Text 43]
The Childhood Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa
251
TEXT 42
तं वत्सरूपिणं वीक्ष्य वत्सयूथगतं हरिः । दर्शयन् बलदेवाय शनैर्मुग्ध इवासदत् ॥४२॥
tam vatsa-rūpiṇam vīkṣya vatsa-yūtha-gatam hariḥ darśayan baladevāya śanair mugdha ivāsadat
tam —unto the demon;  vatsa-rūpiṇam —assuming the form of a calf;  vīkṣya —seeing;  vatsa-yūtha-gatam —when the demon entered the group of all the other calves;  hariḥ —the Supreme Personality of God-head, Kṛṣṇa;  darśayan —indicating;  baladevāya —unto Baladeva;  śanaiḥ —very slowly;  mugdhaḥ iva —as if He did not understand anything;  āsadat —came near the demon.
TRANSLATION
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead saw that the demon had assumed the form of a calf and entered among the groups of other calves, He pointed out to Baladeva, “Here is another demon.” Then He very slowly approached the demon, as if He did not understand the demon’s intentions.
PURPORT
The import of the words  mugdha iva  is that although Kṛṣṇa knows everything, here He pretended that He did not understand why the demon had entered among the calves, and He informed Baladeva by a sign.
TEXT 43
गृहीत्वापरपादाभ्यां सहलाङ्गूलमच्युतः । भ्रामयित्वा कपित्थाग्रे प्राहिणोद् गतजीवितम् । स कपित्थैर्महाकायः पात्यमानैः पपात ह ॥४३॥
gṛhītvāpara-pādābhyām saha-lāṅgūlam acyutaḥ