SB 10.25.5 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

वाचालं बालिशं स्तब्धमज्ञं पण्डितमानिनम् कृष्णं मर्त्यमुपाश्रित्य गोपा मे चक्रुरप्रियम् ॥ ५ ॥

Verse text

vācālaṁ bāliśaṁ stabdham ajṣaṁ paṇḍita-māninam kṛṣṇaṁ martyam upāśritya gopā me cakrur apriyam

Synonyms

vācālam — overtalkative ; bāliśam — child ; stabdham — arrogant ; ajṣam — foolish ; paṇḍita — māninam — thinking Himself wise ; kṛṣṇam — Kṛṣṇa ; martyam — a human being ; upāśritya — taking shelter of ; gopāḥ — the cowherds ; me — against me ; cakruḥ — have acted ; apriyam — unfavorably .

Translation

These cowherd men have acted inimically toward me by taking shelter of this ordinary human being, Kṛṣṇa, who thinks Himself very wise but who is simply a foolish, arrogant, overtalkative child.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

These cowherd men have acted inimically toward me by taking shelter of this ordinary human being, Kṛṣṇa, who thinks Himself very wise but who is simply a foolish, arrogant, overtalkative child. KB 10.25.5 Indra further declared, “These cowherd men in Vṛndāvana have neglected my authority on the advice of this talkative boy who is known as Kṛṣṇa. He is nothing but a child, and by believing this child, they have enraged me.”

Purport

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, through the insults of Indra Goddess Sarasvatī is actually praising Kṛṣṇa. The ācārya explains: “ Vācālam means ‘one who can speak according to Vedic authority.’ Bāliśam means ‘free from pretension, just like a child.’ Stabdham means that He bows down to no one because there is no one for Him to offer homage to, ajṣam means that there is nothing more for Him to know because He is omniscient, paṇḍita-māninam means that He is highly honored by the knowers of the Absolute Truth, and kṛṣṇam means He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, whose transcendental form is full of eternity and ecstasy. Martyam means that although He is the Absolute Truth, He nevertheless appears in this world as a human being out of affection for His devotees.” Indra wanted to rebuke Kṛṣṇa as vācālam because the Lord had presented many audacious arguments in the line of Karma-mīmāṁsā and Sāṅkhya philosophy even though He did not accept these arguments; thus Indra called the Lord bāliśa, “foolish.” Indra called Him stabdha because He had spoken boldly even in the presence of His own father. Thus although Indra attempted to criticize Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Lord’s transcendental character is in fact impeccable, and this chapter will demonstrate how Indra came to recognize the position of the Lord.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Krsna is talkative (vacalam) speaking nonsense which contradicts the conclusions of mimamsa and sankhya philosophy. He is foolish (balisam), not having studied the scriptures. He is disrespectful (stabdham), being audacious in front of his own father. He is ignorant (ajnam),not knowing anything because all he does is herd cows, but thinks himself a learned man (pandita maninam). He is only human. They neglect me, a devata, and thus commit insult. The real meaning however is that by krsna’s mercy even a fool becomes skilful with words. He does not respect others because others are not worthy of respect. There is nothing which is not known to him (ajnam). He is adored by the learned men (pandita maninah).

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Indra says Kṛṣṇa is talkative because he had spoken speculatively and harshly about karmavāda. The lowly cowherds offended me, the lord of the three worlds. His statement indicates his great pride. Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that the words can be praise for Kṛṣṇa. Vācālam can mean “having ability in speaking.” He was like innocent like a child (bāliśam) since Viśva-prakāśa says this word can mean a child or a fool. Ajñam can mean “having all knowledge.” Paṇḍita-māninam can mean he is respected by the people having knowledge of Brahman.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Indra says Kṛṣṇa is talkative because he had spoken speculatively and harshly about karmavāda. The lowly cowherds offended me, the lord of the three worlds. His statement indicates his great pride. Mentioning himself indicates his pride.