SB 10.13.42 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

इत एतेऽत्र कुत्रत्या मन्मायामोहितेतरे । तावन्त एव तत्राब्दं क्रीडन्तो विष्णुना समम् ॥ ४२ ॥

Verse text

ita ete ’tra kutratyā man-māyā-mohitetare tāvanta eva tatrābdaṁ krīḍanto viṣṇunā samam

Synonyms

itaḥ — for this reason ; ete — these boys with their calves ; atra — here ; kutratyāḥ — where have they come from ; mat — māyā — mohita — itare — different from those who were mystified by my illusory potency ; tāvantaḥ — the same number of boys ; eva — indeed ; tatra — there ; ā — abdam — for one year ; krīḍantaḥ — are playing ; viṣṇunā samam — along with Kṛṣṇa .

Translation

A similar number of boys and calves have been playing with Kṛṣṇa for one whole year, yet they are different from the ones illusioned by my mystic potency. Who are they? Where did they come from?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

A similar number of boys and calves have been playing with Kṛṣṇa for one whole year, yet they are different from the ones illusioned by my mystic potency. Who are they? Where did they come from? KB 10.13.42 How is it that a similar batch of boys and calves is playing with Kṛṣṇa? Is it that they are not influenced by my mystic power? Have they been playing continually for one year with Kṛṣṇa?”

Purport

Although appearing like calves, cows and cowherd boys, these were all Viṣṇu. Actually they were viṣṇu-tattva, not jīva-tattva. Brahmā was surprised. “The original cowherd boys and cows,” he thought, “are still where I put them last year. So who is it that is now keeping company with Kṛṣṇa exactly as before? Where have they come from?” Brahmā was surprised that his mystic power had been neglected. Without touching the original cows and cowherd boys kept by Brahmā, Kṛṣṇa had created another assembly of calves and boys, who were all expansions of viṣṇu-tattva. Thus Brahmā’s mystic power was superseded.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The doubts of Brahma after seeing all of this are now described in two verses. "Where have all these boys and calves that I see come from? Are these the ones bewildered by my maya? Or are they other boys and calves brought by Krsna? From here (itah) a little distant, there (pointing with his forefinger) in the forest of Gokula they are playing with Krsna. Different from the ones I bewildered, where did those ones come from? What are they?"

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

For this reason (itaḥ), who are these boys here playing, different from those under my māyā? Or, these boys who are sleeping by my māyā are over there (itaḥ). From where did these other boys not under my māyā come? For one year these boys have been playing with Kṛṣṇa.