Text 28]
The Killing of the Demon Aghāsura
289
tān vīkṣya kṛṣṇaḥ sakalābhaya-prado hy ananya-nāthān sva-karād avacyutāṇ dīnāṁś ca mṛtyor jaṭharāgni-ghāsān ghṛṇārdito dīṣṭa-kṛtena vismitaḥ
tān —all those boys;  vīkṣya —seeing;  kṛṣṇaḥ —the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa;  sakala-abhaya-pradaḥ —who is the source of fearlessness for everyone;  hi —indeed;  ananya-nāthān —especially for the cowherd boys, who did not know anyone except Kṛṣṇa;  sva-karāt —from the control of His hand;  avacyutāṇ —now gone out;  dīnāṇ ca —helpless;  mṛtyoḥ jaṭhara-agni-ghāsān —who had all entered like straws into the fire of the abdomen of Aghāsura, who was very bold and hungry, like death personified (because the  asura  had assumed a big body, he must have had a very strong appetite);  ghṛṇā-arditaḥ —therefore, being compassionate due to causeless mercy;  dīṣṭa-kṛtena —by things arranged by His internal potency;  vismitaḥ —He also, for the time being, was astonished.
TRANSLATION
Kṛṣṇa  saw that all the cowherd boys, who did not know anyone but Him as their Lord, had now gone out of His hand and were helpless, having entered like straws into the fire of the abdomen of Aghāsura, who was death personified. It was intolerable for Kṛṣṇa to be separated from His friends the cowherd boys. Therefore, as if seeing that this had been arranged by His internal potency, Kṛṣṇa was momentarily struck with wonder and unsure of what to do.
TEXT 28
कृत्यं किमत्रास्य खलस्य जीवनं
न वा अमीषां च सतां विहिंसनम् ।
द्वयं कथं स्यादिति संविचिन्त्य
ज्ञात्वाविशत्तुण्डमशेषद्दग्हरिः
॥२८॥
kṛtyaṁ kim atrāsya khalasya jīvanaṁ na vā amīṣāṁ ca satāṁ vihiṁsanam