āsan varṇās trayo hy asya
gṛhṇato 'nu-yugaṁ tanūḥ
śuklo raktas tathā pīta
idānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ

 āsan - there were; varṇāḥ - colors; trayaḥ - three; hi - certainly; asya - of your son; gṛhṇataḥ - accepting; anu-yugam - according to the millennium; tanūḥ - body; śuklaḥ - white; raktaḥ - red; tathā - as well as; pītaḥ - yellow; idānīm - just now; kṛṣṇatām gataḥ - He has assumed a blackish hue.


Text

“ ‘This child formerly had three colors according to the prescribed color for different millenniums. Formerly He was white, red and yellow, and now He has assumed a blackish color.’

Purport

This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.8.13) was spoken by Garga Muni when performing the name-giving ceremony for Kṛṣṇa at the house of Nanda Mahārāja. The following two verses are also from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.21, 24).