With completion of the description of pastimes on the day of kartika gopastami, now there is a description of summer time pastimes. Balarama was not present because he was kept home by his mother for taking a santi bath on his birthday.

Though it would be proper to end the chapter at this point, it continues out of feelings suffering caused by confusion on remembering the incident of Kāliya which actually happened previous to killing Dhenuka. Though Śukadeva begins the story from the beginning, overcome because of his remembrance, he concludes the chapter with only the introduction to the story. In order to relieve the minds of the listeners that when Kṛṣṇa again went to the Yamunā there would be no poison, Śukadeva begins the next chapter by summarizing the whole story in one verse. Then inspired by Parīkṣit’s question he tells the story in detail. He begins the story. In this way, herding the cows and imitating the bees etc. Kṛṣṇa played in Vṛndāvana. Wandering in Vṛndāvana, he was the life of all the people of Vraja. Though he was Bhagavān, he had a soft heart. One time, after he first started herding cows, in the summer, he went to the Yamuna. He went without Balarāma, since he thought that Balarāma would prevent him from entering the Yamunā, having being instructed by Yaśodā to prevent Kṛṣṇa from such rash behavior. The other boys surrounded him, coming close in competition out of love, in order to see the beauty of his face, and to follow Yaśodā’s affectionate order to do so to protect him.

Having described a human pastimes hiding Kṛṣṇa’s powers, and having described him manifesting powers in killing Dhenuka in the tāla forest, Śukadeva begins to narrate the story of Kāliya. As a pastime of the paugaṇḍa period when the boys imitated bees and other creatures (evam), he who was the life of the people of Vraja (saḥ), full of his powers (bhagavān), revealing them also, he who attracts the minds of the whole world (kṛṣṇaḥ), went to the Yamunā. Or he who is omniscient (bhagavān), because he appeared in this world to benefit everyone (kṛṣṇa), the supreme Lord, who knew the evil nature of Kāliya, went to the Yamunā in order to protect the living entities of Vṛndāvana, and to punish and show mercy to Kāliya. One day he was wandering in Vṛndāvana at the end of his sixth year during summer season (vṛndāvana-caraḥ). He went without Balarāma, since he knew that all the people of Vraja would enter the lake of Kāliya if Balarāma was not there to prevent them. The word rāmam also suggests giving pleasure (ramaṇa) to the people of Vraja (by saving them). Or being very affection to the people, Balarāma wanted to prevent the people from jumping into the poisonous lake to rescue Kṛṣṇa. O king (rājan)! Śukadeva calls out to the king on experiencing pain through remembering the pastime. Or he calls out to steady Parīkṣit. Or ramam ṛte rājan means “being without Balarāma.” Or rājan means that his body shone brightly because he wore less ornaments that day, suitable for water pastimes or his body. He shone brightly because he began manifesting special powers to tame Kāliya. He was surrounded (vṛtaḥ) by friends because they wanted to see his face, and he wanted to see their prema, with a competition of prema among them. Also Yaśodā out of affection ordered them to surround him when he went out. Kālindī means daughter of the sun (kalinda). Kalinda indicates destroying the faults of Kali-yuga and destroying quarrels. She had qualities like him. Therefore it was suitable that Kṛṣṇa went to Kalindī (Yamunā) to drive out Kāliya.