FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.8.24

యర్హ్యఙ్గనాదర్శనీయకుమారలీలా- వన్తర్వ్రజే తదబలా: ప్రగృహీతపుచ్ఛై: । వత్సైరితస్తత ఉభావనుకృష్యమాణౌ ప్రేక్షన్త్య ఉజ్ఝితగృహా జహృషుర్హసన్త్య: ॥ ౨౪ ॥
yarhy aṅganā-darśanīya-kumāra-līlāv
[yarhy anganaa-darshaneeya-kumaara-leelaav]
antar-vraje tad abalāḥ pragṛhīta-pucchaiḥ
[antar-vraje tad abalaah pragriheeta-puchchaih]
vatsair itas tata ubhāv anukṛṣyamāṇau
[vatsair itas tata ubhaav anukrishyamaanau]
prekṣantya ujjhita-gṛhā jahṛṣur hasantyaḥ
[prekshantya ujjhita-grihaa jahrishur hasantyah]
yarhi — when aṅganā - darśanīya — visible only to the ladies within the house kumāra - līlau — the pastimes Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma exhibited as children antaḥ - vraje — within the inside of Vraja, in the house of Nanda Mahārāja tat — at that time abalāḥ — all the ladies pragṛhīta - pucchaiḥ — the ends of their tails having been caught by Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma vatsaiḥ — by the calves itaḥ tataḥ — here and there ubhau — both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma anukṛṣyamāṇau — being dragged prekṣantyaḥ — seeing such things ujjhita — given up gṛhāḥ — their household affairs jahṛṣuḥ — enjoyed very much hasantyaḥ — while laughing .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yarhy aṅganā-darśanīya-kumāra-līlāv
yarhi
when
aṅganā - darśanīya
visible only to the ladies within the house
kumāra - līlau
the pastimes Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma exhibited as children
antar-vraje tad abalāḥ pragṛhīta-pucchaiḥ
antaḥ - vraje
within the inside of Vraja, in the house of Nanda Mahārāja
tat
at that time
abalāḥ
all the ladies
pragṛhīta - pucchaiḥ
the ends of their tails having been caught by Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma
vatsair itas tata ubhāv anukṛṣyamāṇau
vatsaiḥ
by the calves
itaḥ tataḥ
here and there
ubhau
both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma
anukṛṣyamāṇau
being dragged
prekṣantya ujjhita-gṛhā jahṛṣur hasantyaḥ
prekṣantyaḥ
seeing such things
ujjhita
given up
gṛhāḥ
their household affairs
jahṛṣuḥ
enjoyed very much
hasantyaḥ
while laughing .
  • aṅganā - darśanīya — visible only to the ladies (within the house)
    Aṅganā (woman of the inner house) + darśanīya (worthy of seeing). The verse marks the līlā as inner-courtyard, women-only. Gauḍīyas honor this: the most intimate bāla-līlās belong to the vraja-aṅganās' eyes, not to public male darśana.
  • kumāra - līlau — the childhood pastimes (of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma)
    Kumāra (child, boy) + līlā, dual. The technical Vaiṣṇava term for the Lord's childhood pastimes. Distinct from kaumāra (slightly older) and paugaṇḍa (boy-hood). Each stage has its own bhāva.
  • antaḥ - vraje — within the inside of Vraja (in Nanda's house)
    Antaḥ (inside) + vraje. Vraja itself has inner and outer zones; the deepest vātsalya-līlā unfolds in the antaḥ-vraja, the household interior. A spatial parallel to the antar-yāmī within.
  • pragṛhīta - pucchaiḥ — (by the calves) whose tails were caught (by the boys)
    Pra-gṛhīta (firmly grasped) + puccha (tail), instrumental plural. The exact image: a baby's grip on a calf's tail. Vraja's smallest physical detail is preserved in scripture because every detail is rasa-fuel for the rāgānugā meditator.
  • ujjhita — given up
    Past participle of √ujjh — 'to abandon'. The household duties are not merely paused but ujjhita — abandoned. Gauḍīya: when Kṛṣṇa-līlā calls, loka-dharma is set aside; this is Caitanya's later teaching anticipated in toddler form.
  • gṛhāḥ — household affairs
    Plural of gṛha. The verse pairs ujjhita-gṛhāḥ — household abandoned. Rasa-shastra: vātsalya-darśana overrides gṛhya-dharma when the two compete in the heart.
  • jahṛṣuḥ — enjoyed very much, were thrilled
    Perfect plural of √hṛṣ — 'to bristle with joy'. The same root yields harṣa (thrill), a primary rasa-shastra emotion. Their joy is not mere amusement but transcendental thrill-bhāva.
  • hasantyaḥ — while laughing
    Present participle plural feminine of √has. Laughter is itself an anubhāva of vātsalya-rasa in Vaiṣṇava poetics; the verse closes with the gopīs' laughter as the līlā's outermost ripple.
Within the house of Nanda Mahārāja, the cowherd ladies would enjoy seeing the pastimes of the babies Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. The babies would catch the ends of the calves’ tails, and the calves would drag Them here and there. When the ladies saw these pastimes, they certainly stopped their household activities and laughed and enjoyed the incidents.

While crawling in curiosity, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma would sometimes catch the ends of the tails of calves. The calves, feeling that someone had caught them, would begin to flee here and there, and the babies would hold on very tightly, being afraid of how the calves were moving. The calves, seeing that the babies were holding them tightly, would also become afraid. Then the ladies would come to rescue the babies and gladly laugh. This was their enjoyment.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Within the house of Nanda Mahārāja, the cowherd ladies would enjoy seeing the pastimes of the babies Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. The babies would catch the ends of the calves' tails, and the calves would drag Them here and there. When the ladies saw these pastimes, they certainly stopped their household activities and laughed and enjoyed the incidents.
Commentary

When they had become stronger, they became very attractive to all the women, (angana adarsaniya) performing their pastimes as young boys ( kumara lilau). The women of Vraja ( avalah) seeing those boys in their pastimes, became blissful (jahrsyuh). What was their pastime? They held onto the tails of calves who were lying on the ground. The calves would get startled, stand up and begin running. The calves would pull them over the ground. The boys would not release their grip from the tails, but hold on more firmly out of fear. In this way they began crying. "You are weaker than these small calves still taking milk from the udder." The gopis would laugh and free their hands from the calves’ tails.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

When they became a little older, because of greater strength they wandered all over Vraja, playing and gave bliss to all the women of Vraja. Mainly the women saw these pastimes. (aṅganā-darśanīya). The boys caught the tails of the calves. Either they caught one tail and then gave that up and caught another, or they caught several calves’ tails at once. They caught the tails tightly (pragṛhīta), not letting go and were pulled from place to place. The women looked at this scene intently. They gave up their household chores, or gave up their houses and went searching for this pastime throughout Vraja. They laughed in astonishment or laughed at the two boys saying “Ah! You two are so strong, being pulled here and there by the calves. “

Related values
Abhaya (Fearlessness)Pratijna (Vow-keeping / Sacred Resolve)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)Vinaya (Humility / Modesty)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)
Related verses
The Lord's childhood līlā with calves draws the gopīs out of mundane work into laughing absorption — bhakti is what truly interrupts saṃsāra.
Practical Applications
  • Pause one household or work task today the moment you can hear or read about Kṛṣṇa's bāla-līlā, and let that hearing fully absorb you for even five minutes.
  • Notice where you cling to 'getting things done' as proof of self-worth, and deliberately let Kṛṣṇa's pastimes interrupt that grip once today.
  • Speak about a specific childhood pastime of Kṛṣṇa to someone in your home, the way the gopīs shared their delight, instead of keeping bhakti private and silent.

A herd of dolphins drags a small swimmer across the bay — what looks like the boy being towed is actually the boy delighting the dolphins. Kṛṣṇa caught by the calves' tails is the same picture; the līlā is staged for the watchers, the cowherd women, who drop their household work to laugh and watch.

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