VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Canto 10: The Summum Bonum
Chapter 15: The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon
This chapter describes how Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa, while tending Their cows in the pastures of Vṛndāvana, killed Dhenukāsura, enabled the residents of Vṛndāvana to eat the fruits of the tāla trees and saved the young cowherds from Kāliya's poison.
Revealing Their boyhood (paugaṇḍa) phase of pastimes, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa were one day bringing the cows to pasture when They entered an attractive forest decorated with a clear lake. There They began playing forest sports along with Their friends. Pretending to tire, Lord Baladeva laid His head upon the lap of a cowherd boy and rested as Lord Kṛṣṇa helped relieve His elder brother's fatigue by massaging His feet. Then Kṛṣṇa also placed His head on the lap of a cowherd boy to rest, and another cowherd boy massaged His feet. In this way Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Their cowherd friends enjoyed various pastimes.
During this play, Śrīdāmā, Subala, Stoka-kṛṣṇa and other cowherd boys described to Rāma and Kṛṣṇa a wicked and irrepressible demon named Dhenuka, who had assumed the form of a jackass and was living in the Tālavana forest near Govardhana Hill. This forest was full of many varieties of sweet fruits. But fearing this demon, no one dared try to relish the taste of those fruits, and thus someone had to kill the demon and all his associates. Lord Rāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa, hearing of the situation, set off for this forest to fulfill the desire of Their companions.
Arriving at the Tālavana, Lord Balarāma shook many fruits out of the palm trees, and as soon as He did so the jackass demon, Dhenuka, ran swiftly to attack Him. But Balarāma grabbed his hind legs with one hand, whirled him around and threw him into the top of a tree, thus slaying him. All of Dhenukāsura's friends, overcome by fury, then rushed to attack, but Rāma and Kṛṣṇa took hold of them one by one, swung them around and killed them, until the disturbance was finally finished. When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma returned to the cowherd community, Yaśodā and Rohiṇī placed Them on their respective laps. They kissed Their faces, fed Them with finely prepared food and then put Them to bed.
Some days later Lord Kṛṣṇa went with His friends, but without His older brother, to the banks of the Kālindī in order to tend the cows. The cows and cowherd boys became very thirsty and drank some water from the Kālindī. But it had been contaminated with poison, and they all fell unconscious on the riverbank. Kṛṣṇa then brought them back to life by the merciful rain of His glance, and all of them, regaining their consciousness, appreciated His great mercy.
10.15.1
tataś ca paugaṇḍa-vayaḥ-śrītau vraje
gāś cārayantau sakhibhiḥ samaḿ padair
SB 10.15.1: Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When Lord Rāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa attained the age of paugaṇḍa [six to ten] while living in Vṛndāvana, the cowherd men allowed Them to take up the task of tending the cows. Engaging thus in the company of Their friends, the two boys rendered the land of Vṛndāvana most auspicious by imprinting upon it the marks of Their lotus feet.
Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to encourage His cowherd boyfriends, who had been swallowed by Aghāsura and then stolen by Lord Brahmā. Therefore the Lord decided to bring them into the palm-tree forest called Tālavana, where there were many delicious ripe fruits. Since Lord Kṛṣṇa's spiritual body had apparently grown slightly in age and strength, the senior men of Vṛndāvana, headed by Nanda Mahārāja, decided to promote Kṛṣṇa from the task of herding calves to the status of a regular cowherd boy. He would now take care of the full-grown cows, bulls and oxen. Out of great affection, Nanda Mahārāja had previously considered Kṛṣṇa too small and immature to take care of full-grown cows and bulls. It is stated in the Kārttika-māhātmya section of the Padma Purāṇa:śuklāṣṭamī kārttike tu
tad-dinād vāsudevo 'bhūd
"The eighth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārttika is known by authorities as Gopāṣṭamī. From that day, Lord Vāsudeva served as a cowherd, whereas previously He had tended the calves."The word padaiḥ indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa blessed the earth by walking on her surface with His lotus feet. The Lord wore no shoes or other footgear but walked barefoot in the forest, giving great anxiety to the girls of Vṛndāvana, who feared that His soft lotus feet would be injured.
10.15.2
gopair gṛṇadbhiḥ sva-yaśo balānvitaḥ
paśūn puraskṛtya paśavyam āviśad
SB 10.15.2: Thus desiring to enjoy pastimes, Lord Mādhava, sounding His flute, surrounded by cowherd boys who were chanting His glories, and accompanied by Lord Baladeva, kept the cows before Him and entered the Vṛndāvana forest, which was full of flowers and rich with nourishment for the animals.
10.15.3
SB 10.15.3: The Supreme Personality of Godhead looked over that forest, which resounded with the charming sounds of bees, animals and birds, and which was enhanced by a lake whose clear water resembled the minds of great souls and by a breeze carrying the fragrance of hundred-petaled lotuses. Seeing all this, Lord Kṛṣṇa decided to enjoy the auspicious atmosphere.
Lord Kṛṣṇa saw that the Vṛndāvana forest was giving pleasure to all five senses. The bees, birds, and animals made charming sounds that brought sweet pleasure to the ears. The wind was faithfully rendering service to the Lord by blowing throughout the forest, carrying the cool moisture of a transparent lake and thus giving pleasure to the sense of touch. By the sweetness of the wind, even the sense of taste was being stimulated, and the fragrance of lotus flowers was bringing pleasure to the nostrils. And the entire forest was endowed with heavenly beauty, which was giving spiritual bliss to the eyes. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has thus explained the significance of this verse.
10.15.4
spṛśac chikhān vīkṣya vanaspatīn mudā
SB 10.15.4: The primeval Lord saw that the stately trees, with their beautiful reddish buds and their heavy burden of fruits and flowers, were bending down to touch His feet with the tips of their branches. Thus He smiled gently and addressed His elder brother.
10.15.5
namanty upādāya śikhābhir ātmanas
SB 10.15.5: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O greatest of Lords, just see how these trees are bowing their heads at Your lotus feet, which are worshipable by the immortal demigods. The trees are offering You their fruits and flowers to eradicate the dark ignorance that has caused their birth as trees.
The trees of Vṛndāvana were thinking that because of past offenses they had now taken birth as trees and, being immovable, could not accompany Lord Kṛṣṇa in His wanderings throughout the Vṛndāvana area. In fact, all the creatures of Vṛndāvana, including the trees and cows, were great souls who could personally associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But because of ecstatic sentiments of separation, the trees considered themselves in ignorance and thus tried to purify themselves by bowing down at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Lord Kṛṣṇa understanding their mentality, simultaneously glanced at them with affection and praised their devotional service before His older brother, Balarāma.
10.15.6
SB 10.15.6: O original personality, these bees must all be great sages and most elevated devotees of Yours, for they are worshiping You by following You along the path and chanting Your glories, which are themselves a holy place for the entire world. Though You have disguised Yourself within this forest, O sinless one, they refuse to abandon You, their worshipable Lord.
The word gūḍham is significant in this verse. It indicates that although the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form of Kṛṣṇa or Balarāma appears like an ordinary human being within the material world, great sages always recognize the Lord as the Supreme Absolute Truth. All the transcendental forms of Godhead are eternal and full of bliss and knowledge, exactly the opposite of our material bodies, which are temporary and full of misery and ignorance.One meaning of the word tīrtha is "the means for crossing beyond material existence." Simply by hearing the glories of the Supreme Lord or by chanting them, one immediately comes to the spiritual platform, beyond material existence. Thus the Lord's transcendental glories are here described as a tīrtha for everyone in the world. The word gāyantaḥ indicates that great sages give up their vows of silence and other selfish processes to glorify the activities of the Supreme Lord. Real silence means to not speak nonsense, to limit one's verbal activities to those sounds, statements and discussions relevant to the loving service of the Supreme Lord.
The word anagha indicates that the Supreme Lord never performs sinful or offensive activities. The word also indicates that the Lord immediately excuses a sin or offense committed by a sincere loving devotee who may accidentally deviate from the Lord's service. In the specific context of this verse, the word anagha indicates that Lord Balarāma was not disturbed by the bees who were constantly following Him (anupatham). The Lord blessed them by saying, "O bees, come into My confidential grove and feel free to taste its fragrance."
10.15.7
nṛtyanty amī śikhina īḍya mudā hariṇyaḥ
kurvanti gopya iva te priyam īkṣaṇena
SB 10.15.7: O worshipable one, these peacocks are dancing before You out of joy, these doe are pleasing You with affectionate glances, just as the gopīs do, and these cuckoos are honoring You with Vedic prayers. All these residents of the forest are most fortunate, and their behavior toward You certainly befits great souls receiving another great soul at home.
10.15.8
SB 10.15.8: This earth has now become most fortunate, because You have touched her grass and bushes with Your feet and her trees and creepers with Your fingernails, and because You have graced her rivers, mountains, birds and animals with Your merciful glances. But above all, You have embraced the young cowherd women between Your two arms — a favor hankered after by the goddess of fortune herself.
The word adya, "now," indicates the time of Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance on the earth. In His form of Varāha, Lord Kṛṣṇa personally saved the earth, and, indeed, the earth is understood to rest perpetually on the potency of Śeṣa. Both Varāha and Śeṣa are expansions of Balarāma, who is Himself an expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the original Personality of Godhead. Lord Kṛṣṇa's statement that "this earth has now become most fortunate" (dhanyeyam adya dharaṇī) indicates that nothing can equal the blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His personal form as Kṛṣṇa, appearing simultaneously with His plenary expansion, Balarāma. The compound word karajābhimṛṣṭāḥ, "touched by Your fingernails," indicates that as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma would move through the forest They would pick fruits and flowers from the trees, bushes and creepers and use this paraphernalia in Their pleasure pastimes. Sometimes They would break leaves off the plants and use them with the flowers to decorate Their bodies.Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma would glance lovingly and mercifully at all the rivers, hills and creatures in Vṛndāvana. But the blessing received by the gopīs — being embraced directly between the Lord's arms — was the supreme benediction, desired even by the goddess of fortune herself. The goddess of fortune, who lives in Vaikuṇṭha on the chest of Lord Nārāyaṇa, once desired to be embraced on the chest of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus she performed severe austerities to achieve this blessing. Śrī Kṛṣṇa informed her that her actual place was in Vaikuṇṭha and that it was not possible for her to dwell upon His chest in Vṛndāvana. Therefore she begged Kṛṣṇa to allow her to remain on His chest in the form of a golden line, and He granted her this benediction. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura recounts this incident from the Purāṇas.
10.15.9
sarid-rodhaḥsu sānugaḥ
SB 10.15.9: Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus expressing His satisfaction with the beautiful forest of Vṛndāvana and its inhabitants, Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed tending the cows and other animals with His friends on the banks of the river Yamunā below Govardhana Hill.
10.15.10-12
madāndhāliṣv anuvrataiḥ
pathi sańkarṣaṇānvitaḥ
SB 10.15.10-12: Sometimes the honeybees in Vṛndāvana became so mad with ecstasy that they closed their eyes and began to sing. Lord Kṛṣṇa, moving along the forest path with His cowherd boyfriends and Baladeva, would then respond to the bees by imitating their singing while His friends sang about His pastimes. Sometimes Lord Kṛṣṇa would imitate the chattering of a parrot, sometimes, with a sweet voice, the call of a cuckoo, and sometimes the cooing of swans. Sometimes He vigorously imitated the dancing of a peacock, making His cowherd boyfriends laugh. Sometimes, with a voice as deep as the rumbling of clouds, He would call out with great affection the names of the animals who had wandered far from the herd, thus enchanting the cows and the cowherd boys.
10.15.13
bhāradvājāḿś ca barhiṇaḥ
SB 10.15.13: Sometimes He would cry out in imitation of birds such as the cakoras, krauñcas, cakrāhvas, bhāradvājas and peacocks, and sometimes He would run away with the smaller animals in mock fear of lions and tigers.
10.15.14
gopotsańgopabarhaṇam
pāda-saḿvāhanādibhiḥ
SB 10.15.14: When His elder brother, fatigued from playing, would lie down with His head upon the lap of a cowherd boy, Lord Kṛṣṇa would help Him relax by personally massaging His feet and offering other services.
10.15.15
valgato yudhyato mithaḥ
SB 10.15.15: Sometimes, as the cowherd boys danced, sang, moved about and playfully fought with each other, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, standing nearby hand in hand, would glorify Their friends' activities and laugh.
10.15.16
gopotsańgopabarhaṇaḥ
SB 10.15.16: Sometimes Lord Kṛṣṇa grew tired from fighting and lay down at the base of a tree, resting upon a bed made of soft twigs and buds and using the lap of a cowherd friend as His pillow.
10.15.16
gopotsańgopabarhaṇaḥ
SB 10.15.17: Some of the cowherd boys, who were all great souls, would then massage His lotus feet, and others, qualified by being free of all sin, would expertly fan the Supreme Lord.
10.15.18
manojñāni mahātmanaḥ
SB 10.15.18: My dear King, other boys would sing enchanting songs appropriate to the occasion, and their hearts would melt out of love for the Lord.
10.15.19
gopātmajatvaḿ caritair viḍambayan
SB 10.15.19: In this way the Supreme Lord, whose soft lotus feet are personally attended by the goddess of fortune, concealed His transcendental opulences by His internal potency and acted like the son of a cowherd. Yet even while enjoying like a village boy in the company of other village residents, He often exhibited feats only God could perform.
10.15.20
subala-stokakṛṣṇādyā
SB 10.15.20: Once, some of the cowherd boys — Śrīdāmā, the very close friend of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, along with Subala, Stokakṛṣṇa and others — lovingly spoke the following words.
10.15.21
SB 10.15.21: [The cowherd boys said:] O Rāma, Rāma, mighty-armed one! O Kṛṣṇa, destroyer of the miscreants! Not far from here is a very great forest filled with rows of palm trees.
asti govardhanaḿ nāma
"Not far from the western side of Mathurā, at a distance of two yojanas [sixteen miles], is the holy place named Govardhana, which is most difficult to attain." It is also stated in the Varāha Purāṇa:
asti tāla-vanaḿ nāma
dhenakāsura-rakṣitam
"Not far from the western side of Mathurā, one yojana away [eight miles], is the forest known as Tālavana, which was guarded by Dhenukāsura." Thus it appears that the Tālavana forest is located midway between Mathurā and Govardhana Hill. The forest of Tālavana is described in the Śrī Hari-vaḿśa as follows:sa tu deśaḥ samaḥ snigdhaḥ
"The land there is even, smooth and very expansive. The earth is black, densely covered with darbha grass and devoid of stones and pebbles."
10.15.22
santi kintv avaruddhāni
SB 10.15.22: In that Tālavana forest many fruits are falling from the trees, and many are already lying on the ground. But all the fruits are being guarded by the evil Dhenuka.
10.15.23
so 'ti-vīryo 'suro rāma
jñātibhir bahubhir vṛtaḥ
SB 10.15.23: O Rāma, O Kṛṣṇa! Dhenuka is a most powerful demon and has assumed the form of an ass. He is surrounded by many friends who have assumed a similar shape and who are just as powerful as he.
10.15.24
pakṣi-sańghair vivarjitam
SB 10.15.24: The demon Dhenuka has eaten men alive, and therefore all people and animals are terrified of going to the Tāla forest. O killer of the enemy, even the birds are afraid to fly there.
The cowherd boyfriends of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma encouraged the two brothers to go at once to the Tāla forest and kill the ass demon. Indeed, here they address the brothers as amitra-han, "killer of the enemy." The cowherd boys were engaged in ecstatic meditation upon the potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and reasoned thus: "Kṛṣṇa has already killed terrible demons like Baka and Agha, so what is so special about this obnoxious jackass named Dhenuka, who has become public enemy number one in Vṛndāvana?"The cowherd boys wanted Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to kill the demons so that all the pious inhabitants of Vṛndāvana could enjoy the fruits in the Tāla forest. Thus they requested the special favor that the ass demons be killed.
10.15.25
viṣūcīno 'vagṛhyate
SB 10.15.25: In the Tāla forest are sweet-smelling fruits no one has ever tasted. Indeed, even now we can smell the fragrance of the tāla fruits spreading all about.
10.15.26
SB 10.15.26: O Kṛṣṇa! Please get those fruits for us. Our minds are so attracted by their aroma! Dear Balarāma, our desire to have those fruits is very great. If You think it's a good idea, let's go to that Tāla forest.
Although neither man nor bird nor beast could even approach the Tāla forest, the cowherd boys had so much faith in Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma that they took it for granted the two Lords could effortlessly kill the sinful ass demons and acquire the delicious tāla fruits. Lord Kṛṣṇa's cowherd boyfriends are exalted, self-realized souls who would not ordinarily become greedy for sweet fruits. In fact, they are simply joking with the Lord and enthusing His pastimes, urging Him to perform unprecedented heroic feats in the Tāla forest. Innumerable demons disturbed the sublime atmosphere of Vṛndāvana during Lord Kṛṣṇa's presence there, and the Lord would kill such demons as a popular daily event.Since Lord Kṛṣṇa had already killed many demons, on this particular day He decided to give first honors to Lord Balarāma, who would demolish the first demon, Dhenuka. By the words yadi rocate, the cowherd boys indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma need not kill the demon simply to satisfy them; rather, They should do so only if the Lords Themselves found the concept appealing.
10.15.27
prahasya jagmatur gopair
SB 10.15.27: Hearing the words of Their dear companions, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma laughed and, desiring to please them, set off for the Tālavana surrounded by Their cowherd boyfriends.
Lord Kṛṣṇa was thinking, "How can a mere ass be so formidable?" And thus He smiled at the petition of His boyfriends. As stated by Lord Kapila in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.28.32), hāsaḿ harer avanatākhila-loka-tīvra-śokāśru-sāgara-viśoṣaṇam aty-udāram: "The smile and laughter of the Supreme Lord Hari is most magnanimous. Indeed, for those who bow down to the Lord, His smile and laughter dry up the ocean of tears caused by the intense suffering of this world." Thus, to encourage Their boyfriends, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma smiled, laughed and immediately set out with them for the Tāla forest.
10.15.28
matań-gaja ivaujasā
SB 10.15.28: Lord Balarāma entered the Tāla forest first. Then with His two arms He began forcefully shaking the trees with the power of a maddened elephant, causing the tāla fruits to fall to the ground.
10.15.29
niśamyāsura-rāsabhaḥ
SB 10.15.29: Hearing the sound of the falling fruits, the ass demon Dhenuka ran forward to attack, making the earth and trees tremble.
10.15.30
SB 10.15.30: The powerful demon rushed up to Lord Baladeva and sharply struck the Lord's chest with the hooves of his hind legs. Then Dhenuka began to run about, braying loudly.
10.15.31
SB 10.15.31: Moving again toward Lord Balarāma, O King, the furious ass situated himself with his back toward the Lord. Then, screaming in rage, the demon hurled his two hind legs at Him.
10.15.32
bhrāmayitvaika-pāṇinā
SB 10.15.32: Lord Balarāma seized Dhenuka by his hooves, whirled him about with one hand and threw him into the top of a palm tree. The violent wheeling motion killed the demon.
10.15.33
tenāhato mahā-tālo
vepamāno bṛhac-chirāḥ
sa cānyaḿ so 'pi cāparam
SB 10.15.33: Lord Balarāma threw the dead body of Dhenukāsura into the tallest palm tree in the forest, and when the dead demon landed in the treetop, the tree began shaking. The great palm tree, causing a tree by its side also to shake, broke under the weight of the demon. The neighboring tree caused yet another tree to shake, and this one struck yet another tree, which also began shaking. In this way many trees in the forest shook and broke.
10.15.34
balasya līlayotsṛṣṭa-
SB 10.15.34: Because of Lord Balarāma's pastime of throwing the body of the ass demon into the top of the tallest palm tree, all the trees began shaking and striking against one another as if blown about by powerful winds.
10.15.35
SB 10.15.35: My dear Parīkṣit, that Lord Balarāma killed Dhenukāsura is not such a wonderful thing, considering that He is the unlimited Personality of Godhead, the controller of the entire universe. Indeed, the entire cosmos rests upon Him just as a woven cloth rests upon its own horizontal and vertical threads.
Unfortunate persons cannot appreciate the blissful pastimes of the Supreme Lord. In this connection Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that the Supreme Lord possesses unlimited potency and strength, as expressed here by the word anante. The Lord exhibits a tiny fraction of His power according to the need of a particular situation. Lord Balarāma desired to vanquish the gang of demoniac asses who had unlawfully seized the Tālavana forest, and therefore He exhibited just enough divine opulence to easily kill Dhenukāsura and the other demons.
10.15.36
jñātayo dhenukasya ye
kroṣṭāro 'bhyadravan sarve
SB 10.15.36: The other ass demons, close friends of Dhenukāsura, were enraged upon seeing his death, and thus they all immediately ran to attack Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
10.15.37
SB 10.15.37: O King, as the demons attacked, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma easily seized them one after another by their hind legs and threw them all into the tops of the palm trees.
10.15.38
daitya-dehair gatāsubhiḥ
SB 10.15.38: The earth then appeared beautifully covered with heaps of fruits and with the dead bodies of the demons, which were entangled in the broken tops of the palm trees. Indeed, the earth shone like the sky decorated with clouds.
10.15.39
niśamya vibudhādayaḥ
cakrur vādyāni tuṣṭuvuḥ
SB 10.15.39: Hearing of this magnificent feat of the two brothers, the demigods and other elevated living beings rained down flowers and offered music and prayers in glorification.
10.15.40
SB 10.15.40: People now felt free to return to the forest where Dhenuka had been killed, and without fear they ate the fruits of the palm trees. Also, the cows could now graze freely upon the grass there.
10.15.41
kṛṣṇaḥ kamala-patrākṣaḥ
stūyamāno 'nugair gopaiḥ
SB 10.15.41: Then lotus-eyed Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose glories are most pious to hear and chant, returned home to Vraja with His elder brother, Balarāma. Along the way, the cowherd boys, His faithful followers, chanted His glories.
10.15.42
veṇum kvaṇantam anugair upagīta-kīrtiḿ
gopyo didṛkṣita-dṛśo 'bhyagaman sametāḥ
SB 10.15.42: Lord Kṛṣṇa's hair, powdered with the dust raised by the cows, was decorated with a peacock feather and forest flowers. The Lord glanced charmingly and smiled beautifully, playing upon His flute while His companions chanted His glories. The gopīs, all together, came forward to meet Him, their eyes very eager to see Him.
Superficially, the gopīs were young married girls, and therefore they would naturally be ashamed and fearful of casting loving glances at a beautiful young boy like Śrī Kṛṣṇa. But Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all living beings are His eternal servants. Thus the gopīs, although the most pure-hearted of all great souls, did not hesitate to come forward and satisfy their love-struck eyes by drinking in the sight of beautiful young Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs also relished the sweet sound of His flute and the enchanting fragrance of His body.
10.15.43
SB 10.15.43: With their beelike eyes, the women of Vṛndāvana drank the honey of the beautiful face of Lord Mukunda, and thus they gave up the distress they had felt during the day because of separation from Him. The young Vṛndāvana ladies cast sidelong glances at the Lord — glances filled with bashfulness, laughter and submission — and Śrī Kṛṣṇa completely accepting these glances as a proper offering of respect, entered the cowherd village.
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda describes this incident as follows: "All the gopīs in Vṛndāvana remained very morose on account of Kṛṣṇa's absence. All day they were thinking of Kṛṣṇa in the forest or of Him herding cows in the pasture. When they saw Kṛṣṇa returning, all their anxieties were immediately relieved, and they began to look at His face the way drones hover over the honey of the lotus flower. When Kṛṣṇa entered the village, the young gopīs smiled and laughed. Kṛṣṇa, while playing the flute, enjoyed the beautiful smiling faces of the gopīs."The Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is the supreme master of romantic skills, and thus He expertly exchanged loving feelings with the young cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana. When a chaste young girl is in love, she glances at her beloved with shyness, jubilation and submission. When the beloved accepts her offering of love by receiving her glance and is thus satisfied with her, the loving young girl's heart becomes filled with happiness. These were exactly the romantic exchanges taking place between beautiful young Kṛṣṇa and the loving cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana.
10.15.44
vyadhattāḿ paramāśiṣaḥ
SB 10.15.44: Mother Yaśodā and mother Rohiṇī, acting most affectionately toward their two sons, offered all the best things to Them in response to Their every desire and at the various appropriate times.
The word paramāśiṣaḥ indicates the attractive blessings of a loving mother, which include wonderful food, beautiful clothes, jewelry, toys and constant affection. The words yathā-kāmaḿ yathā-kālam indicate that although Yaśodā and Rohiṇī satisfied all the desires of their sons, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, they also properly regulated the boys' activities. In other words, they prepared wonderful food for their children, but they saw to it that the boys ate at the proper time. Similarly, their children would play at the proper time and sleep at the proper time. The word yathā-kāmam does not indicate that the mothers indiscriminately allowed the boys to do whatever They liked, but in the proper, civilized way they showered their blessings upon their children.Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī comments that the mothers loved their sons so much that as they embraced Them they would carefully check all Their limbs to see if They were healthy and strong.
10.15.45
majjanonmardanādibhiḥ
divya-srag-gandha-maṇḍitau
SB 10.15.45: By being bathed and massaged, the two young Lords were relieved of the weariness caused by walking on the country roads. Then They were dressed in attractive robes and decorated with transcendental garlands and fragrances.
10.15.46
janany-upahṛtaḿ prāśya
svādy annam upalālitau
SB 10.15.46: After dining sumptuously on the delicious food given Them by Their mothers and being pampered in various ways, the two brothers lay down upon Their excellent beds and happily went to sleep in the village of Vraja.
10.15.47
SB 10.15.47: O King, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa thus wandered about the Vṛndāvana area, performing His pastimes. Once, surrounded by His boyfriends, He went without Balarāma to the Yamunā River.
10.15.48
nidāghātapa-pīḍitāḥ
SB 10.15.48: At that time the cows and cowherd boys were feeling acute distress from the glaring summer sun. Afflicted by thirst, they drank the water of the Yamunā River. But it had been contaminated with poison.
10.15.49-50
viṣāmbhas tad upaspṛśya
daivopahata-cetasaḥ
salilānte kurūdvaha
kṛṣṇo yogeśvareśvaraḥ
īkṣayāmṛta-varṣiṇyā
SB 10.15.49-50: As soon as they touched the poisoned water, all the cows and boys lost their consciousness by the divine power of the Lord and fell lifeless at the water's edge. O hero of the Kurus, seeing them in such a condition, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the master of all masters of mystic potency, felt compassion for these devotees, who had no Lord other than Him. Thus He immediately brought them back to life by showering His nectarean glance upon them.
10.15.51
samutthāya jalāntikāt
SB 10.15.51: Regaining their full consciousness, the cows and boys stood up out of the water and began to look at one another in great astonishment.
10.15.52
govindānugrahekṣitam
SB 10.15.52: O King, the cowherd boys then considered that although they had drunk poison and in fact had died, simply by the merciful glance of Govinda they had regained their lives and stood up by their own strength.
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Fifteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon."
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