Sabālastrījalakrīḍa (सबालस्त्रीजलक्रीड, IAST: Sabālastrījalakrīḍa) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu boy-name meaning “One who sported in water with children and women”. From sa (together with), bāla (children, boys), strī (women), jala (water), and krīḍa (sport, play, delight), this name celebrates Vishnu-Krishna's divine playfulness — His joyful water-sports with the children and gopīs of Vṛndāvana, a manifestation of His boundless and all-inclusive love.

Meaning, etymology & significance

The water-sports of Kṛṣṇa — splashing in the Yamunā with His cowherd companions and with the devoted gopīs — are among the most beloved themes of Vaishnava devotional poetry and painting. In these pastimes, the supreme Lord of the cosmos becomes a playful child, utterly unguarded in His joy, drawing all beings into the bliss of His presence. The name Jalakrīḍa ('water-sport') captures this spirit of divine play (divya-līlā), wherein the mundane element of water becomes the medium of liberation through the Lord's touch.

This name of Vishnu-Krishna is invoked in Braj devotional traditions and appears in Sahasranāma commentaries celebrating His Vṛndāvana childhood pastimes. Jalakrīḍa as a standalone element is occasionally encountered in devotional literature; the compound is pronounced sa-bā-la-strī-ja-la-krī-ḍa.

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Scriptural source

Sabālastrījalakrīḍa appears in the Vishnu Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Vishnu.

Astrology — nakshatra, rashi & numerology

By the standard Vedic correspondence between a name’s first syllable and the lunar mansion, Sabālastrījalakrīḍa aligns with the Shatabhisha nakshatra, under the Kumbha rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 3.