ulÅ«khalaá¹ vikará¹£antaá¹
dÄmnÄ baddhaá¹ svam Ätmajam
vilokya nandaḥ prahasad-
vadano vimumoca ha
ulÅ«khalam - the wooden mortar; vikará¹£antam - dragging; dÄmnÄ - by the rope; baddham - bound; svam Ätmajam - his own son Kṛṣṇa; vilokya - by seeing; nandaḥ - MahÄrÄja Nanda; prahasat-vadanaḥ - whose face began to smile when he saw the wonderful child; vimumoca ha - released Him from the bonds.
When Nanda MahÄrÄja saw his own son bound with ropes to the wooden mortar and dragging it, he smiled and released Kṛṣṇa from His bonds.
Nanda MahÄrÄja was surprised that YaÅ›odÄ, Kṛṣṇa’s mother, could have bound her beloved child in such a way. Kṛṣṇa was exchanging love with her. How then could she have been so cruel as to bind Him to the wooden mortar? Nanda MahÄrÄja understood this exchange of love, and therefore he smiled and released Kṛṣṇa. In other words, as Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, binds a living entity in fruitive activities, He binds mother YaÅ›odÄ and Nanda MahÄrÄja in parental affection. This is His pastime.
