When mother Yaśodā saw the whole universe within the mouth of her child, her heart began to throb, and in astonishment she wanted to close her restless eyes.

TRANSLATION

Because of Kṛṣṇa’s weight, Tṛṇāvarta considered Him to be like a great mountain or a hunk of iron. But because Kṛṣṇa had caught the demon’s neck, the demon was unable to throw Him off. He therefore thought of the child as wonderful, since he could neither bear the child nor cast aside the burden.

COMMENTARY

After fulfilling His desire to fly in sky, and the desire of the celestial ladies of Svarga to see His incomparable beauty, Kṛṣṇa prepared to kill Tṛṇāvarta. Kṛṣṇa became so heavy that the demon felt he was carrying a mountain made of iron. Because Kṛṣṇa was holding him by the neck, Tṛṇāvarta could not throw off the Lord. Playing the part of a small child, Kṛṣṇa feigned fear of falling from that height and therefore clung to Tṛṇāvarta’s neck.

 

|| 10.7.28 ||

gala-grahaṇa-niśceṣṭo daityo nirgata-locanaḥ

avyakta-rāvo nyapatat saha-bālo vyasur vraje

TRANSLATION

With Kṛṣṇa grasping him by the throat, Tṛṇāvarta choked, unable to make even a sound or even to move his hands and legs. His eyes popping out, the demon lost his life and fell, along with the little boy, down to the ground of Vraja.

 

|| 10.7.29 ||

tam antarikṣāt patitaṁ śilāyāṁ viśīrṇa-sarvāvayavaṁ karālam

puraṁ yathā rudra-śareṇa viddhaṁ striyo rudatyo dadṛśuḥ sametāḥ

TRANSLATION

While the gopīs who had gathered were crying for Kṛṣṇa, the demon fell from the sky onto a big slab of stone, his limbs dislocated, as if he had been pierced by the arrow of Lord Śiva like Tripurāsura.

 

|| 10.7.30 ||

prādāya mātre pratihṛtya vismitāḥ kṛṣṇaṁ ca tasyorasi lambamānam

taṁ svastimantaṁ puruṣāda-nītaṁ vihāyasā mṛtyu-mukhāt pramuktam

gopyaś ca gopāḥ kila nanda-mukhyā labdhvā punaḥ prāpur atīva modam

TRANSLATION

The gopīs immediately picked Kṛṣṇa up from the chest of the demon and delivered Him, free from all inauspiciousness, to mother Yaśodā. Because the child, although taken into the sky by the demon, was unhurt and now free from all danger and misfortune, the gopīs and cowherd men, headed by Nanda Mahārāja, were extremely happy.

COMMENTARY

The gopas and gopīs picked up Kṛṣṇa, who was clinging to (lambamānam) the chest of the demon, and gave Him to Yaśodā. They were astonished to see how the demon had fallen on his back on a stone slab and that Kṛṣṇa was unharmed playing on his chest. Though Kṛṣṇa was taken by the demon (puruṣāda, eater of humans) high into the sky (vihāyasā), He was miraculously saved from the mouth of death.

 

|| 10.7.31 ||

aho batāty-adbhutam eṣa rakṣasā bālo nivṛttiṁ gamito ’bhyagāt punaḥ

hiṁsraḥ sva-pāpena vihiṁsitaḥ khalaḥ sādhuḥ samatvena bhayād vimucyate

TRANSLATION

It is most astonishing that although this innocent child was taken away by the Rākṣasa to be eaten, He has returned without having been killed or even injured. Because this demon was envious, cruel and sinful, he has been killed for his own sinful activities. This is the law of nature. An innocent devotee is always protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and a sinful person is always vanquished for his sinful life.

COMMENTARY

Kṛṣṇa was only a small, delicate child, yet He clearly manifested enormous power to kill such a great demon. This however, did not decrease the affection of Nanda Mahārāja and others; rather it increased it. This idea is expressed in three verses.

āty-adbhutam eṣa: Kṛṣṇa’s feat was the most astonishing of all possible astonishing things. This was so because baby Kṛṣṇa almost became annihilated (nivṛttiṁ). The word marana, which means death, is not used because of its inauspicious connotations. Though Kṛṣṇa neared death, He again returned (’bhyagāt) to His friends.

 

One of Kṛṣṇa’s friends remarked, “But what is so astonishing? The cruel demon was destroyed because of his sin (sva papena) of stealing an innocent child. Though Kṛṣṇa is only a child. He is saintly because He regards enemies and friends equally (samatvena), and thus He was saved from danger.”

 

|| 10.7.32 ||

kiṁ nas tapaś cīrṇam adhokṣajārcanaṁ pūrteṣṭa-dattam uta bhūta-sauhṛdam

yat samparetaḥ punar eva bālako diṣṭyā sva-bandhūn praṇayann upasthitaḥ

TRANSLATION

Nanda Mahārāja and the others said: We must previously have performed austerities for a very long time, worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead, performed pious activities for public life, constructing public roads and wells, and also given charity, as a result of which this boy, although faced with death, has returned to give happiness to His relatives.

COMMENTARY

Nanda Mahārāja and others began to speak: “If anything inauspicious had happened to Kṛṣṇa, we all would have died. That Kṛṣṇa is unharmed is a result of heaps of pious activities.” Thus they spoke this verse. How much austerities they must have done (cīrṇam); how much worship of the Lord; how much help to other living entities; how many auspicious works such as sacrifices (iṣṭam) and constructing a well or canal (pūrta)? Because of these good deeds Kṛṣṇa has returned from death to bring life (praṇayan) to His friends by showing His affection.

 

|| 10.7.33 ||

dṛṣṭvādbhutāni bahuśo nanda-gopo bṛhadvane

vasudeva-vaco bhūyo mānayām āsa vismitaḥ

TRANSLATION

Having seen all these incidents in Bṛhadvana, Nanda Mahārāja became more and more astonished, and he remembered the words spoken to him by Vasudeva in Mathurā.

 

|| 10.7.34 ||

ekadārbhakam ādāya svāṅkam āropya bhāminī

prasnutaṁ pāyayām āsa stanaṁ sneha-pariplutā

TRANSLATION

One day mother Yaśodā, having picked up Kṛṣṇa and placing Him on her lap, was feeding Him milk from her breast with maternal affection. The milk was flowing from her breast, and the child was drinking it.

 

|| 10.7.35-36 ||

pīta-prāyasya jananī sutasya rucira-smitam

mukhaṁ lālayatī rājañ jṛmbhato dadṛśe idam

khaṁ rodasī jyotir-anīkam āśāḥ sūryendu-vahni-śvasanāmbudhīṁś ca

dvīpān nagāṁs tad-duhitṝr vanāni bhūtāni yāni sthira-jaṅgamāni

TRANSLATION

O King Parīkṣit, when the child Kṛṣṇa was almost finished drinking His mother’s milk and mother Yaśodā was touching Him and looking at His beautiful, brilliantly smiling face, the baby yawned, and mother Yaśodā saw in His mouth the whole sky, the higher planetary system and the earth, the luminaries in all directions, the sun, the moon, fire, air, the seas, islands, mountains, rivers, forests, and all kinds of living entities, moving and nonmoving.

COMMENTARY

Kṛṣṇa had almost completely finished drinking Yaśodā’s milk. When Kṛṣṇa yawned, Yaśodā saw the entire (idam) universe within His mouth (mukhe). In another version of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam it states that while Yaśodā was kissing Kṛṣṇa, she saw the universe in His stomach. Lord Brahmā makes the same point in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.14.16): kṛtsnasya cāntar jaṭhare jananyā, “O Lord, You exhibited the universe within Your abdomen before Your mother, Yaśodā.”

 

Though Kṛṣṇa was lying in His mother’s lap, by His inconceivable energy He is also the foundation of the whole universe. At the moment Kṛṣṇa yawned, He displayed the universe with all its details by His inconceivable energy. Yaśodā saw the antariksa (outer space or the area between Bhurloka and Bhuvarloka) Bhuvarloka, Svargaloka, Martyaloka and Pātālaloka, the three worlds (rodasī), the constellations, the directions, the sun, moon, fire, air, Jambudvipa and the other islands (dvīpan), the trees, forest, the daughters (duhitr) of the mountains (nagān) the rivers, and all moving and non-moving entities.

 

|| 10.7.37 ||

sā vīkṣya viśvaṁ sahasā rājan sañjāta-vepathuḥ

sammīlya mṛgaśāvākṣī netre āsīt suvismitā

TRANSLATION