Text 17
paśūṁś cārayator gopais
tad-vane rāma-kṛṣṇayoḥ
gopa-rūpī pralambo ’gād
asuras taj-jihīrṣayā
paśūn — the animals; cārayatoḥ — while the two of Them were herding; gopaiḥ — along with the cowherd boys; tat-vane — in that forest, Vṛndāvana; rāma-kṛṣṇayoḥ — Lord Rāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa; gopa-rūpī — assuming the form of a cowherd boy; pralambaḥ — Pralamba; agāt — came; asuraḥ — the demon; tat — Them; jihīrṣayā — with the desire of kidnapping.
While Rāma, Kṛṣṇa and Their cowherd friends were thus tending the cows in that Vṛndāvana forest, the demon Pralamba entered their midst. He had assumed the form of a cowherd boy with the intention of kidnapping Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
Having described how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma acted just like ordinary boys, Śukadeva Gosvāmī will now reveal one of the Lord’s transcendental pastimes that is beyond the range of human activity. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the demon Pralamba disguised himself as a particular cowherd boy who on that day had remained at home with duties to perform.