase.io