Brahma Is Bewildered

When Brahma hid away the calves and cowherd boys, Krishna himself became every one of them for a whole year, until the bewildered Brahma fell at his feet in prayer.

After freeing Aghasura, Krishna sat down with his friends for lunch on the sandy bank of the Yamuna. The boys sat around him in circles like the petals of a lotus, and Krishna shone in the middle like its centre. His flute was tucked into his waistband, a morsel of curd and rice was in his hand, and he joked and laughed as they all ate together. The gods watched this wondrous picnic from the heavens.

Meanwhile the calves, tempted by fresh grass, wandered deep into the forest. When the boys grew anxious, Krishna told them to keep eating while he went to find the calves, and he set off with the morsel still in his hand. Brahma, the creator, already amazed by the liberation of Aghasura, wished to see more of the Lord's glory. Using his power, he first took away the calves and then all the cowherd boys, and hid them asleep in a cave.

Krishna understood everything. So that the mothers and cows would not grieve, he himself became every calf and every boy, with exactly the same bodies, clothes, sticks, flutes, natures and ways of speaking. In the evening they all returned home. The mothers and cows felt even more love for their children and calves than before, for now the Lord himself was in those forms. A whole year passed in this way. Near the end of the year, Balarama understood the secret of this extraordinary love.

In Brahma's world only a moment had passed, while on earth a year had gone by. Returning, Brahma saw the boys he had hidden still asleep, and yet the same boys and calves playing with Krishna. He could not tell which were real. Then all the boys and calves appeared to him as four-armed forms of Vishnu, worshipped by countless Brahmas. His pride melted away. When the vision faded, he saw only the little cowherd, morsel in hand, searching for the calves.

Brahma got down from his swan, fell at the Lord's feet and offered heartfelt prayers, saying that even to be born as a blade of grass in Vraja would be his good fortune. Krishna returned the boys, who thought only a moment had passed. This leela teaches that the Lord's glory cannot be measured by intellect; it can only be tasted through humble devotion.

Source

Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, ch. 13–14

Place

Banks of the Yamuna, Vrindavan

Lesson

The Lord's glory cannot be measured by the intellect; it can only be experienced through humble devotion.