apare vasudevasya
devakyāḿ yācito 'bhyagāt
ajas tvam asya kṣemāya
vadhāya ca sura-dviṣām
SYNONYMS
apare — others; vasudevasya — of Vasudeva; devakyām — of Devakī; yācitaḥ — being prayed for; abhyagāt — took birth; ajaḥ — unborn; tvam — You are; asya — of him; kṣemāya — for the good; vadhāya — for the purpose of killing; ca — and; sura-dviṣām — of those who are envious of the demigods.
TRANSLATION
Others say that since both Vasudeva and Devakī prayed for You, You have taken Your birth as their son. Undoubtedly You are unborn, yet You take Your birth for their welfare and to kill those who are envious of the demigods.
PURPORT
It is also said that Vasudeva and Devakī, in their previous birth as Sutapā and Pṛśni, underwent a severe type of penance to get the Lord as their son, and as a result of such austerities the Lord appeared as their son. It is already declared in the Bhagavad-gītā that the Lord appears for the welfare of all people of the world and to vanquish the asuras, or the materialistic atheists.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.32
kecid āhur ajaḿ jātaḿ
puṇya-ślokasya kīrtaye
yadoḥ priyasyānvavāye
malayasyeva candanam
SYNONYMS
kecit — someone; āhuḥ — says; ajam — the unborn; jātam — being born; puṇya-ślokasya — of the great pious king; kīrtaye — for glorifying; yadoḥ — of King Yadu; priyasya — of the dear; anvavāye — in the family of; malayasya — Malaya hills; iva — as; candanam — sandalwood.
TRANSLATION
Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya hills.
PURPORT
Because the Lord's appearance in this material world is bewildering, there are different opinions about the birth of the Unborn. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that He takes His birth in the material world, although He is the Lord of all creations and He is unborn. So there cannot be any denial of the birth of the Unborn because He Himself establishes the truth. But still there are different opinions as to why He takes His birth. That is also declared in the Bhagavad-gītā. He appears by His own internal potency to reestablish the principles of religion and to protect the pious and to annihilate the impious. That is the mission of the appearance of the Unborn. Still, it is said that the Lord is there to glorify the pious King Yudhiṣṭhira. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa certainly wanted to establish the kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas for the good of all in the world. When there is a pious king ruling over the world, the people are happy. When the ruler is impious, the people are unhappy. In the age of Kali in most cases the rulers are impious, and therefore the citizens are also continuously unhappy. But in the case of democracy, the impious citizens themselves elect their representative to rule over them, and therefore they cannot blame anyone for their unhappiness. Mahārāja Nala was also celebrated as a great pious king, but he had no connection with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is meant here to be glorified by Lord Kṛṣṇa. He had also glorified King Yadu, having taken His birth in the family. He is known as Yādava, Yaduvīra, Yadunandana, etc., although the Lord is always independent of such obligation. He is just like the sandalwood that grows in the Malaya hills. Trees can grow anywhere and everywhere, yet because the sandalwood trees grow mostly in the area of the Malaya hills, the name sandalwood and the Malaya hills are interrelated. Therefore, the conclusion is that the Lord is ever unborn like the sun, and yet He appears as the sun rises on the eastern horizon. As the sun is never the sun of the eastern horizon, so the Lord is no one's son, but He is the father of everything that be.
puṇya-ślokasya kīrtaye
yadoḥ priyasyānvavāye
malayasyeva candanam
SYNONYMS
kecit — someone; āhuḥ — says; ajam — the unborn; jātam — being born; puṇya-ślokasya — of the great pious king; kīrtaye — for glorifying; yadoḥ — of King Yadu; priyasya — of the dear; anvavāye — in the family of; malayasya — Malaya hills; iva — as; candanam — sandalwood.
TRANSLATION
Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya hills.
PURPORT
Because the Lord's appearance in this material world is bewildering, there are different opinions about the birth of the Unborn. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that He takes His birth in the material world, although He is the Lord of all creations and He is unborn. So there cannot be any denial of the birth of the Unborn because He Himself establishes the truth. But still there are different opinions as to why He takes His birth. That is also declared in the Bhagavad-gītā. He appears by His own internal potency to reestablish the principles of religion and to protect the pious and to annihilate the impious. That is the mission of the appearance of the Unborn. Still, it is said that the Lord is there to glorify the pious King Yudhiṣṭhira. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa certainly wanted to establish the kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas for the good of all in the world. When there is a pious king ruling over the world, the people are happy. When the ruler is impious, the people are unhappy. In the age of Kali in most cases the rulers are impious, and therefore the citizens are also continuously unhappy. But in the case of democracy, the impious citizens themselves elect their representative to rule over them, and therefore they cannot blame anyone for their unhappiness. Mahārāja Nala was also celebrated as a great pious king, but he had no connection with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is meant here to be glorified by Lord Kṛṣṇa. He had also glorified King Yadu, having taken His birth in the family. He is known as Yādava, Yaduvīra, Yadunandana, etc., although the Lord is always independent of such obligation. He is just like the sandalwood that grows in the Malaya hills. Trees can grow anywhere and everywhere, yet because the sandalwood trees grow mostly in the area of the Malaya hills, the name sandalwood and the Malaya hills are interrelated. Therefore, the conclusion is that the Lord is ever unborn like the sun, and yet He appears as the sun rises on the eastern horizon. As the sun is never the sun of the eastern horizon, so the Lord is no one's son, but He is the father of everything that be.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.31
gopy ādade tvayi kṛtāgasi dāma tāvad
yā te daśāśru-kalilāñjana-sambhramākṣam
vaktraḿ ninīya bhaya-bhāvanayā sthitasya
sā māḿ vimohayati bhīr api yad bibheti
SYNONYMS
gopī — the cowherd lady (Yaśodā); ādade — took up; tvayi — on Your; kṛtāgasi — creating disturbances (by breaking the butter pot); dāma — rope; tāvat — at that time; yā — that which; te — Your; daśā — situation; aśru-kalila — overflooded with tears; añjana — ointment; sambhrama — perturbed; akṣam — eyes; vaktram — face; ninīya — downwards; bhaya-bhāvanayā — by thoughts of fear; sthitasya — of the situation; sā — that; mām — me; vimohayati — bewilders; bhīḥ api — even fear personified; yat — whom; bibheti — is afraid.
TRANSLATION
My dear Kṛṣṇa, Yaśodā took up a rope to bind You when You committed an offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of You. This sight is bewildering to me.
PURPORT
Here is another explanation of the bewilderment created by the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is the Supreme in all circumstances, as already explained. Here is a specific example of the Lord's being the Supreme and at the same time a plaything in the presence of His pure devotee. The Lord's pure devotee renders service unto the Lord out of unalloyed love only, and while discharging such devotional service the pure devotee forgets the position of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord also accepts the loving service of His devotees more relishably when the service is rendered spontaneously out of pure affection, without anything of reverential admiration. Generally the Lord is worshiped by the devotees in a reverential attitude, but the Lord is meticulously pleased when the devotee, out of pure affection and love, considers the Lord to be less important than himself. The Lord's pastimes in the original abode of Goloka Vṛndāvana are exchanged in that spirit. The friends of Kṛṣṇa consider Him one of them. They do not consider Him to be of reverential importance. The parents of the Lord (who are all pure devotees) consider Him a child only. The Lord accepts the chastisements of the parents more cheerfully than the prayers of the Vedic hymns. Similarly, He accepts the reproaches of His fiancees more palatably than the Vedic hymns. When Lord Kṛṣṇa was present in this material world to manifest His eternal pastimes of the transcendental realm of Goloka Vṛndāvana as an attraction for the people in general, He displayed a unique picture of subordination before His foster mother, Yaśodā. The Lord, in His naturally childish playful activities, used to spoil the stocked butter of mother Yaśodā by breaking the pots and distributing the contents to His friends and playmates, including the celebrated monkeys of Vṛndāvana, who took advantage of the Lord's munificence. Mother Yaśodā saw this, and out of her pure love she wanted to make a show of punishment for her transcendental child. She took a rope and threatened the Lord that she would tie Him up, as is generally done in the ordinary household. Seeing the rope in the hands of mother Yaśodā, the Lord bowed down His head and began to weep just like a child, and tears rolled down His cheeks, washing off the black ointment smeared about His beautiful eyes. This picture of the Lord is adored by Kuntīdevī because she is conscious of the Lord's supreme position. He is feared often by fear personified, yet He is afraid of His mother, who wanted to punish Him just in an ordinary manner. Kuntī was conscious of the exalted position of Kṛṣṇa, whereas Yaśodā was not. Therefore Yaśodā's position was more exalted than Kuntī's. Mother Yaśodā got the Lord as her child, and the Lord made her forget altogether that her child was the Lord Himself. If mother Yaśodā had been conscious of the exalted position of the Lord, she would certainly have hesitated to punish the Lord. But she was made to forget this situation because the Lord wanted to make a complete gesture of childishness before the affectionate Yaśodā. This exchange of love between the mother and the son was performed in a natural way, and Kuntī, remembering the scene, was bewildered, and she could do nothing but praise the transcendental filial love. Indirectly mother Yaśodā is praised for her unique position of love, for she could control even the all-powerful Lord as her beloved child.
yā te daśāśru-kalilāñjana-sambhramākṣam
vaktraḿ ninīya bhaya-bhāvanayā sthitasya
sā māḿ vimohayati bhīr api yad bibheti
SYNONYMS
gopī — the cowherd lady (Yaśodā); ādade — took up; tvayi — on Your; kṛtāgasi — creating disturbances (by breaking the butter pot); dāma — rope; tāvat — at that time; yā — that which; te — Your; daśā — situation; aśru-kalila — overflooded with tears; añjana — ointment; sambhrama — perturbed; akṣam — eyes; vaktram — face; ninīya — downwards; bhaya-bhāvanayā — by thoughts of fear; sthitasya — of the situation; sā — that; mām — me; vimohayati — bewilders; bhīḥ api — even fear personified; yat — whom; bibheti — is afraid.
TRANSLATION
My dear Kṛṣṇa, Yaśodā took up a rope to bind You when You committed an offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of You. This sight is bewildering to me.
PURPORT
Here is another explanation of the bewilderment created by the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is the Supreme in all circumstances, as already explained. Here is a specific example of the Lord's being the Supreme and at the same time a plaything in the presence of His pure devotee. The Lord's pure devotee renders service unto the Lord out of unalloyed love only, and while discharging such devotional service the pure devotee forgets the position of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord also accepts the loving service of His devotees more relishably when the service is rendered spontaneously out of pure affection, without anything of reverential admiration. Generally the Lord is worshiped by the devotees in a reverential attitude, but the Lord is meticulously pleased when the devotee, out of pure affection and love, considers the Lord to be less important than himself. The Lord's pastimes in the original abode of Goloka Vṛndāvana are exchanged in that spirit. The friends of Kṛṣṇa consider Him one of them. They do not consider Him to be of reverential importance. The parents of the Lord (who are all pure devotees) consider Him a child only. The Lord accepts the chastisements of the parents more cheerfully than the prayers of the Vedic hymns. Similarly, He accepts the reproaches of His fiancees more palatably than the Vedic hymns. When Lord Kṛṣṇa was present in this material world to manifest His eternal pastimes of the transcendental realm of Goloka Vṛndāvana as an attraction for the people in general, He displayed a unique picture of subordination before His foster mother, Yaśodā. The Lord, in His naturally childish playful activities, used to spoil the stocked butter of mother Yaśodā by breaking the pots and distributing the contents to His friends and playmates, including the celebrated monkeys of Vṛndāvana, who took advantage of the Lord's munificence. Mother Yaśodā saw this, and out of her pure love she wanted to make a show of punishment for her transcendental child. She took a rope and threatened the Lord that she would tie Him up, as is generally done in the ordinary household. Seeing the rope in the hands of mother Yaśodā, the Lord bowed down His head and began to weep just like a child, and tears rolled down His cheeks, washing off the black ointment smeared about His beautiful eyes. This picture of the Lord is adored by Kuntīdevī because she is conscious of the Lord's supreme position. He is feared often by fear personified, yet He is afraid of His mother, who wanted to punish Him just in an ordinary manner. Kuntī was conscious of the exalted position of Kṛṣṇa, whereas Yaśodā was not. Therefore Yaśodā's position was more exalted than Kuntī's. Mother Yaśodā got the Lord as her child, and the Lord made her forget altogether that her child was the Lord Himself. If mother Yaśodā had been conscious of the exalted position of the Lord, she would certainly have hesitated to punish the Lord. But she was made to forget this situation because the Lord wanted to make a complete gesture of childishness before the affectionate Yaśodā. This exchange of love between the mother and the son was performed in a natural way, and Kuntī, remembering the scene, was bewildered, and she could do nothing but praise the transcendental filial love. Indirectly mother Yaśodā is praised for her unique position of love, for she could control even the all-powerful Lord as her beloved child.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.30
janma karma ca viśvātmann
ajasyākartur ātmanaḥ
tiryań-nṝṣiṣu yādaḥsu
tad atyanta-viḍambanam
SYNONYMS
janma — birth; karma — activity; ca — and; viśva-ātman — O soul of the universe; ajasya — of the unborn; akartuḥ — of the inactive; ātmanaḥ — of the vital energy; tiryak — animal; nṛ — human being; ṛṣiṣu — in the sages; yādaḥsu — in the water; tat — that; atyanta — veritable; viḍambanam — bewildering.
TRANSLATION
Of course it is bewildering, O soul of the universe, that You work, though You are inactive, and that You take birth, though You are the vital force and the unborn. You Yourself descend amongst animals, men, sages and aquatics. Verily, this is bewildering.
PURPORT
The transcendental pastimes of the Lord are not only bewildering but also apparently contradictory. In other words, they are all inconceivable to the limited thinking power of the human being. The Lord is the all-prevailing Supersoul of all existence, and yet He appears in the form of a boar amongst the animals, in the form of a human being as Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, etc., in the form of a ṛṣi like Nārāyaṇa, and in the form of an aquatic like a fish. Yet it is said that He is unborn, and He has nothing to do. In the śruti mantra it is said that the Supreme Brahman has nothing to do. No one is equal to or greater than Him. He has manifold energies, and everything is performed by Him perfectly by automatic knowledge, strength and activity. All these statements prove without any question that the Lord's activities, forms and deeds are all inconceivable to our limited thinking power, and because He is inconceivably powerful, everything is possible in Him. Therefore no one can calculate Him exactly; every action of the Lord is bewildering to the common man. He cannot be understood by the Vedic knowledge, but He can be easily understood by the pure devotees because they are intimately related with Him. The devotees therefore know that although He appears amongst the animals, He is not an animal, nor a man, nor a ṛṣi, nor a fish. He is eternally the Supreme Lord, in all circumstances.
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ajasyākartur ātmanaḥ
tiryań-nṝṣiṣu yādaḥsu
tad atyanta-viḍambanam
SYNONYMS
janma — birth; karma — activity; ca — and; viśva-ātman — O soul of the universe; ajasya — of the unborn; akartuḥ — of the inactive; ātmanaḥ — of the vital energy; tiryak — animal; nṛ — human being; ṛṣiṣu — in the sages; yādaḥsu — in the water; tat — that; atyanta — veritable; viḍambanam — bewildering.
TRANSLATION
Of course it is bewildering, O soul of the universe, that You work, though You are inactive, and that You take birth, though You are the vital force and the unborn. You Yourself descend amongst animals, men, sages and aquatics. Verily, this is bewildering.
PURPORT
The transcendental pastimes of the Lord are not only bewildering but also apparently contradictory. In other words, they are all inconceivable to the limited thinking power of the human being. The Lord is the all-prevailing Supersoul of all existence, and yet He appears in the form of a boar amongst the animals, in the form of a human being as Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, etc., in the form of a ṛṣi like Nārāyaṇa, and in the form of an aquatic like a fish. Yet it is said that He is unborn, and He has nothing to do. In the śruti mantra it is said that the Supreme Brahman has nothing to do. No one is equal to or greater than Him. He has manifold energies, and everything is performed by Him perfectly by automatic knowledge, strength and activity. All these statements prove without any question that the Lord's activities, forms and deeds are all inconceivable to our limited thinking power, and because He is inconceivably powerful, everything is possible in Him. Therefore no one can calculate Him exactly; every action of the Lord is bewildering to the common man. He cannot be understood by the Vedic knowledge, but He can be easily understood by the pure devotees because they are intimately related with Him. The devotees therefore know that although He appears amongst the animals, He is not an animal, nor a man, nor a ṛṣi, nor a fish. He is eternally the Supreme Lord, in all circumstances.
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Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.29
na veda kaścid bhagavaḿś cikīrṣitaḿ
tavehamānasya nṛṇāḿ viḍambanam
na yasya kaścid dayito 'sti karhicid
dveṣyaś ca yasmin viṣamā matir nṛṇām
SYNONYMS
na — does not; veda — know; kaścit — anyone; bhagavan — O Lord; cikīrṣitam — pastimes; tava — Your; īhamānasya — like the worldly men; nṛṇām — of the people in general; viḍambanam — misleading; na — never; yasya — His; kaścit — anyone; dayitaḥ — object of specific favor; asti — there is; karhicit — anywhere; dveṣyaḥ — object of envy; ca — and; yasmin — unto Him; viṣamā — partiality; matiḥ — conception; nṛṇām — of the people.
TRANSLATION
O Lord, no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear to be human and are so misleading. You have no specific object of favor, nor do You have any object of envy. People only imagine that You are partial.
PURPORT
The Lord's mercy upon the fallen souls is equally distributed. He has no one as the specific object of hostility. The very conception of the Personality of Godhead as a human being is misleading. His pastimes appear to be exactly like a human being's, but actually they are transcendental and without any tinge of material contamination. He is undoubtedly known as partial to His pure devotees, but in fact He is never partial, as much as the sun is never partial to anyone. By utilizing the sun rays, sometimes even the stones become valuable, whereas a blind man cannot see the sun, although there are enough sun rays before him. Darkness and light are two opposite conceptions, but this does not mean that the sun is partial in distributing its rays. The sun rays are open to everyone, but the capacities of the receptacles differ. Foolish people think that devotional service is flattering the Lord to get special mercy. Factually the pure devotees who are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord are not a mercantile community. A mercantile house renders service to someone in exchange for values. The pure devotee does not render service unto the Lord for such exchange, and therefore the full mercy of the Lord is open for him. Suffering and needy men, inquisitive persons or philosophers make temporary connections with the Lord to serve a particular purpose. When the purpose is served, there is no more relation with the Lord. A suffering man, if he is pious at all, prays to the Lord for his recovery. But as soon as the recovery is over, in most cases the suffering man no longer cares to keep any connection with the Lord. The mercy of the Lord is open for him, but he is reluctant to receive it. That is the difference between a pure devotee and a mixed devotee. Those who are completely against the service of the Lord are considered to be in abject darkness, those who ask for the Lord's favor only at the time of necessity are partial recipients of the mercy of the Lord, and those who are cent percent engaged in the service of the Lord are full recipients of the mercy of the Lord. Such partiality in receiving the Lord's mercy is relative to the recipient, and it is not due to the partiality of the all-merciful Lord.
When the Lord descends on this material world by His all-merciful energy, He plays like a human being, and therefore it appears that the Lord is partial to His devotees only, but that is not a fact. Despite such apparent manifestation of partiality, His mercy is equally distributed. In the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra all persons who died in the fight before the presence of the Lord got salvation without the necessary qualifications because death before the presence of the Lord purifies the passing soul from the effects of all sins, and therefore the dying man gets a place somewhere in the transcendental abode. Somehow or other if someone puts himself open in the sun rays, he is sure to get the requisite benefit both by heat and by ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the conclusion is that the Lord is never partial. It is wrong for the people in general to think of Him as partial.
tavehamānasya nṛṇāḿ viḍambanam
na yasya kaścid dayito 'sti karhicid
dveṣyaś ca yasmin viṣamā matir nṛṇām
SYNONYMS
na — does not; veda — know; kaścit — anyone; bhagavan — O Lord; cikīrṣitam — pastimes; tava — Your; īhamānasya — like the worldly men; nṛṇām — of the people in general; viḍambanam — misleading; na — never; yasya — His; kaścit — anyone; dayitaḥ — object of specific favor; asti — there is; karhicit — anywhere; dveṣyaḥ — object of envy; ca — and; yasmin — unto Him; viṣamā — partiality; matiḥ — conception; nṛṇām — of the people.
TRANSLATION
O Lord, no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear to be human and are so misleading. You have no specific object of favor, nor do You have any object of envy. People only imagine that You are partial.
PURPORT
The Lord's mercy upon the fallen souls is equally distributed. He has no one as the specific object of hostility. The very conception of the Personality of Godhead as a human being is misleading. His pastimes appear to be exactly like a human being's, but actually they are transcendental and without any tinge of material contamination. He is undoubtedly known as partial to His pure devotees, but in fact He is never partial, as much as the sun is never partial to anyone. By utilizing the sun rays, sometimes even the stones become valuable, whereas a blind man cannot see the sun, although there are enough sun rays before him. Darkness and light are two opposite conceptions, but this does not mean that the sun is partial in distributing its rays. The sun rays are open to everyone, but the capacities of the receptacles differ. Foolish people think that devotional service is flattering the Lord to get special mercy. Factually the pure devotees who are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord are not a mercantile community. A mercantile house renders service to someone in exchange for values. The pure devotee does not render service unto the Lord for such exchange, and therefore the full mercy of the Lord is open for him. Suffering and needy men, inquisitive persons or philosophers make temporary connections with the Lord to serve a particular purpose. When the purpose is served, there is no more relation with the Lord. A suffering man, if he is pious at all, prays to the Lord for his recovery. But as soon as the recovery is over, in most cases the suffering man no longer cares to keep any connection with the Lord. The mercy of the Lord is open for him, but he is reluctant to receive it. That is the difference between a pure devotee and a mixed devotee. Those who are completely against the service of the Lord are considered to be in abject darkness, those who ask for the Lord's favor only at the time of necessity are partial recipients of the mercy of the Lord, and those who are cent percent engaged in the service of the Lord are full recipients of the mercy of the Lord. Such partiality in receiving the Lord's mercy is relative to the recipient, and it is not due to the partiality of the all-merciful Lord.
When the Lord descends on this material world by His all-merciful energy, He plays like a human being, and therefore it appears that the Lord is partial to His devotees only, but that is not a fact. Despite such apparent manifestation of partiality, His mercy is equally distributed. In the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra all persons who died in the fight before the presence of the Lord got salvation without the necessary qualifications because death before the presence of the Lord purifies the passing soul from the effects of all sins, and therefore the dying man gets a place somewhere in the transcendental abode. Somehow or other if someone puts himself open in the sun rays, he is sure to get the requisite benefit both by heat and by ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the conclusion is that the Lord is never partial. It is wrong for the people in general to think of Him as partial.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.28
manye tvāḿ kālam īśānam
anādi-nidhanaḿ vibhum
samaḿ carantaḿ sarvatra
bhūtānāḿ yan mithaḥ kaliḥ
SYNONYMS
manye — I consider; tvām — Your Lordship; kālam — the eternal time; īśānam — the Supreme Lord; anādi-nidhanam — without beginning and end; vibhum — all-pervading; samam — equally merciful; carantam — distributing; sarvatra — everywhere; bhūtānām — of the living beings; yat mithaḥ — by intercourse; kaliḥ — dissension.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, I consider Your Lordship to be eternal time, the supreme controller, without beginning and end, the all-pervasive one. In distributing Your mercy, You are equal to everyone. The dissensions between living beings are due to social intercourse.
PURPORT
Kuntīdevī knew that Kṛṣṇa was neither her nephew nor an ordinary family member of her paternal house. She knew perfectly well that Kṛṣṇa is the primeval Lord who lives in everyone's heart as the Supersoul, Paramātmā. Another name of the Paramātmā feature of the Lord is kāla, or eternal time. Eternal time is the witness of all our actions, good and bad, and thus resultant reactions are destined by Him. It is no use saying that we do not know why and for what we are suffering. We may forget the misdeed for which we may suffer at this present moment, but we must remember that Paramātmā is our constant companion, and therefore He knows everything, past, present and future. And because the Paramātmā feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa destines all actions and reactions, He is the supreme controller also. Without His sanction not a blade of grass can move. The living beings are given as much freedom as they deserve, and misuse of that freedom is the cause of suffering. The devotees of the Lord do not misuse their freedom, and therefore they are the good sons of the Lord. Others, who misuse freedom, are put into miseries destined by the eternal kāla. The kāla offers the conditioned souls both happiness and miseries. It is all predestined by eternal time. As we have miseries uncalled-for, so we may have happiness also without being asked, for they are all predestined by kāla. No one is therefore either an enemy or friend of the Lord. Everyone is suffering and enjoying the result of his own destiny. This destiny is made by the living beings in course of social intercourse. Everyone here wants to lord it over the material nature, and thus everyone creates his own destiny under the supervision of the Supreme Lord. He is all-pervading and therefore He can see everyone's activities. And because the Lord has no beginning or end, He is known also as the eternal time, kāla.
anādi-nidhanaḿ vibhum
samaḿ carantaḿ sarvatra
bhūtānāḿ yan mithaḥ kaliḥ
SYNONYMS
manye — I consider; tvām — Your Lordship; kālam — the eternal time; īśānam — the Supreme Lord; anādi-nidhanam — without beginning and end; vibhum — all-pervading; samam — equally merciful; carantam — distributing; sarvatra — everywhere; bhūtānām — of the living beings; yat mithaḥ — by intercourse; kaliḥ — dissension.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, I consider Your Lordship to be eternal time, the supreme controller, without beginning and end, the all-pervasive one. In distributing Your mercy, You are equal to everyone. The dissensions between living beings are due to social intercourse.
PURPORT
Kuntīdevī knew that Kṛṣṇa was neither her nephew nor an ordinary family member of her paternal house. She knew perfectly well that Kṛṣṇa is the primeval Lord who lives in everyone's heart as the Supersoul, Paramātmā. Another name of the Paramātmā feature of the Lord is kāla, or eternal time. Eternal time is the witness of all our actions, good and bad, and thus resultant reactions are destined by Him. It is no use saying that we do not know why and for what we are suffering. We may forget the misdeed for which we may suffer at this present moment, but we must remember that Paramātmā is our constant companion, and therefore He knows everything, past, present and future. And because the Paramātmā feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa destines all actions and reactions, He is the supreme controller also. Without His sanction not a blade of grass can move. The living beings are given as much freedom as they deserve, and misuse of that freedom is the cause of suffering. The devotees of the Lord do not misuse their freedom, and therefore they are the good sons of the Lord. Others, who misuse freedom, are put into miseries destined by the eternal kāla. The kāla offers the conditioned souls both happiness and miseries. It is all predestined by eternal time. As we have miseries uncalled-for, so we may have happiness also without being asked, for they are all predestined by kāla. No one is therefore either an enemy or friend of the Lord. Everyone is suffering and enjoying the result of his own destiny. This destiny is made by the living beings in course of social intercourse. Everyone here wants to lord it over the material nature, and thus everyone creates his own destiny under the supervision of the Supreme Lord. He is all-pervading and therefore He can see everyone's activities. And because the Lord has no beginning or end, He is known also as the eternal time, kāla.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.27
namo 'kiñcana-vittāya
nivṛtta-guṇa-vṛttaye
ātmārāmāya śāntāya
kaivalya-pataye namaḥ
SYNONYMS
namaḥ — all obeisances unto You; akiñcana-vittāya — unto the property of the materially impoverished; nivṛtta — completely transcendental to the actions of the material modes; guṇa — material modes; vṛttaye — affection; ātma-ārāmāya — one who is self-satisfied; śāntāya — the most gentle; kaivalya-pataye — unto the master of the monists; namaḥ — bowing down.
TRANSLATION
My obeisances are unto You, who are the property of the materially impoverished. You have nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the material modes of nature. You are self-satisfied, and therefore You are the most gentle and are master of the monists.
PURPORT
A living being is finished as soon as there is nothing to possess. Therefore a living being cannot be, in the real sense of the term, a renouncer. A living being renounces something for gaining something more valuable. A student sacrifices his childish proclivities to gain better education. A servant gives up his job for a better job. Similarly, a devotee renounces the material world not for nothing but for something tangible in spiritual value. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and others gave up their worldly pomp and prosperity for the sake of the service of the Lord. They were big men in the worldly sense. The Gosvāmīs were ministers in the government service of Bengal, and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was the son of a big zamindar of his time. But they left everything to gain something superior to what they previously possessed. The devotees are generally without material prosperity, but they have a very secret treasure-house in the lotus feet of the Lord. There is a nice story about Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī. He had a touchstone with him, and this stone was left in a pile of refuse. A needy man took it, but later on wondered why the valuable stone was kept in such a neglected place. He therefore asked him for the most valuable thing, and then he was given the holy name of the Lord. Akiñcana means one who has nothing to give materially. A factual devotee, or mahātmā, does not give anything material to anyone because he has already left all material assets. He can, however, deliver the supreme asset, namely the Personality of Godhead, because He is the only property of a factual devotee. The touchstone of Sanātana Gosvāmī, which was thrown in the rubbish, was not the property of the Gosvāmī, otherwise it would not have been kept in such a place. This specific example is given for the neophyte devotees just to convince them that material hankerings and spiritual advancement go ill together. Unless one is able to see everything as spiritual in relation with the Supreme Lord, one must always distinguish between spirit and matter. A spiritual master like Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, although personally able to see everything as spiritual, set this example for us only because we have no such spiritual vision.
Advancement of material vision or material civilization is a great stumbling block for spiritual advancement. Such material advancement entangles the living being in the bondage of a material body followed by all sorts of material miseries. Such material advancement is called anartha, or things not wanted. Actually this is so. In the present context of material advancement one uses lipstick at a cost of fifty cents, and there are so many unwanted things which are all products of the material conception of life. By diverting attention to so many unwanted things, human energy is spoiled without achievement of spiritual realization, the prime necessity of human life. The attempt to reach the moon is another example of spoiling energy because even if the moon is reached, the problems of life will not be solved. The devotees of the Lord are called akiñcanas because they have practically no material assets. Such material assets are all products of the three modes of material nature. They foil spiritual energy, and thus the less we possess such products of material nature, the more we have a good chance for spiritual progress.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no direct connection with material activities. All His acts and deeds, which are exhibited even in this material world, are spiritual and without affection for the modes of material nature. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that all His acts, even His appearance and disappearance in and out of the material world, are transcendental, and one who knows this perfectly shall not take his birth again in this material world, but will go back to Godhead.
The material disease is due to hankering after and lording it over material nature. This hankering is due to an interaction of the three modes of nature, and neither the Lord nor the devotees have attachment for such false enjoyment. Therefore, the Lord and the devotees are called nivṛtta-guṇa-vṛtti. The perfect nivṛtta-guṇa-vṛtti is the Supreme Lord because He never becomes attracted by the modes of material nature, whereas the living beings have such a tendency. Some of them are entrapped by the illusory attraction of material nature.
Because the Lord is the property of the devotees, and the devotees are the property of the Lord reciprocally, the devotees are certainly transcendental to the modes of material nature. That is a natural conclusion. Such unalloyed devotees are distinct from the mixed devotees who approach the Lord for mitigation of miseries and poverty or because of inquisitiveness and speculation. The unalloyed devotees and the Lord are transcendentally attached to one another. For others, the Lord has nothing to reciprocate, and therefore He is called ātmārāma, self-satisfied. Self-satisfied as He is, He is the master of all monists who seek to merge into the existence of the Lord. Such monists merge within the personal effulgence of the Lord called the brahmajyoti, but the devotees enter into the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, which are never to be misunderstood as material.
nivṛtta-guṇa-vṛttaye
ātmārāmāya śāntāya
kaivalya-pataye namaḥ
SYNONYMS
namaḥ — all obeisances unto You; akiñcana-vittāya — unto the property of the materially impoverished; nivṛtta — completely transcendental to the actions of the material modes; guṇa — material modes; vṛttaye — affection; ātma-ārāmāya — one who is self-satisfied; śāntāya — the most gentle; kaivalya-pataye — unto the master of the monists; namaḥ — bowing down.
TRANSLATION
My obeisances are unto You, who are the property of the materially impoverished. You have nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the material modes of nature. You are self-satisfied, and therefore You are the most gentle and are master of the monists.
PURPORT
A living being is finished as soon as there is nothing to possess. Therefore a living being cannot be, in the real sense of the term, a renouncer. A living being renounces something for gaining something more valuable. A student sacrifices his childish proclivities to gain better education. A servant gives up his job for a better job. Similarly, a devotee renounces the material world not for nothing but for something tangible in spiritual value. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and others gave up their worldly pomp and prosperity for the sake of the service of the Lord. They were big men in the worldly sense. The Gosvāmīs were ministers in the government service of Bengal, and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was the son of a big zamindar of his time. But they left everything to gain something superior to what they previously possessed. The devotees are generally without material prosperity, but they have a very secret treasure-house in the lotus feet of the Lord. There is a nice story about Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī. He had a touchstone with him, and this stone was left in a pile of refuse. A needy man took it, but later on wondered why the valuable stone was kept in such a neglected place. He therefore asked him for the most valuable thing, and then he was given the holy name of the Lord. Akiñcana means one who has nothing to give materially. A factual devotee, or mahātmā, does not give anything material to anyone because he has already left all material assets. He can, however, deliver the supreme asset, namely the Personality of Godhead, because He is the only property of a factual devotee. The touchstone of Sanātana Gosvāmī, which was thrown in the rubbish, was not the property of the Gosvāmī, otherwise it would not have been kept in such a place. This specific example is given for the neophyte devotees just to convince them that material hankerings and spiritual advancement go ill together. Unless one is able to see everything as spiritual in relation with the Supreme Lord, one must always distinguish between spirit and matter. A spiritual master like Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, although personally able to see everything as spiritual, set this example for us only because we have no such spiritual vision.
Advancement of material vision or material civilization is a great stumbling block for spiritual advancement. Such material advancement entangles the living being in the bondage of a material body followed by all sorts of material miseries. Such material advancement is called anartha, or things not wanted. Actually this is so. In the present context of material advancement one uses lipstick at a cost of fifty cents, and there are so many unwanted things which are all products of the material conception of life. By diverting attention to so many unwanted things, human energy is spoiled without achievement of spiritual realization, the prime necessity of human life. The attempt to reach the moon is another example of spoiling energy because even if the moon is reached, the problems of life will not be solved. The devotees of the Lord are called akiñcanas because they have practically no material assets. Such material assets are all products of the three modes of material nature. They foil spiritual energy, and thus the less we possess such products of material nature, the more we have a good chance for spiritual progress.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no direct connection with material activities. All His acts and deeds, which are exhibited even in this material world, are spiritual and without affection for the modes of material nature. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that all His acts, even His appearance and disappearance in and out of the material world, are transcendental, and one who knows this perfectly shall not take his birth again in this material world, but will go back to Godhead.
The material disease is due to hankering after and lording it over material nature. This hankering is due to an interaction of the three modes of nature, and neither the Lord nor the devotees have attachment for such false enjoyment. Therefore, the Lord and the devotees are called nivṛtta-guṇa-vṛtti. The perfect nivṛtta-guṇa-vṛtti is the Supreme Lord because He never becomes attracted by the modes of material nature, whereas the living beings have such a tendency. Some of them are entrapped by the illusory attraction of material nature.
Because the Lord is the property of the devotees, and the devotees are the property of the Lord reciprocally, the devotees are certainly transcendental to the modes of material nature. That is a natural conclusion. Such unalloyed devotees are distinct from the mixed devotees who approach the Lord for mitigation of miseries and poverty or because of inquisitiveness and speculation. The unalloyed devotees and the Lord are transcendentally attached to one another. For others, the Lord has nothing to reciprocate, and therefore He is called ātmārāma, self-satisfied. Self-satisfied as He is, He is the master of all monists who seek to merge into the existence of the Lord. Such monists merge within the personal effulgence of the Lord called the brahmajyoti, but the devotees enter into the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, which are never to be misunderstood as material.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.26
janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir
edhamāna-madaḥ pumān
naivārhaty abhidhātuḿ vai
tvām akiñcana-gocaram
SYNONYMS
janma — birth; aiśvarya — opulence; śruta — education; śrībhiḥ — by the possession of beauty; edhamāna — progressively increasing; madaḥ — intoxication; pumān — the human being; na — never; eva — ever; arhati — deserves; abhidhātum — to address in feeling; vai — certainly; tvām — You; akiñcana-gocaram — one who is approached easily by the materially exhausted man.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.
PURPORT
Being materially advanced means taking birth in an aristocratic family and possessing great wealth, an education and attractive personal beauty. All materialistic men are mad after possessing all these material opulences, and this is known as the advancement of material civilization. But the result is that by possessing all these material assets one becomes artificially puffed up, intoxicated by such temporary possessions. Consequently, such materially puffed up persons are incapable of uttering the holy name of the Lord by addressing Him feelingly, "O Govinda, O Kṛṣṇa." It is said in the śāstras that by once uttering the holy name of the Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity of sins that he is unable to commit. Such is the power of uttering the holy name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement. Actually the Lord's holy name has such powerful potency. But there is a quality to such utterances also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord, whereas a man who utters the same holy name in great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere. A materially puffed up person may utter the holy name of the Lord occasionally, but he is incapable of uttering the name in quality. Therefore, the four principles of material advancement, namely (1) high parentage, (2) good wealth, (3) high education and (4) attractive beauty, are, so to speak, disqualifications for progress on the path of spiritual advancement. The material covering of the pure spirit soul is an external feature, as much as fever is an external feature of the unhealthy body. The general process is to decrease the degree of the fever and not to aggravate it by maltreatment. Sometimes it is seen that spiritually advanced persons become materially impoverished. This is no discouragement. On the other hand, such impoverishment is a good sign as much as the falling of temperature is a good sign. The principle of life should be to decrease the degree of material intoxication which leads one to be more and more illusioned about the aim of life. Grossly illusioned persons are quite unfit for entrance into the kingdom of God.
edhamāna-madaḥ pumān
naivārhaty abhidhātuḿ vai
tvām akiñcana-gocaram
SYNONYMS
janma — birth; aiśvarya — opulence; śruta — education; śrībhiḥ — by the possession of beauty; edhamāna — progressively increasing; madaḥ — intoxication; pumān — the human being; na — never; eva — ever; arhati — deserves; abhidhātum — to address in feeling; vai — certainly; tvām — You; akiñcana-gocaram — one who is approached easily by the materially exhausted man.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.
PURPORT
Being materially advanced means taking birth in an aristocratic family and possessing great wealth, an education and attractive personal beauty. All materialistic men are mad after possessing all these material opulences, and this is known as the advancement of material civilization. But the result is that by possessing all these material assets one becomes artificially puffed up, intoxicated by such temporary possessions. Consequently, such materially puffed up persons are incapable of uttering the holy name of the Lord by addressing Him feelingly, "O Govinda, O Kṛṣṇa." It is said in the śāstras that by once uttering the holy name of the Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity of sins that he is unable to commit. Such is the power of uttering the holy name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement. Actually the Lord's holy name has such powerful potency. But there is a quality to such utterances also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord, whereas a man who utters the same holy name in great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere. A materially puffed up person may utter the holy name of the Lord occasionally, but he is incapable of uttering the name in quality. Therefore, the four principles of material advancement, namely (1) high parentage, (2) good wealth, (3) high education and (4) attractive beauty, are, so to speak, disqualifications for progress on the path of spiritual advancement. The material covering of the pure spirit soul is an external feature, as much as fever is an external feature of the unhealthy body. The general process is to decrease the degree of the fever and not to aggravate it by maltreatment. Sometimes it is seen that spiritually advanced persons become materially impoverished. This is no discouragement. On the other hand, such impoverishment is a good sign as much as the falling of temperature is a good sign. The principle of life should be to decrease the degree of material intoxication which leads one to be more and more illusioned about the aim of life. Grossly illusioned persons are quite unfit for entrance into the kingdom of God.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.25
vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat
tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darśanaḿ yat syād
apunar bhava-darśanam
SYNONYMS
vipadaḥ — calamities; santu — let there be; tāḥ — all; śaśvat — again and again; tatra — there; tatra — and there; jagat-guro — O Lord of the universe; bhavataḥ — Your; darśanam — meeting; yat — that which; syāt — is; apunaḥ — not again; bhava-darśanam — seeing repetition of birth and death.
TRANSLATION
I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.
PURPORT
Generally the distressed, the needy, the intelligent and the inquisitive, who have performed some pious activities, worship or begin to worship the Lord. Others, who are thriving on misdeeds only, regardless of status, cannot approach the Supreme due to being misled by the illusory energy. Therefore, for a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for liberation from birth and death. Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means liberation.
One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hoofs of a calf. Such persons are meant to reside in the abode of the Lord, and they have nothing to do with a place where there is danger in every step.
This material world is certified by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā as a dangerous place full of calamities. Less intelligent persons prepare plans to adjust to those calamities without knowing that the nature of this place is itself full of calamities. They have no information of the abode of the Lord, which is full of bliss and without trace of calamity. The duty of the sane person, therefore, is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities, which are sure to happen in all circumstances. Suffering all sorts of unavoidable misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization because that is the mission of human life. The spirit soul is transcendental to all material calamities; therefore, the so-called calamities are called false. A man may see a tiger swallowing him in a dream, and he may cry for this calamity. Actually there is no tiger and there is no suffering; it is simply a case of dreams. In the same way, all calamities of life are said to be dreams. If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional services is always a forward step on the path going back to Godhead.
tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darśanaḿ yat syād
apunar bhava-darśanam
SYNONYMS
vipadaḥ — calamities; santu — let there be; tāḥ — all; śaśvat — again and again; tatra — there; tatra — and there; jagat-guro — O Lord of the universe; bhavataḥ — Your; darśanam — meeting; yat — that which; syāt — is; apunaḥ — not again; bhava-darśanam — seeing repetition of birth and death.
TRANSLATION
I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.
PURPORT
Generally the distressed, the needy, the intelligent and the inquisitive, who have performed some pious activities, worship or begin to worship the Lord. Others, who are thriving on misdeeds only, regardless of status, cannot approach the Supreme due to being misled by the illusory energy. Therefore, for a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for liberation from birth and death. Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means liberation.
One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hoofs of a calf. Such persons are meant to reside in the abode of the Lord, and they have nothing to do with a place where there is danger in every step.
This material world is certified by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā as a dangerous place full of calamities. Less intelligent persons prepare plans to adjust to those calamities without knowing that the nature of this place is itself full of calamities. They have no information of the abode of the Lord, which is full of bliss and without trace of calamity. The duty of the sane person, therefore, is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities, which are sure to happen in all circumstances. Suffering all sorts of unavoidable misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization because that is the mission of human life. The spirit soul is transcendental to all material calamities; therefore, the so-called calamities are called false. A man may see a tiger swallowing him in a dream, and he may cry for this calamity. Actually there is no tiger and there is no suffering; it is simply a case of dreams. In the same way, all calamities of life are said to be dreams. If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional services is always a forward step on the path going back to Godhead.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.24
viṣān mahāgneḥ puruṣāda-darśanād
asat-sabhāyā vana-vāsa-kṛcchrataḥ
mṛdhe mṛdhe 'neka-mahārathāstrato
drauṇy-astrataś cāsma hare 'bhirakṣitāḥ
SYNONYMS
viṣāt — from poison; mahā-agneḥ — from the great fire; puruṣa-ada — the man-eaters; darśanāt — by combating; asat — vicious; sabhāyāḥ — assembly; vana-vāsa — exiled to the forest; kṛcchrataḥ — sufferings; mṛdhe mṛdhe — again and again in battle; aneka — many; mahā-ratha — great generals; astrataḥ — weapons; drauṇi — the son of Droṇācārya; astrataḥ — from the weapon of; ca — and; āsma — indicating past tense; hare — O my Lord; abhirakṣitāḥ — protected completely.
TRANSLATION
My dear Kṛṣṇa, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Aśvatthāmā.
PURPORT
The list of dangerous encounters is submitted herein. Devakī was once put into difficulty by her envious brother, otherwise she was well. But Kuntīdevī and her sons were put into one difficulty after another for years and years together. They were put into trouble by Duryodhana and his party due to the kingdom, and each and every time the sons of Kuntī were saved by the Lord. Once Bhīma was administered poison in a cake, once they were put into the house made of shellac and set afire, and once Draupadī was dragged out, and attempts were made to insult her by stripping her naked in the vicious assembly of the Kurus. The Lord saved Draupadī by supplying an immeasurable length of cloth, and Duryodhana's party failed to see her naked. Similarly, when they were exiled in the forest, Bhīma had to fight with the man-eater demon Hiḍimbā Rākṣasa, but the Lord saved him. So it was not finished there. After all these tribulations, there was the great Battle of Kurukṣetra, and Arjuna had to meet such great generals as Droṇa, Bhīṣma and Karṇa, all powerful fighters. And at last, even when everything was done away with, there was the brahmāstra released by the son of Droṇācārya to kill the child within the womb of Uttarā, and so the Lord saved the only surviving descendant of the Kurus, Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
asat-sabhāyā vana-vāsa-kṛcchrataḥ
mṛdhe mṛdhe 'neka-mahārathāstrato
drauṇy-astrataś cāsma hare 'bhirakṣitāḥ
SYNONYMS
viṣāt — from poison; mahā-agneḥ — from the great fire; puruṣa-ada — the man-eaters; darśanāt — by combating; asat — vicious; sabhāyāḥ — assembly; vana-vāsa — exiled to the forest; kṛcchrataḥ — sufferings; mṛdhe mṛdhe — again and again in battle; aneka — many; mahā-ratha — great generals; astrataḥ — weapons; drauṇi — the son of Droṇācārya; astrataḥ — from the weapon of; ca — and; āsma — indicating past tense; hare — O my Lord; abhirakṣitāḥ — protected completely.
TRANSLATION
My dear Kṛṣṇa, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Aśvatthāmā.
PURPORT
The list of dangerous encounters is submitted herein. Devakī was once put into difficulty by her envious brother, otherwise she was well. But Kuntīdevī and her sons were put into one difficulty after another for years and years together. They were put into trouble by Duryodhana and his party due to the kingdom, and each and every time the sons of Kuntī were saved by the Lord. Once Bhīma was administered poison in a cake, once they were put into the house made of shellac and set afire, and once Draupadī was dragged out, and attempts were made to insult her by stripping her naked in the vicious assembly of the Kurus. The Lord saved Draupadī by supplying an immeasurable length of cloth, and Duryodhana's party failed to see her naked. Similarly, when they were exiled in the forest, Bhīma had to fight with the man-eater demon Hiḍimbā Rākṣasa, but the Lord saved him. So it was not finished there. After all these tribulations, there was the great Battle of Kurukṣetra, and Arjuna had to meet such great generals as Droṇa, Bhīṣma and Karṇa, all powerful fighters. And at last, even when everything was done away with, there was the brahmāstra released by the son of Droṇācārya to kill the child within the womb of Uttarā, and so the Lord saved the only surviving descendant of the Kurus, Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.23
yathā hṛṣīkeśa khalena devakī
kaḿsena ruddhāticiraḿ śucārpitā
vimocitāhaḿ ca sahātmajā vibho
tvayaiva nāthena muhur vipad-gaṇāt
SYNONYMS
yathā — as it were; hṛṣīkeśa — the master of the senses; khalena — by the envious; devakī — Devakī (the mother of Śrī Kṛṣṇa); kaḿsena — by King Kaḿsa; ruddhā — imprisoned; ati-ciram — for a long time; śuca-arpitā — distressed; vimocitā — released; aham ca — also myself; saha-ātma-jā — along with my children; vibho — O great one; tvayā eva — by Your Lordship; nāthena — as the protector; muhuḥ — constantly; vipat-gaṇāt — from a series of dangers.
TRANSLATION
O Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devakī, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kaḿsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.
PURPORT
Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa and sister of King Kaḿsa, was put into prison along with her husband, Vasudeva, because the envious King was afraid of being killed by Devakī's eighth son (Kṛṣṇa). He killed all the sons of Devakī who were born before Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa escaped the danger of child-slaughter because He was transferred to the house of Nanda Mahārāja, Lord Kṛṣṇa's foster father. Kuntīdevī, along with her children, was also saved from a series of dangers. But Kuntīdevī was shown far more favor because Lord Kṛṣṇa did not save the other children of Devakī, whereas He saved the children of Kuntīdevī. This was done because Devakī's husband, Vasudeva, was living, whereas Kuntīdevī was a widow, and there was none to help her except Kṛṣṇa. The conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa endows more favor to a devotee who is in greater dangers. Sometimes He puts His pure devotees in such dangers because in that condition of helplessness the devotee becomes more attached to the Lord. The more the attachment is there for the Lord, the more success is there for the devotee.
kaḿsena ruddhāticiraḿ śucārpitā
vimocitāhaḿ ca sahātmajā vibho
tvayaiva nāthena muhur vipad-gaṇāt
SYNONYMS
yathā — as it were; hṛṣīkeśa — the master of the senses; khalena — by the envious; devakī — Devakī (the mother of Śrī Kṛṣṇa); kaḿsena — by King Kaḿsa; ruddhā — imprisoned; ati-ciram — for a long time; śuca-arpitā — distressed; vimocitā — released; aham ca — also myself; saha-ātma-jā — along with my children; vibho — O great one; tvayā eva — by Your Lordship; nāthena — as the protector; muhuḥ — constantly; vipat-gaṇāt — from a series of dangers.
TRANSLATION
O Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devakī, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kaḿsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.
PURPORT
Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa and sister of King Kaḿsa, was put into prison along with her husband, Vasudeva, because the envious King was afraid of being killed by Devakī's eighth son (Kṛṣṇa). He killed all the sons of Devakī who were born before Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa escaped the danger of child-slaughter because He was transferred to the house of Nanda Mahārāja, Lord Kṛṣṇa's foster father. Kuntīdevī, along with her children, was also saved from a series of dangers. But Kuntīdevī was shown far more favor because Lord Kṛṣṇa did not save the other children of Devakī, whereas He saved the children of Kuntīdevī. This was done because Devakī's husband, Vasudeva, was living, whereas Kuntīdevī was a widow, and there was none to help her except Kṛṣṇa. The conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa endows more favor to a devotee who is in greater dangers. Sometimes He puts His pure devotees in such dangers because in that condition of helplessness the devotee becomes more attached to the Lord. The more the attachment is there for the Lord, the more success is there for the devotee.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.22
namaḥ pańkaja-nābhāya
namaḥ pańkaja-māline
namaḥ pańkaja-netrāya
namas te pańkajāńghraye
SYNONYMS
namaḥ — all respectful obeisances; pańkaja-nābhāya — unto the Lord who has a specific depression resembling a lotus flower in the center of His abdomen; namaḥ — obeisances; pańkaja-māline — one who is always decorated with a garland of lotus flowers; namaḥ — obeisances; pańkaja-netrāya — one whose glance is as cooling as a lotus flower; namaḥ te — respectful obeisances unto You; pańkaja-ańghraye — unto You, the soles of whose feet are engraved with lotus flowers (and who are therefore said to possess lotus feet).
TRANSLATION
My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved with lotuses.
PURPORT
Here are some of the specific symbolical marks on the spiritual body of the Personality of Godhead which distinguish His body from the bodies of all others. They are all special features of the body of the Lord. The Lord may appear as one of us, but He is always distinct by His specific bodily features. Śrīmatī Kuntī claims herself unfit to see the Lord because of her being a woman. This is claimed because women, śūdras (the laborer class) and the dvija-bandhus, or the wretched descendants of the higher three classes, are unfit by intelligence to understand transcendental subject matter concerning the spiritual name, fame, attributes, forms, etc., of the Supreme Absolute Truth. Such persons, although they are unfit to enter into the spiritual affairs of the Lord, can see Him as the arcā-vigraha, who descends on the material world just to distribute favors to the fallen souls, including the above-mentioned women, śūdras and dvija-bandhus. Because such fallen souls cannot see anything beyond matter, the Lord condescends to enter into each and every one of the innumerable universes as the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who grows a lotus stem from the lotuslike depression in the center of His transcendental abdomen, and thus Brahmā, the first living being in the universe, is born. Therefore, the Lord is known as the Pańkajanābhi. The Pańkajanābhi Lord accepts the arcā-vigraha (His transcendental form) in different elements, namely a form within the mind, a form made of wood, a form made of earth, a form made of metal, a form made of jewel, a form made of paint, a form drawn on sand, etc. All such forms of the Lord are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, and there should be a soothing atmosphere in the temple of worship to attract the burning attention of the nondevotees always engaged in material wranglings. The meditators worship a form within the mind. Therefore, the Lord is merciful even to the women, śūdras and dvija-bandhus, provided they agree to visit the temple of worship in different forms made for them. Such temple visitors are not idolaters, as alleged by some men with a poor fund of knowledge. All the great ācāryas established such temples of worship in all places just to favor the less intelligent, and one should not pose himself as transcending the stage of temple worship while one is actually in the category of the śūdras and the women or less. One should begin to see the Lord from His lotus feet, gradually rising to the thighs, waist, chest and face. One should not try to look at the face of the Lord without being accustomed to seeing the lotus feet of the Lord. Śrīmatī Kuntī, because of her being the aunt of the Lord, did not begin to see the Lord from the lotus feet because the Lord might feel ashamed, and thus Kuntīdevī, just to save a painful situation for the Lord, began to see the Lord just above His lotus feet, i.e., from the waist of the Lord, gradually rising to the face, and then down to the lotus feet. In the round, everything there is in order.
namaḥ pańkaja-māline
namaḥ pańkaja-netrāya
namas te pańkajāńghraye
SYNONYMS
namaḥ — all respectful obeisances; pańkaja-nābhāya — unto the Lord who has a specific depression resembling a lotus flower in the center of His abdomen; namaḥ — obeisances; pańkaja-māline — one who is always decorated with a garland of lotus flowers; namaḥ — obeisances; pańkaja-netrāya — one whose glance is as cooling as a lotus flower; namaḥ te — respectful obeisances unto You; pańkaja-ańghraye — unto You, the soles of whose feet are engraved with lotus flowers (and who are therefore said to possess lotus feet).
TRANSLATION
My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved with lotuses.
PURPORT
Here are some of the specific symbolical marks on the spiritual body of the Personality of Godhead which distinguish His body from the bodies of all others. They are all special features of the body of the Lord. The Lord may appear as one of us, but He is always distinct by His specific bodily features. Śrīmatī Kuntī claims herself unfit to see the Lord because of her being a woman. This is claimed because women, śūdras (the laborer class) and the dvija-bandhus, or the wretched descendants of the higher three classes, are unfit by intelligence to understand transcendental subject matter concerning the spiritual name, fame, attributes, forms, etc., of the Supreme Absolute Truth. Such persons, although they are unfit to enter into the spiritual affairs of the Lord, can see Him as the arcā-vigraha, who descends on the material world just to distribute favors to the fallen souls, including the above-mentioned women, śūdras and dvija-bandhus. Because such fallen souls cannot see anything beyond matter, the Lord condescends to enter into each and every one of the innumerable universes as the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who grows a lotus stem from the lotuslike depression in the center of His transcendental abdomen, and thus Brahmā, the first living being in the universe, is born. Therefore, the Lord is known as the Pańkajanābhi. The Pańkajanābhi Lord accepts the arcā-vigraha (His transcendental form) in different elements, namely a form within the mind, a form made of wood, a form made of earth, a form made of metal, a form made of jewel, a form made of paint, a form drawn on sand, etc. All such forms of the Lord are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, and there should be a soothing atmosphere in the temple of worship to attract the burning attention of the nondevotees always engaged in material wranglings. The meditators worship a form within the mind. Therefore, the Lord is merciful even to the women, śūdras and dvija-bandhus, provided they agree to visit the temple of worship in different forms made for them. Such temple visitors are not idolaters, as alleged by some men with a poor fund of knowledge. All the great ācāryas established such temples of worship in all places just to favor the less intelligent, and one should not pose himself as transcending the stage of temple worship while one is actually in the category of the śūdras and the women or less. One should begin to see the Lord from His lotus feet, gradually rising to the thighs, waist, chest and face. One should not try to look at the face of the Lord without being accustomed to seeing the lotus feet of the Lord. Śrīmatī Kuntī, because of her being the aunt of the Lord, did not begin to see the Lord from the lotus feet because the Lord might feel ashamed, and thus Kuntīdevī, just to save a painful situation for the Lord, began to see the Lord just above His lotus feet, i.e., from the waist of the Lord, gradually rising to the face, and then down to the lotus feet. In the round, everything there is in order.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.21
kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya
devakī-nandanāya ca
nanda-gopa-kumārāya
govindāya namo namaḥ
SYNONYMS
kṛṣṇāya — the Supreme Lord; vāsudevāya — unto the son of Vasudeva; devakī-nandanāya — unto the son of Devakī; ca — and; nanda-gopa — Nanda and the cowherd men; kumārāya — unto their son; govindāya — unto the Personality of Godhead, who enlivens the cows and the senses; namaḥ — respectful obeisances; namaḥ — obeisances.
TRANSLATION
Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses.
PURPORT
The Lord, being thus unapproachable by any material assets, out of unbounded and causeless mercy descends on the earth as He is in order to show His special mercy upon His unalloyed devotees and to diminish the upsurges of the demoniac persons. Queen Kuntī specifically adores the incarnation or descent of Lord Kṛṣṇa above all other incarnations because in this particular incarnation He is more approachable. In the Rāma incarnation He remained a king's son from His very childhood, but in the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, although He was the son of a king, He at once left the shelter of His real father and mother (King Vasudeva and Queen Devakī) just after His appearance and went to the lap of Yaśodāmāyī to play the part of an ordinary cowherd boy in the blessed Vrajabhūmi, which is very sanctified because of His childhood pastimes. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa is more merciful than Lord Rāma. He was undoubtedly very kind to Kuntī's brother Vasudeva and the family. Had He not become the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, Queen Kuntī could not claim Him to be her nephew and thus address Kṛṣṇa in parental affection. But Nanda and Yaśodā are more fortunate because they could relish the Lord's childhood pastimes, which are more attractive than all other pastimes. There is no parallel to His childhood pastimes as exhibited at Vrajabhūmi, which are the prototypes of His eternal affairs in the original Kṛṣṇaloka described as the cintāmaṇi-dhāma in the Brahma-saḿhitā. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa descended Himself at Vrajabhūmi with all His transcendental entourage and paraphernalia. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore confirmed that no one is as fortunate as the residents of Vrajabhūmi, and specifically the cowherd girls, who dedicated their everything for the satisfaction of the Lord. His pastimes with Nanda and Yaśodā and His pastimes with the cowherd men and especially with the cowherd boys and the cows have caused Him to be known as Govinda. Lord Kṛṣṇa as Govinda is more inclined to the brāhmaṇas and the cows, indicating thereby that human prosperity depends more on these two items, namely brahminical culture and cow protection. Lord Kṛṣṇa is never satisfied where these are lacking.
devakī-nandanāya ca
nanda-gopa-kumārāya
govindāya namo namaḥ
SYNONYMS
kṛṣṇāya — the Supreme Lord; vāsudevāya — unto the son of Vasudeva; devakī-nandanāya — unto the son of Devakī; ca — and; nanda-gopa — Nanda and the cowherd men; kumārāya — unto their son; govindāya — unto the Personality of Godhead, who enlivens the cows and the senses; namaḥ — respectful obeisances; namaḥ — obeisances.
TRANSLATION
Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses.
PURPORT
The Lord, being thus unapproachable by any material assets, out of unbounded and causeless mercy descends on the earth as He is in order to show His special mercy upon His unalloyed devotees and to diminish the upsurges of the demoniac persons. Queen Kuntī specifically adores the incarnation or descent of Lord Kṛṣṇa above all other incarnations because in this particular incarnation He is more approachable. In the Rāma incarnation He remained a king's son from His very childhood, but in the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, although He was the son of a king, He at once left the shelter of His real father and mother (King Vasudeva and Queen Devakī) just after His appearance and went to the lap of Yaśodāmāyī to play the part of an ordinary cowherd boy in the blessed Vrajabhūmi, which is very sanctified because of His childhood pastimes. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa is more merciful than Lord Rāma. He was undoubtedly very kind to Kuntī's brother Vasudeva and the family. Had He not become the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, Queen Kuntī could not claim Him to be her nephew and thus address Kṛṣṇa in parental affection. But Nanda and Yaśodā are more fortunate because they could relish the Lord's childhood pastimes, which are more attractive than all other pastimes. There is no parallel to His childhood pastimes as exhibited at Vrajabhūmi, which are the prototypes of His eternal affairs in the original Kṛṣṇaloka described as the cintāmaṇi-dhāma in the Brahma-saḿhitā. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa descended Himself at Vrajabhūmi with all His transcendental entourage and paraphernalia. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore confirmed that no one is as fortunate as the residents of Vrajabhūmi, and specifically the cowherd girls, who dedicated their everything for the satisfaction of the Lord. His pastimes with Nanda and Yaśodā and His pastimes with the cowherd men and especially with the cowherd boys and the cows have caused Him to be known as Govinda. Lord Kṛṣṇa as Govinda is more inclined to the brāhmaṇas and the cows, indicating thereby that human prosperity depends more on these two items, namely brahminical culture and cow protection. Lord Kṛṣṇa is never satisfied where these are lacking.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.20
tathā paramahaḿsānāḿ
munīnām amalātmanām
bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaḿ
kathaḿ paśyema hi striyaḥ
SYNONYMS
tathā — besides that; paramahaḿsānām — of the advanced transcendentalists; munīnām — of the great philosophers or mental speculators; amala-ātmanām — those whose minds are competent to discern between spirit and matter; bhakti-yoga — the science of devotional service; vidhāna-artham — for executing; katham — how; paśyema — can observe; hi — certainly; striyaḥ — women.
TRANSLATION
You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators, who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You perfectly?
PURPORT
Even the greatest philosophical speculators cannot have access to the region of the Lord. It is said in the Upaniṣads that the Supreme Truth, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is beyond the range of the thinking power of the greatest philosopher. He is unknowable by great learning or by the greatest brain. He is knowable only by one who has His mercy. Others may go on thinking about Him for years together, yet He is unknowable. This very fact is corroborated by the Queen, who is playing the part of an innocent woman. Women in general are unable to speculate like philosophers, but they are blessed by the Lord because they believe at once in the superiority and almightiness of the Lord, and thus they offer obeisances without reservation. The Lord is so kind that He does not show special favor only to one who is a great philosopher. He knows the sincerity of purpose. For this reason only, women generally assemble in great number in any sort of religious function. In every country and in every sect of religion it appears that the women are more interested than the men. This simplicity of acceptance of the Lord's authority is more effective than showy insincere religious fervor.
munīnām amalātmanām
bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaḿ
kathaḿ paśyema hi striyaḥ
SYNONYMS
tathā — besides that; paramahaḿsānām — of the advanced transcendentalists; munīnām — of the great philosophers or mental speculators; amala-ātmanām — those whose minds are competent to discern between spirit and matter; bhakti-yoga — the science of devotional service; vidhāna-artham — for executing; katham — how; paśyema — can observe; hi — certainly; striyaḥ — women.
TRANSLATION
You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators, who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You perfectly?
PURPORT
Even the greatest philosophical speculators cannot have access to the region of the Lord. It is said in the Upaniṣads that the Supreme Truth, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is beyond the range of the thinking power of the greatest philosopher. He is unknowable by great learning or by the greatest brain. He is knowable only by one who has His mercy. Others may go on thinking about Him for years together, yet He is unknowable. This very fact is corroborated by the Queen, who is playing the part of an innocent woman. Women in general are unable to speculate like philosophers, but they are blessed by the Lord because they believe at once in the superiority and almightiness of the Lord, and thus they offer obeisances without reservation. The Lord is so kind that He does not show special favor only to one who is a great philosopher. He knows the sincerity of purpose. For this reason only, women generally assemble in great number in any sort of religious function. In every country and in every sect of religion it appears that the women are more interested than the men. This simplicity of acceptance of the Lord's authority is more effective than showy insincere religious fervor.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.19
māyā-javanikācchannam
ajñādhokṣajam avyayam
na lakṣyase mūḍha-dṛśā
naṭo nāṭyadharo yathā
SYNONYMS
māyā — deluding; javanikā — curtain; ācchannam — covered by; ajñā — ignorant; adhokṣajam — beyond the range of material conception (transcendental); avyayam — irreproachable; na — not; lakṣyase — observed; mūḍha-dṛśā — by the foolish observer; naṭaḥ — artist; nāṭya-dharaḥ — dressed as a player; yathā — as.
TRANSLATION
Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, You are the eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy. You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa affirms that less intelligent persons mistake Him to be an ordinary man like us, and thus they deride Him. The same is confirmed herein by Queen Kuntī. The less intelligent persons are those who rebel against the authority of the Lord. Such persons are known as asuras. The asuras cannot recognize the Lord's authority. When the Lord Himself appears amongst us, as Rāma, Nṛsiḿha, Varāha or in His original form as Kṛṣṇa, He performs many wonderful acts which are humanly impossible. As we shall find in the Tenth Canto of this great literature, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa exhibited His humanly impossible activities even from the days of His lying on the lap of His mother. He killed the Pūtanā witch, although she smeared her breast with poison just to kill the Lord. The Lord sucked her breast like a natural baby, and He sucked out her very life also. Similarly, He lifted the Govardhana Hill, just as a boy picks up a frog's umbrella, and stood several days continuously just to give protection to the residents of Vṛndāvana. These are some of the superhuman activities of the Lord described in the authoritative Vedic literatures like the Purāṇas, Itihāsas (histories) and Upaniṣads. He has delivered wonderful instructions in the shape of the Bhagavad-gītā. He has shown marvelous capacities as a hero, as a householder, as a teacher and as a renouncer. He is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by such authoritative personalities as Vyāsa, Devala, Asita, Nārada, Madhva, Śańkara, Rāmānuja, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Jīva Gosvāmī, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī and all other authorities of the line. He Himself has declared as much in many places of the authentic literatures. And yet there is a class of men with demoniac mentality who are always reluctant to accept the Lord as the Supreme Absolute Truth. This is partially due to their poor fund of knowledge and partially due to their stubborn obstinacy, which results from various misdeeds in the past and present. Such persons could not recognize Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa even when He was present before them. Another difficulty is that those who depend more on their imperfect senses cannot realize Him as the Supreme Lord. Such persons are like the modern scientist. They want to know everything by their experimental knowledge. But it is not possible to know the Supreme Person by imperfect experimental knowledge. He is described herein as adhokṣaja, or beyond the range of experimental knowledge. All our senses are imperfect. We claim to observe everything and anything, but we must admit that we can observe things under certain material conditions only, which are also beyond our control. The Lord is beyond the observation of sense perception. Queen Kuntī accepts this deficiency of the conditioned soul, especially of the woman class, who are less intelligent. For less intelligent men there must be such things as temples, mosques or churches so that they may begin to recognize the authority of the Lord and hear about Him from authorities in such holy places. For less intelligent men, this beginning of spiritual life is essential, and only foolish men decry the establishment of such places of worship, which are required to raise the standard of spiritual attributes for the mass of people. For less intelligent persons, bowing down before the authority of the Lord, as generally done in the temples, mosques or churches, is as beneficial as it is for the advanced devotees to meditate upon Him by active service.
ajñādhokṣajam avyayam
na lakṣyase mūḍha-dṛśā
naṭo nāṭyadharo yathā
SYNONYMS
māyā — deluding; javanikā — curtain; ācchannam — covered by; ajñā — ignorant; adhokṣajam — beyond the range of material conception (transcendental); avyayam — irreproachable; na — not; lakṣyase — observed; mūḍha-dṛśā — by the foolish observer; naṭaḥ — artist; nāṭya-dharaḥ — dressed as a player; yathā — as.
TRANSLATION
Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, You are the eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy. You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa affirms that less intelligent persons mistake Him to be an ordinary man like us, and thus they deride Him. The same is confirmed herein by Queen Kuntī. The less intelligent persons are those who rebel against the authority of the Lord. Such persons are known as asuras. The asuras cannot recognize the Lord's authority. When the Lord Himself appears amongst us, as Rāma, Nṛsiḿha, Varāha or in His original form as Kṛṣṇa, He performs many wonderful acts which are humanly impossible. As we shall find in the Tenth Canto of this great literature, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa exhibited His humanly impossible activities even from the days of His lying on the lap of His mother. He killed the Pūtanā witch, although she smeared her breast with poison just to kill the Lord. The Lord sucked her breast like a natural baby, and He sucked out her very life also. Similarly, He lifted the Govardhana Hill, just as a boy picks up a frog's umbrella, and stood several days continuously just to give protection to the residents of Vṛndāvana. These are some of the superhuman activities of the Lord described in the authoritative Vedic literatures like the Purāṇas, Itihāsas (histories) and Upaniṣads. He has delivered wonderful instructions in the shape of the Bhagavad-gītā. He has shown marvelous capacities as a hero, as a householder, as a teacher and as a renouncer. He is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by such authoritative personalities as Vyāsa, Devala, Asita, Nārada, Madhva, Śańkara, Rāmānuja, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Jīva Gosvāmī, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī and all other authorities of the line. He Himself has declared as much in many places of the authentic literatures. And yet there is a class of men with demoniac mentality who are always reluctant to accept the Lord as the Supreme Absolute Truth. This is partially due to their poor fund of knowledge and partially due to their stubborn obstinacy, which results from various misdeeds in the past and present. Such persons could not recognize Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa even when He was present before them. Another difficulty is that those who depend more on their imperfect senses cannot realize Him as the Supreme Lord. Such persons are like the modern scientist. They want to know everything by their experimental knowledge. But it is not possible to know the Supreme Person by imperfect experimental knowledge. He is described herein as adhokṣaja, or beyond the range of experimental knowledge. All our senses are imperfect. We claim to observe everything and anything, but we must admit that we can observe things under certain material conditions only, which are also beyond our control. The Lord is beyond the observation of sense perception. Queen Kuntī accepts this deficiency of the conditioned soul, especially of the woman class, who are less intelligent. For less intelligent men there must be such things as temples, mosques or churches so that they may begin to recognize the authority of the Lord and hear about Him from authorities in such holy places. For less intelligent men, this beginning of spiritual life is essential, and only foolish men decry the establishment of such places of worship, which are required to raise the standard of spiritual attributes for the mass of people. For less intelligent persons, bowing down before the authority of the Lord, as generally done in the temples, mosques or churches, is as beneficial as it is for the advanced devotees to meditate upon Him by active service.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.18
kunty uvāca
namasye puruṣaḿ tvādyam
īśvaraḿ prakṛteḥ param
alakṣyaḿ sarva-bhūtānām
antar bahir avasthitam
SYNONYMS
kuntī uvāca — Śrīmatī Kuntī said; namasye — let me bow down; puruṣam — the Supreme Person; tvā — You; ādyam — the original; īśvaram — the controller; prakṛteḥ — of the material cosmos; param — beyond; alakṣyam — the invisible; sarva — all; bhūtānām — of living beings; antaḥ — within; bahiḥ — without; avasthitam — existing.
TRANSLATION
Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.
PURPORT
Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī was quite aware that Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, although He was playing the part of her nephew. Such an enlightened lady could not commit a mistake by offering obeisances unto her nephew. Therefore, she addressed Him as the original puruṣa beyond the material cosmos. Although all living entities are also transcendental, they are neither original nor infallible. The living entities are apt to fall down under the clutches of material nature, but the Lord is never like that. In the Vedas, therefore, He is described as the chief among all living entities (nityo nityānāḿ cetanaś cetanānām). Then again He is addressed as īśvara, or the controller. The living entities or the demigods like Candra and Sūrya are also to some extent īśvara, but none of them is the supreme īśvara, or the ultimate controller. He is the parameśvara, or the Supersoul. He is both within and without. Although He was present before Śrīmatī Kuntī as her nephew, He was also within her and everyone else. In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) the Lord says, "I am situated in everyone's heart, and only due to Me one remembers, forgets and is cognizant, etc. Through all the Vedas I am to be known because I am the compiler of the Vedas, and I am the teacher of the Vedānta." Queen Kuntī affirms that the Lord, although both within and without all living beings, is still invisible. The Lord is, so to speak, a puzzle for the common man. Queen Kuntī experienced personally that Lord Kṛṣṇa was present before her, yet He entered within the womb of Uttarā to save her embryo from the attack of Aśvatthāmā's brahmāstra. Kuntī herself was puzzled about whether Śrī Kṛṣṇa is all-pervasive or localized. In fact, He is both, but He reserves the right of not being exposed to persons who are not surrendered souls. This checking curtain is called the māyā energy of the Supreme Lord, and it controls the limited vision of the rebellious soul. It is explained as follows.
namasye puruṣaḿ tvādyam
īśvaraḿ prakṛteḥ param
alakṣyaḿ sarva-bhūtānām
antar bahir avasthitam
SYNONYMS
kuntī uvāca — Śrīmatī Kuntī said; namasye — let me bow down; puruṣam — the Supreme Person; tvā — You; ādyam — the original; īśvaram — the controller; prakṛteḥ — of the material cosmos; param — beyond; alakṣyam — the invisible; sarva — all; bhūtānām — of living beings; antaḥ — within; bahiḥ — without; avasthitam — existing.
TRANSLATION
Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.
PURPORT
Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī was quite aware that Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, although He was playing the part of her nephew. Such an enlightened lady could not commit a mistake by offering obeisances unto her nephew. Therefore, she addressed Him as the original puruṣa beyond the material cosmos. Although all living entities are also transcendental, they are neither original nor infallible. The living entities are apt to fall down under the clutches of material nature, but the Lord is never like that. In the Vedas, therefore, He is described as the chief among all living entities (nityo nityānāḿ cetanaś cetanānām). Then again He is addressed as īśvara, or the controller. The living entities or the demigods like Candra and Sūrya are also to some extent īśvara, but none of them is the supreme īśvara, or the ultimate controller. He is the parameśvara, or the Supersoul. He is both within and without. Although He was present before Śrīmatī Kuntī as her nephew, He was also within her and everyone else. In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) the Lord says, "I am situated in everyone's heart, and only due to Me one remembers, forgets and is cognizant, etc. Through all the Vedas I am to be known because I am the compiler of the Vedas, and I am the teacher of the Vedānta." Queen Kuntī affirms that the Lord, although both within and without all living beings, is still invisible. The Lord is, so to speak, a puzzle for the common man. Queen Kuntī experienced personally that Lord Kṛṣṇa was present before her, yet He entered within the womb of Uttarā to save her embryo from the attack of Aśvatthāmā's brahmāstra. Kuntī herself was puzzled about whether Śrī Kṛṣṇa is all-pervasive or localized. In fact, He is both, but He reserves the right of not being exposed to persons who are not surrendered souls. This checking curtain is called the māyā energy of the Supreme Lord, and it controls the limited vision of the rebellious soul. It is explained as follows.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.17
brahma-tejo-vinirmuktair
ātmajaiḥ saha kṛṣṇayā
prayāṇābhimukhaḿ kṛṣṇam
idam āha pṛthā satī
SYNONYMS
brahma-tejaḥ — the radiation of the brahmāstra; vinirmuktaiḥ — being saved from; ātma-jaiḥ — along with her sons; saha — with; kṛṣṇayā — Draupadī; prayāṇa — outgoing; abhimukham — towards; kṛṣṇam — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; idam — this; āha — said; pṛthā — Kuntī; satī — chaste, devoted to the Lord.
TRANSLATION
Thus saved from the radiation of the brahmāstra, Kuntī, the chaste devotee of the Lord, and her five sons and Draupadī addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa as He started for home.
PURPORT
Kuntī is described herein as satī, or chaste, due to her unalloyed devotion to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Her mind will now be expressed in the following prayers for Lord Kṛṣṇa. A chaste devotee of the Lord does not look to others, namely any other living being or demigod, even for deliverance from danger. That was all along the characteristic of the whole family of the Pāṇḍavas. They knew nothing except Kṛṣṇa, and therefore the Lord was also always ready to help them in all respects and in all circumstances. That is the transcendental nature of the Lord. He reciprocates the dependence of the devotee. One should not, therefore, look for help from imperfect living beings or demigods, but one should look for all help from Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is competent to save His devotees. Such a chaste devotee also never asks the Lord for help, but the Lord, out of His own accord, is always anxious to render it.
ātmajaiḥ saha kṛṣṇayā
prayāṇābhimukhaḿ kṛṣṇam
idam āha pṛthā satī
SYNONYMS
brahma-tejaḥ — the radiation of the brahmāstra; vinirmuktaiḥ — being saved from; ātma-jaiḥ — along with her sons; saha — with; kṛṣṇayā — Draupadī; prayāṇa — outgoing; abhimukham — towards; kṛṣṇam — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; idam — this; āha — said; pṛthā — Kuntī; satī — chaste, devoted to the Lord.
TRANSLATION
Thus saved from the radiation of the brahmāstra, Kuntī, the chaste devotee of the Lord, and her five sons and Draupadī addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa as He started for home.
PURPORT
Kuntī is described herein as satī, or chaste, due to her unalloyed devotion to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Her mind will now be expressed in the following prayers for Lord Kṛṣṇa. A chaste devotee of the Lord does not look to others, namely any other living being or demigod, even for deliverance from danger. That was all along the characteristic of the whole family of the Pāṇḍavas. They knew nothing except Kṛṣṇa, and therefore the Lord was also always ready to help them in all respects and in all circumstances. That is the transcendental nature of the Lord. He reciprocates the dependence of the devotee. One should not, therefore, look for help from imperfect living beings or demigods, but one should look for all help from Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is competent to save His devotees. Such a chaste devotee also never asks the Lord for help, but the Lord, out of His own accord, is always anxious to render it.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.16
mā maḿsthā hy etad āścaryaḿ
sarvāścaryamaye 'cyute
ya idaḿ māyayā devyā
sṛjaty avati hanty ajaḥ
SYNONYMS
mā — do not; maḿsthāḥ — think; hi — certainly; etat — all these; āścaryam — wonderful; sarva — all; āścarya-maye — in the all-mysterious; acyute — the infallible; yaḥ — one who; idam — this (creation); māyayā — by His energy; devyā — transcendental; sṛjati — creates; avati — maintains; hanti — annihilates; ajaḥ — unborn.
TRANSLATION
O brāhmaṇas, do not think this to be especially wonderful in the activities of the mysterious and infallible Personality of Godhead. By His own transcendental energy, He maintains and annihilates all material things, although He Himself is unborn.
PURPORT
The activities of the Lord are always inconceivable to the tiny brain of the living entities. Nothing is impossible for the Supreme Lord, but all His actions are wonderful for us, and thus He is always beyond the range of our conceivable limits. The Lord is the all-powerful, all-perfect Personality of Godhead. The Lord is cent percent perfect, whereas others, namely Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā, Śiva, the demigods and all other living beings, possess only different percentages of such perfection. No one is equal to or greater than Him. He is unrivaled.
sarvāścaryamaye 'cyute
ya idaḿ māyayā devyā
sṛjaty avati hanty ajaḥ
SYNONYMS
mā — do not; maḿsthāḥ — think; hi — certainly; etat — all these; āścaryam — wonderful; sarva — all; āścarya-maye — in the all-mysterious; acyute — the infallible; yaḥ — one who; idam — this (creation); māyayā — by His energy; devyā — transcendental; sṛjati — creates; avati — maintains; hanti — annihilates; ajaḥ — unborn.
TRANSLATION
O brāhmaṇas, do not think this to be especially wonderful in the activities of the mysterious and infallible Personality of Godhead. By His own transcendental energy, He maintains and annihilates all material things, although He Himself is unborn.
PURPORT
The activities of the Lord are always inconceivable to the tiny brain of the living entities. Nothing is impossible for the Supreme Lord, but all His actions are wonderful for us, and thus He is always beyond the range of our conceivable limits. The Lord is the all-powerful, all-perfect Personality of Godhead. The Lord is cent percent perfect, whereas others, namely Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā, Śiva, the demigods and all other living beings, possess only different percentages of such perfection. No one is equal to or greater than Him. He is unrivaled.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.15
yadyapy astraḿ brahma-śiras
tv amoghaḿ cāpratikriyam
vaiṣṇavaḿ teja āsādya
samaśāmyad bhṛgūdvaha
SYNONYMS
yadyapi — although; astram — weapon; brahma-śiraḥ — supreme; tu — but; amogham — without check; ca — and; apratikriyam — not to be counteracted; vaiṣṇavam — in relation with Viṣṇu; tejaḥ — strength; āsādya — being confronted with; samaśāmyat — was neutralized; bhṛgu-udvaha — O glory of the family of Bhṛgu.
TRANSLATION
O Śaunaka, although the supreme brahmāstra weapon released by Aśvatthāmā was irresistible and without check or counteraction, it was neutralized and foiled when confronted by the strength of Viṣṇu [Lord Kṛṣṇa].
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the brahmajyoti, or the glowing transcendental effulgence, is resting on Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In other words, the glowing effulgence known as brahma-tejas is nothing but the rays of the Lord, just as the sun rays are rays of the sun disc. So this Brahma weapon also, although materially irresistible, could not surpass the supreme strength of the Lord. The weapon called brahmāstra, released by Aśvatthāmā, was neutralized and foiled by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa by His own energy; that is to say, He did not wait for any other's help because He is absolute.
tv amoghaḿ cāpratikriyam
vaiṣṇavaḿ teja āsādya
samaśāmyad bhṛgūdvaha
SYNONYMS
yadyapi — although; astram — weapon; brahma-śiraḥ — supreme; tu — but; amogham — without check; ca — and; apratikriyam — not to be counteracted; vaiṣṇavam — in relation with Viṣṇu; tejaḥ — strength; āsādya — being confronted with; samaśāmyat — was neutralized; bhṛgu-udvaha — O glory of the family of Bhṛgu.
TRANSLATION
O Śaunaka, although the supreme brahmāstra weapon released by Aśvatthāmā was irresistible and without check or counteraction, it was neutralized and foiled when confronted by the strength of Viṣṇu [Lord Kṛṣṇa].
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the brahmajyoti, or the glowing transcendental effulgence, is resting on Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In other words, the glowing effulgence known as brahma-tejas is nothing but the rays of the Lord, just as the sun rays are rays of the sun disc. So this Brahma weapon also, although materially irresistible, could not surpass the supreme strength of the Lord. The weapon called brahmāstra, released by Aśvatthāmā, was neutralized and foiled by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa by His own energy; that is to say, He did not wait for any other's help because He is absolute.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.14
antaḥsthaḥ sarva-bhūtānām
ātmā yogeśvaro hariḥ
sva-māyayāvṛṇod garbhaḿ
vairāṭyāḥ kuru-tantave
SYNONYMS
antaḥsthaḥ — being within; sarva — all; bhūtānām — of the living beings; ātmā — soul; yoga-īśvaraḥ — the Lord of all mysticism; hariḥ — the Supreme Lord; sva-māyayā — by the personal energy; āvṛṇot — covered; garbham — embryo; vairāṭyāḥ — of Uttarā; kuru-tantave — for the progeny of Mahārāja Kuru.
TRANSLATION
The Lord of supreme mysticism, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, resides within everyone's heart as the Paramātmā. As such, just to protect the progeny of the Kuru dynasty, He covered the embryo of Uttarā by His personal energy.
PURPORT
The Lord of supreme mysticism can simultaneously reside within everyone's heart, or even within the atoms, by His Paramātmā feature, His plenary portion. Therefore, from within the body of Uttarā He covered the embryo to save Mahārāja Parīkṣit and protect the progeny of Mahārāja Kuru, of whom King Pāṇḍu was also a descendant. Both the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and those of Pāṇḍu belonged to the same dynasty of Mahārāja Kuru; therefore both of them were generally known as Kurus. But when there were differences between the two families, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra were known as Kurus whereas the sons of Pāṇḍu were known as Pāṇḍavas. Since the sons and grandsons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra were all killed in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, the last son of the dynasty is designated as the son of the Kurus.
ātmā yogeśvaro hariḥ
sva-māyayāvṛṇod garbhaḿ
vairāṭyāḥ kuru-tantave
SYNONYMS
antaḥsthaḥ — being within; sarva — all; bhūtānām — of the living beings; ātmā — soul; yoga-īśvaraḥ — the Lord of all mysticism; hariḥ — the Supreme Lord; sva-māyayā — by the personal energy; āvṛṇot — covered; garbham — embryo; vairāṭyāḥ — of Uttarā; kuru-tantave — for the progeny of Mahārāja Kuru.
TRANSLATION
The Lord of supreme mysticism, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, resides within everyone's heart as the Paramātmā. As such, just to protect the progeny of the Kuru dynasty, He covered the embryo of Uttarā by His personal energy.
PURPORT
The Lord of supreme mysticism can simultaneously reside within everyone's heart, or even within the atoms, by His Paramātmā feature, His plenary portion. Therefore, from within the body of Uttarā He covered the embryo to save Mahārāja Parīkṣit and protect the progeny of Mahārāja Kuru, of whom King Pāṇḍu was also a descendant. Both the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and those of Pāṇḍu belonged to the same dynasty of Mahārāja Kuru; therefore both of them were generally known as Kurus. But when there were differences between the two families, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra were known as Kurus whereas the sons of Pāṇḍu were known as Pāṇḍavas. Since the sons and grandsons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra were all killed in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, the last son of the dynasty is designated as the son of the Kurus.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.13
vyasanaḿ vīkṣya tat teṣām
ananya-viṣayātmanām
sudarśanena svāstreṇa
svānāḿ rakṣāḿ vyadhād vibhuḥ
SYNONYMS
vyasanam — great danger; vīkṣya — having observed; tat — that; teṣām — their; ananya — no other; viṣaya — means; ātmanām — thus inclined; sudarśanena — by the wheel of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; sva-astreṇa — by the weapon; svānām — of His own devotees; rakṣām — protection; vyadhāt — did it; vibhuḥ — the Almighty.
TRANSLATION
The almighty Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, having observed that a great danger was befalling His unalloyed devotees, who were fully surrendered souls, at once took up His Sudarśana disc to protect them.
PURPORT
The brahmāstra, the supreme weapon released by Aśvatthāmā, was something similar to the nuclear weapon but with more radiation and heat. This brahmāstra is the product of a more subtle science, being the product of a finer sound, a mantra recorded in the Vedas. Another advantage of this weapon is that it is not blind like the nuclear weapon because it can be directed only to the target and nothing else. Aśvatthāmā released the weapon just to finish all the male members of Pāṇḍu's family; therefore in one sense it was more dangerous than the atomic bombs because it could penetrate even the most protected place and would never miss the target. Knowing all this, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa at once took up His personal weapon to protect His devotees, who did not know anyone other than Kṛṣṇa. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord has clearly promised that His devotees are never to be vanquished. And He behaves according to the quality or degree of the devotional service rendered by the devotees. Here the word ananya-viṣayātmanām is significant. The Pāṇḍavas were cent percent dependent on the protection of the Lord, although they were all great warriors themselves. But the Lord neglects even the greatest warriors and also vanquishes them in no time. When the Lord saw that there was no time for the Pāṇḍavas to counteract the brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā, He took up His weapon even at the risk of breaking His own vow. Although the Battle of Kurukṣetra was almost finished, still, according to His vow, He should not have taken up His own weapon. But the emergency was more important than the vow. He is better known as the bhakta-vatsala, or the lover of His devotee, and thus He preferred to continue as bhakta-vatsala than to be a worldly moralist who never breaks his solemn vow.
ananya-viṣayātmanām
sudarśanena svāstreṇa
svānāḿ rakṣāḿ vyadhād vibhuḥ
SYNONYMS
vyasanam — great danger; vīkṣya — having observed; tat — that; teṣām — their; ananya — no other; viṣaya — means; ātmanām — thus inclined; sudarśanena — by the wheel of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; sva-astreṇa — by the weapon; svānām — of His own devotees; rakṣām — protection; vyadhāt — did it; vibhuḥ — the Almighty.
TRANSLATION
The almighty Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, having observed that a great danger was befalling His unalloyed devotees, who were fully surrendered souls, at once took up His Sudarśana disc to protect them.
PURPORT
The brahmāstra, the supreme weapon released by Aśvatthāmā, was something similar to the nuclear weapon but with more radiation and heat. This brahmāstra is the product of a more subtle science, being the product of a finer sound, a mantra recorded in the Vedas. Another advantage of this weapon is that it is not blind like the nuclear weapon because it can be directed only to the target and nothing else. Aśvatthāmā released the weapon just to finish all the male members of Pāṇḍu's family; therefore in one sense it was more dangerous than the atomic bombs because it could penetrate even the most protected place and would never miss the target. Knowing all this, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa at once took up His personal weapon to protect His devotees, who did not know anyone other than Kṛṣṇa. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord has clearly promised that His devotees are never to be vanquished. And He behaves according to the quality or degree of the devotional service rendered by the devotees. Here the word ananya-viṣayātmanām is significant. The Pāṇḍavas were cent percent dependent on the protection of the Lord, although they were all great warriors themselves. But the Lord neglects even the greatest warriors and also vanquishes them in no time. When the Lord saw that there was no time for the Pāṇḍavas to counteract the brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā, He took up His weapon even at the risk of breaking His own vow. Although the Battle of Kurukṣetra was almost finished, still, according to His vow, He should not have taken up His own weapon. But the emergency was more important than the vow. He is better known as the bhakta-vatsala, or the lover of His devotee, and thus He preferred to continue as bhakta-vatsala than to be a worldly moralist who never breaks his solemn vow.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.12
tarhy evātha muni-śreṣṭha
pāṇḍavāḥ pañca sāyakān
ātmano 'bhimukhān dīptān
ālakṣyāstrāṇy upādaduḥ
SYNONYMS
tarhi — then; eva — also; atha — therefore; muni-śreṣṭha — O chief amongst the munis; pāṇḍavāḥ — all the sons of Pāṇḍu; pañca — five; sāyakān — weapons; ātmanaḥ — own selves; abhimukhān — towards; dīptān — glaring; ālakṣya — seeing it; astrāṇi — weapons; upādaduḥ — took up.
TRANSLATION
O foremost among the great thinkers [munis] [Śaunaka], seeing the glaring brahmāstra proceeding towards them, the Pāṇḍavas took up their five respective weapons.
PURPORT
The brahmāstras are finer than the nuclear weapons. Aśvatthāmā discharged the brahmāstra simply to kill the Pāṇḍavas, namely the five brothers headed by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and their only grandson, who was lying within the womb of Uttarā. Therefore the brahmāstra, more effective and finer than the atomic weapons, was not as blind as the atomic bombs. When the atomic bombs are discharged they do not discriminate between the target and others. Mainly the atomic bombs do harm to the innocent because there is no control. The brahmāstra is not like that. It marks out the target and proceeds accordingly without harming the innocent.
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pāṇḍavāḥ pañca sāyakān
ātmano 'bhimukhān dīptān
ālakṣyāstrāṇy upādaduḥ
SYNONYMS
tarhi — then; eva — also; atha — therefore; muni-śreṣṭha — O chief amongst the munis; pāṇḍavāḥ — all the sons of Pāṇḍu; pañca — five; sāyakān — weapons; ātmanaḥ — own selves; abhimukhān — towards; dīptān — glaring; ālakṣya — seeing it; astrāṇi — weapons; upādaduḥ — took up.
TRANSLATION
O foremost among the great thinkers [munis] [Śaunaka], seeing the glaring brahmāstra proceeding towards them, the Pāṇḍavas took up their five respective weapons.
PURPORT
The brahmāstras are finer than the nuclear weapons. Aśvatthāmā discharged the brahmāstra simply to kill the Pāṇḍavas, namely the five brothers headed by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and their only grandson, who was lying within the womb of Uttarā. Therefore the brahmāstra, more effective and finer than the atomic weapons, was not as blind as the atomic bombs. When the atomic bombs are discharged they do not discriminate between the target and others. Mainly the atomic bombs do harm to the innocent because there is no control. The brahmāstra is not like that. It marks out the target and proceeds accordingly without harming the innocent.
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Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.11
sūta uvāca
upadhārya vacas tasyā
bhagavān bhakta-vatsalaḥ
apāṇḍavam idaḿ kartuḿ
drauṇer astram abudhyata
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; upadhārya — by hearing her patiently; vacaḥ — words; tasyāḥ — her; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; bhakta-vatsalaḥ — He who is very much affectionate towards His devotees; apāṇḍavam — without the existence of the Pāṇḍavas' descendants; idam — this; kartum — to do it; drauṇeḥ — of the son of Droṇācārya; astram — weapon; abudhyata — understood.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Having patiently heard her words, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is always very affectionate to His devotees, could at once understand that Aśvatthāmā, the son of Droṇācārya, had thrown the brahmāstra to finish the last life in the Pāṇḍava family.
PURPORT
The Lord is impartial in every respect, but still He is inclined towards His devotees because there is a great necessity of this for everyone's wellbeing. The Pāṇḍava family was a family of devotees, and therefore the Lord wanted them to rule the world. That was the reason He vanquished the rule of the company of Duryodhana and established the rule of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Therefore, He also wanted to protect Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was lying in embryo. He did not like the idea that the world should be without the Pāṇḍavas, the ideal family of devotees.
upadhārya vacas tasyā
bhagavān bhakta-vatsalaḥ
apāṇḍavam idaḿ kartuḿ
drauṇer astram abudhyata
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; upadhārya — by hearing her patiently; vacaḥ — words; tasyāḥ — her; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; bhakta-vatsalaḥ — He who is very much affectionate towards His devotees; apāṇḍavam — without the existence of the Pāṇḍavas' descendants; idam — this; kartum — to do it; drauṇeḥ — of the son of Droṇācārya; astram — weapon; abudhyata — understood.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Having patiently heard her words, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is always very affectionate to His devotees, could at once understand that Aśvatthāmā, the son of Droṇācārya, had thrown the brahmāstra to finish the last life in the Pāṇḍava family.
PURPORT
The Lord is impartial in every respect, but still He is inclined towards His devotees because there is a great necessity of this for everyone's wellbeing. The Pāṇḍava family was a family of devotees, and therefore the Lord wanted them to rule the world. That was the reason He vanquished the rule of the company of Duryodhana and established the rule of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Therefore, He also wanted to protect Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was lying in embryo. He did not like the idea that the world should be without the Pāṇḍavas, the ideal family of devotees.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.10
abhidravati mām īśa
śaras taptāyaso vibho
kāmaḿ dahatu māḿ nātha
mā me garbho nipātyatām
SYNONYMS
abhidravati — coming towards; mām — me; īśa — O Lord; śaraḥ — the arrow; tapta — fiery; ayasaḥ — iron; vibho — O great one; kāmam — desire; dahatu — let it burn; mām — me; nātha — O protector; mā — not; me — my; garbhaḥ — embryo; nipātyatām — be aborted.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, You are all-powerful. A fiery iron arrow is coming towards me fast. My Lord, let it burn me personally, if You so desire, but please do not let it burn and abort my embryo. Please do me this favor, my Lord.
PURPORT
This incident took place after the death of Abhimanyu, the husband of Uttarā. Abhimanyu's widow, Uttarā, should have followed the path of her husband, but because she was pregnant, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, a great devotee of the Lord, was lying in embryo, she was responsible for his protection. The mother of a child has a great responsibility in giving all protection to the child, and therefore Uttarā was not ashamed to express this frankly before Lord Kṛṣṇa. Uttarā was the daughter of a great king, the wife of a great hero, and student of a great devotee, and later she was the mother of a good king also. She was fortunate in every respect.
śaras taptāyaso vibho
kāmaḿ dahatu māḿ nātha
mā me garbho nipātyatām
SYNONYMS
abhidravati — coming towards; mām — me; īśa — O Lord; śaraḥ — the arrow; tapta — fiery; ayasaḥ — iron; vibho — O great one; kāmam — desire; dahatu — let it burn; mām — me; nātha — O protector; mā — not; me — my; garbhaḥ — embryo; nipātyatām — be aborted.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, You are all-powerful. A fiery iron arrow is coming towards me fast. My Lord, let it burn me personally, if You so desire, but please do not let it burn and abort my embryo. Please do me this favor, my Lord.
PURPORT
This incident took place after the death of Abhimanyu, the husband of Uttarā. Abhimanyu's widow, Uttarā, should have followed the path of her husband, but because she was pregnant, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, a great devotee of the Lord, was lying in embryo, she was responsible for his protection. The mother of a child has a great responsibility in giving all protection to the child, and therefore Uttarā was not ashamed to express this frankly before Lord Kṛṣṇa. Uttarā was the daughter of a great king, the wife of a great hero, and student of a great devotee, and later she was the mother of a good king also. She was fortunate in every respect.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.9
uttarovāca
pāhi pāhi mahā-yogin
deva-deva jagat-pate
nānyaḿ tvad abhayaḿ paśye
yatra mṛtyuḥ parasparam
SYNONYMS
uttarā uvāca — Uttarā said; pāhi pāhi — protect, protect; mahā-yogin — the greatest mystic; deva-deva — the worshipable of the worshiped; jagat-pate — O Lord of the universe; na — not; anyam — anyone else; tvat — than You; abhayam — fearlessness; paśye — do I see; yatra — where there is; mṛtyuḥ — death; parasparam — in the world of duality.
TRANSLATION
Uttarā said: O Lord of lords, Lord of the universe! You are the greatest of mystics. Please protect me, for there is no one else who can save me from the clutches of death in this world of duality.
PURPORT
This material world is the world of duality, in contrast with the oneness of the absolute realm. The world of duality is composed of matter and spirit, whereas the absolute world is complete spirit without any tinge of the material qualities. In the dual world everyone is falsely trying to become the master of the world, whereas in the absolute world the Lord is the absolute Lord, and all others are His absolute servitors. In the world of duality everyone is envious of all others, and death is inevitable due to the dual existence of matter and spirit. The Lord is the only shelter of fearlessness for the surrendered soul. One cannot save himself from the cruel hands of death in the material world without having surrendered himself at the lotus feet of the Lord.
pāhi pāhi mahā-yogin
deva-deva jagat-pate
nānyaḿ tvad abhayaḿ paśye
yatra mṛtyuḥ parasparam
SYNONYMS
uttarā uvāca — Uttarā said; pāhi pāhi — protect, protect; mahā-yogin — the greatest mystic; deva-deva — the worshipable of the worshiped; jagat-pate — O Lord of the universe; na — not; anyam — anyone else; tvat — than You; abhayam — fearlessness; paśye — do I see; yatra — where there is; mṛtyuḥ — death; parasparam — in the world of duality.
TRANSLATION
Uttarā said: O Lord of lords, Lord of the universe! You are the greatest of mystics. Please protect me, for there is no one else who can save me from the clutches of death in this world of duality.
PURPORT
This material world is the world of duality, in contrast with the oneness of the absolute realm. The world of duality is composed of matter and spirit, whereas the absolute world is complete spirit without any tinge of the material qualities. In the dual world everyone is falsely trying to become the master of the world, whereas in the absolute world the Lord is the absolute Lord, and all others are His absolute servitors. In the world of duality everyone is envious of all others, and death is inevitable due to the dual existence of matter and spirit. The Lord is the only shelter of fearlessness for the surrendered soul. One cannot save himself from the cruel hands of death in the material world without having surrendered himself at the lotus feet of the Lord.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.8
gantuḿ kṛtamatir brahman
dvārakāḿ ratham āsthitaḥ
upalebhe 'bhidhāvantīm
uttarāḿ bhaya-vihvalām
SYNONYMS
gantum — just desiring to start; kṛtamatiḥ — having decided; brahman — O brāhmaṇa; dvārakām — towards Dvārakā; ratham — on the chariot; āsthitaḥ — seated; upalebhe — saw; abhidhāvantīm — coming hurriedly; uttarām — Uttarā; bhaya-vihvalām — being afraid.
TRANSLATION
As soon as He seated Himself on the chariot to start for Dvārakā, He saw Uttarā hurrying toward Him in fear.
PURPORT
All the members of the family of the Pāṇḍavas were completely dependent on the protection of the Lord, and therefore the Lord protected all of them in all circumstances. The Lord protects everyone, but one who depends completely upon Him is especially looked after by the Lord. The father is more attentive to the little son who is exclusively dependent on the father.
dvārakāḿ ratham āsthitaḥ
upalebhe 'bhidhāvantīm
uttarāḿ bhaya-vihvalām
SYNONYMS
gantum — just desiring to start; kṛtamatiḥ — having decided; brahman — O brāhmaṇa; dvārakām — towards Dvārakā; ratham — on the chariot; āsthitaḥ — seated; upalebhe — saw; abhidhāvantīm — coming hurriedly; uttarām — Uttarā; bhaya-vihvalām — being afraid.
TRANSLATION
As soon as He seated Himself on the chariot to start for Dvārakā, He saw Uttarā hurrying toward Him in fear.
PURPORT
All the members of the family of the Pāṇḍavas were completely dependent on the protection of the Lord, and therefore the Lord protected all of them in all circumstances. The Lord protects everyone, but one who depends completely upon Him is especially looked after by the Lord. The father is more attentive to the little son who is exclusively dependent on the father.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.7
āmantrya pāṇḍu-putrāḿś ca
śaineyoddhava-saḿyutaḥ
dvaipāyanādibhir vipraiḥ
pūjitaiḥ pratipūjitaḥ
SYNONYMS
āmantrya — inviting; pāṇḍu-putrān — all the sons of Pāṇḍu; ca — also; śaineya — Sātyaki; uddhava — Uddhava; saḿyutaḥ — accompanied; dvaipāyana-ādibhiḥ — by the ṛṣis like Vedavyāsa; vipraiḥ — by the brāhmaṇas; pūjitaiḥ — being worshiped; pratipūjitaḥ — the Lord also reciprocated equally.
TRANSLATION
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa then prepared for His departure. He invited the sons of Pāṇḍu, after having been worshiped by the brāhmaṇas, headed by Śrīla Vyāsadeva. The Lord also reciprocated greetings.
PURPORT
Apparently Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was a kṣatriya and was not worshipable by the brāhmaṇas. But the brāhmaṇas present there, headed by Śrīla Vyāsadeva, all knew Him to be the Personality of Godhead, and therefore they worshiped Him. The Lord reciprocated the greetings just to honor the social order that a kṣatriya is obedient to the orders of the brāhmaṇas. Although Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was always offered the respects due the Supreme Lord from all responsible quarters, the Lord never deviated from the customary usages between the four orders of society. The Lord purposely observed all these social customs so that others would follow Him in the future.
śaineyoddhava-saḿyutaḥ
dvaipāyanādibhir vipraiḥ
pūjitaiḥ pratipūjitaḥ
SYNONYMS
āmantrya — inviting; pāṇḍu-putrān — all the sons of Pāṇḍu; ca — also; śaineya — Sātyaki; uddhava — Uddhava; saḿyutaḥ — accompanied; dvaipāyana-ādibhiḥ — by the ṛṣis like Vedavyāsa; vipraiḥ — by the brāhmaṇas; pūjitaiḥ — being worshiped; pratipūjitaḥ — the Lord also reciprocated equally.
TRANSLATION
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa then prepared for His departure. He invited the sons of Pāṇḍu, after having been worshiped by the brāhmaṇas, headed by Śrīla Vyāsadeva. The Lord also reciprocated greetings.
PURPORT
Apparently Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was a kṣatriya and was not worshipable by the brāhmaṇas. But the brāhmaṇas present there, headed by Śrīla Vyāsadeva, all knew Him to be the Personality of Godhead, and therefore they worshiped Him. The Lord reciprocated the greetings just to honor the social order that a kṣatriya is obedient to the orders of the brāhmaṇas. Although Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was always offered the respects due the Supreme Lord from all responsible quarters, the Lord never deviated from the customary usages between the four orders of society. The Lord purposely observed all these social customs so that others would follow Him in the future.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.6
yājayitvāśvamedhais taḿ
tribhir uttama-kalpakaiḥ
tad-yaśaḥ pāvanaḿ dikṣu
śata-manyor ivātanot
SYNONYMS
yājayitvā — by performing; aśvamedhaiḥ — yajña in which a horse is sacrificed; tam — him (King Yudhiṣṭhira); tribhiḥ — three; uttama — best; kalpakaiḥ — supplied with proper ingredients and performed by able priests; tat — that; yaśaḥ — fame; pāvanam — virtuous; dikṣu — all directions; śata-manyoḥ — Indra, who performed one hundred such sacrifices; iva — like; atanot — spread.
TRANSLATION
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa caused three well-performed Aśvamedha-yajñas [horse sacrifices] to be conducted by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and thus caused his virtuous fame to be glorified in all directions, like that of Indra, who had performed one hundred such sacrifices.
PURPORT
This is something like the preface to the performances of Aśvamedha-yajña by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. The comparison of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira to the King of heaven is significant. The King of heaven is thousands and thousands of times greater than Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira in opulence, yet the fame of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was not less. The reason is that Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was a pure devotee of the Lord, and by His grace only was King Yudhiṣṭhira on the level of the King of heaven, even though he performed only three yajñas whereas the King of heaven performed hundreds. That is the prerogative of the devotee of the Lord. The Lord is equal to everyone, but a devotee of the Lord is more glorified because he is always in touch with the all-great. The sun rays are equally distributed, but still there are some places which are always dark. This is not due to the sun but to the receptive power. Similarly, those who are cent percent devotees of the Lord get the full-fledged mercy of the Lord, which is always equally distributed everywhere.
tribhir uttama-kalpakaiḥ
tad-yaśaḥ pāvanaḿ dikṣu
śata-manyor ivātanot
SYNONYMS
yājayitvā — by performing; aśvamedhaiḥ — yajña in which a horse is sacrificed; tam — him (King Yudhiṣṭhira); tribhiḥ — three; uttama — best; kalpakaiḥ — supplied with proper ingredients and performed by able priests; tat — that; yaśaḥ — fame; pāvanam — virtuous; dikṣu — all directions; śata-manyoḥ — Indra, who performed one hundred such sacrifices; iva — like; atanot — spread.
TRANSLATION
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa caused three well-performed Aśvamedha-yajñas [horse sacrifices] to be conducted by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and thus caused his virtuous fame to be glorified in all directions, like that of Indra, who had performed one hundred such sacrifices.
PURPORT
This is something like the preface to the performances of Aśvamedha-yajña by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. The comparison of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira to the King of heaven is significant. The King of heaven is thousands and thousands of times greater than Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira in opulence, yet the fame of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was not less. The reason is that Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was a pure devotee of the Lord, and by His grace only was King Yudhiṣṭhira on the level of the King of heaven, even though he performed only three yajñas whereas the King of heaven performed hundreds. That is the prerogative of the devotee of the Lord. The Lord is equal to everyone, but a devotee of the Lord is more glorified because he is always in touch with the all-great. The sun rays are equally distributed, but still there are some places which are always dark. This is not due to the sun but to the receptive power. Similarly, those who are cent percent devotees of the Lord get the full-fledged mercy of the Lord, which is always equally distributed everywhere.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.5
sādhayitvājāta-śatroḥ
svaḿ rājyaḿ kitavair hṛtam
ghātayitvāsato rājñaḥ
kaca-sparśa-kṣatāyuṣaḥ
SYNONYMS
sādhayitvā — having executed; ajāta-śatroḥ — of one who has no enemy; svam rājyam — own kingdom; kitavaiḥ — by the clever (Duryodhana and party); hṛtam — usurped; ghātayitvā — having killed; asataḥ — the unscrupulous; rājñaḥ — of the queen's; kaca — bunch of hair; sparśa — roughly handled; kṣata — decreased; āyuṣaḥ — by the duration of life.
TRANSLATION
The clever Duryodhana and his party cunningly usurped the kingdom of Yudhiṣṭhira, who had no enemy. By the grace of the Lord, the recovery was executed, and the unscrupulous kings who joined with Duryodhana were killed by Him. Others also died, their duration of life having decreased for their rough handling of the hair of Queen Draupadī.
PURPORT
In the glorious days, or before the advent of the age of Kali, the brāhmaṇas, the cows, the women, the children and the old men were properly given protection.
1. The protection of the brāhmaṇas maintains the institution of varṇa and āśrama, the most scientific culture for attainment of spiritual life.
2. The protection of cows maintains the most miraculous form of food, i.e., milk for maintaining the finer tissues of the brain for understanding higher aims of life.
3. The protection of women maintains the chastity of society, by which we can get a good generation for peace, tranquillity and progress of life.
4. The protection of children gives the human form of life its best chance to prepare the way of liberty from material bondage. Such protection of children begins from the very day of begetting a child by the purificatory process of garbhādhāna-saḿskāra, the beginning of pure life.
5. The protection of the old men gives them a chance to prepare themselves for better life after death.
This complete outlook is based on factors leading to successful humanity as against the civilization of polished cats and dogs. The killing of the above-mentioned innocent creatures is totally forbidden because even by insulting them one loses one's duration of life. In the age of Kali they are not properly protected, and therefore the duration of life of the present generation has shortened considerably. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that when the women become unchaste for want of proper protection, there are unwanted children called varṇa-sańkara. To insult a chaste woman means to bring about disaster in the duration of life. Duḥśāsana, a brother of Duryodhana, insulted Draupadī, an ideal chaste lady, and therefore the miscreants died untimely. These are some of the stringent laws of the Lord mentioned above.
svaḿ rājyaḿ kitavair hṛtam
ghātayitvāsato rājñaḥ
kaca-sparśa-kṣatāyuṣaḥ
SYNONYMS
sādhayitvā — having executed; ajāta-śatroḥ — of one who has no enemy; svam rājyam — own kingdom; kitavaiḥ — by the clever (Duryodhana and party); hṛtam — usurped; ghātayitvā — having killed; asataḥ — the unscrupulous; rājñaḥ — of the queen's; kaca — bunch of hair; sparśa — roughly handled; kṣata — decreased; āyuṣaḥ — by the duration of life.
TRANSLATION
The clever Duryodhana and his party cunningly usurped the kingdom of Yudhiṣṭhira, who had no enemy. By the grace of the Lord, the recovery was executed, and the unscrupulous kings who joined with Duryodhana were killed by Him. Others also died, their duration of life having decreased for their rough handling of the hair of Queen Draupadī.
PURPORT
In the glorious days, or before the advent of the age of Kali, the brāhmaṇas, the cows, the women, the children and the old men were properly given protection.
1. The protection of the brāhmaṇas maintains the institution of varṇa and āśrama, the most scientific culture for attainment of spiritual life.
2. The protection of cows maintains the most miraculous form of food, i.e., milk for maintaining the finer tissues of the brain for understanding higher aims of life.
3. The protection of women maintains the chastity of society, by which we can get a good generation for peace, tranquillity and progress of life.
4. The protection of children gives the human form of life its best chance to prepare the way of liberty from material bondage. Such protection of children begins from the very day of begetting a child by the purificatory process of garbhādhāna-saḿskāra, the beginning of pure life.
5. The protection of the old men gives them a chance to prepare themselves for better life after death.
This complete outlook is based on factors leading to successful humanity as against the civilization of polished cats and dogs. The killing of the above-mentioned innocent creatures is totally forbidden because even by insulting them one loses one's duration of life. In the age of Kali they are not properly protected, and therefore the duration of life of the present generation has shortened considerably. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that when the women become unchaste for want of proper protection, there are unwanted children called varṇa-sańkara. To insult a chaste woman means to bring about disaster in the duration of life. Duḥśāsana, a brother of Duryodhana, insulted Draupadī, an ideal chaste lady, and therefore the miscreants died untimely. These are some of the stringent laws of the Lord mentioned above.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.4
sāntvayām āsa munibhir
hata-bandhūñ śucārpitān
bhūteṣu kālasya gatiḿ
darśayan na pratikriyām
SYNONYMS
sāntvayām āsa — pacified; munibhiḥ — along with the munis present there; hata-bandhūn — those who lost their friends and relatives; śucārpitān — all shocked and affected; bhūteṣu — unto the living beings; kālasya — of the supreme law of the Almighty; gatim — reactions; darśayan — demonstrated; na — no; pratikriyām — remedial measures.
TRANSLATION
Citing the stringent laws of the Almighty and their reactions upon living beings, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the munis began to pacify those who were shocked and affected.
PURPORT
The stringent laws of nature, under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot be altered by any living entity. The living entities are eternally under the subjugation of the almighty Lord. The Lord makes all the laws and orders, and these laws and orders are generally called dharma or religion. No one can create any religious formula. Bona fide religion is to abide by the orders of the Lord. The Lord's orders are clearly declared in the Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone should follow Him only or His orders, and that will make all happy, both materially and spiritually. As long as we are in the material world, our duty is to follow the orders of the Lord, and if by the grace of the Lord we are liberated from the clutches of the material world, then in our liberated stage also we can render transcendental loving service unto the Lord. In our material stage we can see neither ourselves nor the Lord for want of spiritual vision. But when we are liberated from material affection and are situated in our original spiritual form we can see both ourselves and the Lord face to face. Mukti means to be reinstated in one's original spiritual status after giving up the material conception of life. Therefore, human life is specifically meant for qualifying ourselves for this spiritual liberty. Unfortunately, under the influence of illusory material energy, we accept this spot-life of only a few years as our permanent existence and thus become illusioned by possessing so-called country, home, land, children, wife, community, wealth, etc., which are false representations created by māyā (illusion). And under the dictation of māyā, we fight with one another to protect these false possessions. By cultivating spiritual knowledge, we can realize that we have nothing to do with all this material paraphernalia. Then at once we become free from material attachment. This clearance of the misgivings of material existence at once takes place by association with the Lord's devotees, who are able to inject the transcendental sound into the depths of the bewildered heart and thus make one practically liberated from all lamentation and illusion. That is a summary of the pacifying measures for those affected by the reaction of stringent material laws, exhibited in the forms of birth, death, old age and disease, which are insoluble factors of material existence. The victims of war, namely, the family members of the Kurus, were lamenting the problems of death, and the Lord pacified them on the basis of knowledge.
hata-bandhūñ śucārpitān
bhūteṣu kālasya gatiḿ
darśayan na pratikriyām
SYNONYMS
sāntvayām āsa — pacified; munibhiḥ — along with the munis present there; hata-bandhūn — those who lost their friends and relatives; śucārpitān — all shocked and affected; bhūteṣu — unto the living beings; kālasya — of the supreme law of the Almighty; gatim — reactions; darśayan — demonstrated; na — no; pratikriyām — remedial measures.
TRANSLATION
Citing the stringent laws of the Almighty and their reactions upon living beings, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the munis began to pacify those who were shocked and affected.
PURPORT
The stringent laws of nature, under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot be altered by any living entity. The living entities are eternally under the subjugation of the almighty Lord. The Lord makes all the laws and orders, and these laws and orders are generally called dharma or religion. No one can create any religious formula. Bona fide religion is to abide by the orders of the Lord. The Lord's orders are clearly declared in the Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone should follow Him only or His orders, and that will make all happy, both materially and spiritually. As long as we are in the material world, our duty is to follow the orders of the Lord, and if by the grace of the Lord we are liberated from the clutches of the material world, then in our liberated stage also we can render transcendental loving service unto the Lord. In our material stage we can see neither ourselves nor the Lord for want of spiritual vision. But when we are liberated from material affection and are situated in our original spiritual form we can see both ourselves and the Lord face to face. Mukti means to be reinstated in one's original spiritual status after giving up the material conception of life. Therefore, human life is specifically meant for qualifying ourselves for this spiritual liberty. Unfortunately, under the influence of illusory material energy, we accept this spot-life of only a few years as our permanent existence and thus become illusioned by possessing so-called country, home, land, children, wife, community, wealth, etc., which are false representations created by māyā (illusion). And under the dictation of māyā, we fight with one another to protect these false possessions. By cultivating spiritual knowledge, we can realize that we have nothing to do with all this material paraphernalia. Then at once we become free from material attachment. This clearance of the misgivings of material existence at once takes place by association with the Lord's devotees, who are able to inject the transcendental sound into the depths of the bewildered heart and thus make one practically liberated from all lamentation and illusion. That is a summary of the pacifying measures for those affected by the reaction of stringent material laws, exhibited in the forms of birth, death, old age and disease, which are insoluble factors of material existence. The victims of war, namely, the family members of the Kurus, were lamenting the problems of death, and the Lord pacified them on the basis of knowledge.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.3
tatrāsīnaḿ kuru-patiḿ
dhṛtarāṣṭraḿ sahānujam
gāndhārīḿ putra-śokārtāḿ
pṛthāḿ kṛṣṇāḿ ca mādhavaḥ
SYNONYMS
tatra — there; āsīnam — sitting; kuru-patim — the King of the Kurus; dhṛtarāṣṭram — Dhṛtarāṣṭra; saha-anujam — with his younger brothers; gāndhārīm — Gāndhārī; putra — son; śoka-artām — overtaken by bereavement; pṛthām — Kuntī; kṛṣṇām — Draupadī; ca — also; mādhavaḥ — Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
TRANSLATION
There sat the King of the Kurus, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his younger brothers and Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, Kuntī and Draupadī, all overwhelmed with grief. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also there.
PURPORT
The Battle of Kurukṣetra was fought between family members, and thus all affected persons were also family members like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and brothers, Kuntī, Draupadī, Subhadrā, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī and her daughters-in-law, etc. All the principal dead bodies were in some way or other related with each other, and therefore the family grief was combined. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also one of them as a cousin of the Pāṇḍavas and nephew of Kuntī, as well as brother of Subhadrā, etc. The Lord, therefore, was equally sympathetic toward all of them, and therefore he began to pacify them befittingly.
dhṛtarāṣṭraḿ sahānujam
gāndhārīḿ putra-śokārtāḿ
pṛthāḿ kṛṣṇāḿ ca mādhavaḥ
SYNONYMS
tatra — there; āsīnam — sitting; kuru-patim — the King of the Kurus; dhṛtarāṣṭram — Dhṛtarāṣṭra; saha-anujam — with his younger brothers; gāndhārīm — Gāndhārī; putra — son; śoka-artām — overtaken by bereavement; pṛthām — Kuntī; kṛṣṇām — Draupadī; ca — also; mādhavaḥ — Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
TRANSLATION
There sat the King of the Kurus, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his younger brothers and Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, Kuntī and Draupadī, all overwhelmed with grief. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also there.
PURPORT
The Battle of Kurukṣetra was fought between family members, and thus all affected persons were also family members like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and brothers, Kuntī, Draupadī, Subhadrā, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī and her daughters-in-law, etc. All the principal dead bodies were in some way or other related with each other, and therefore the family grief was combined. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also one of them as a cousin of the Pāṇḍavas and nephew of Kuntī, as well as brother of Subhadrā, etc. The Lord, therefore, was equally sympathetic toward all of them, and therefore he began to pacify them befittingly.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.2
te ninīyodakaḿ sarve
vilapya ca bhṛśaḿ punaḥ
āplutā hari-pādābja-
rajaḥ-pūta-sarij-jale
SYNONYMS
te — all of them; ninīya — having offered; udakam — water; sarve — every one of them; vilapya — having lamented; ca — and; bhṛśam — sufficiently; punaḥ — again; āplutāḥ — took bath; hari-pādābja — the lotus feet of the Lord; rajaḥ — dust; pūta — purified; sarit — of the Ganges; jale — in the water.
TRANSLATION
Having lamented over them and sufficiently offered Ganges water, they bathed in the Ganges, whose water is sanctified due to being mixed with the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord.
vilapya ca bhṛśaḿ punaḥ
āplutā hari-pādābja-
rajaḥ-pūta-sarij-jale
SYNONYMS
te — all of them; ninīya — having offered; udakam — water; sarve — every one of them; vilapya — having lamented; ca — and; bhṛśam — sufficiently; punaḥ — again; āplutāḥ — took bath; hari-pādābja — the lotus feet of the Lord; rajaḥ — dust; pūta — purified; sarit — of the Ganges; jale — in the water.
TRANSLATION
Having lamented over them and sufficiently offered Ganges water, they bathed in the Ganges, whose water is sanctified due to being mixed with the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord.
First Canto Chapter 8: Prayers by Queen Kuntī and Parīkṣit Saved Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.1
sūta uvāca
atha te samparetānāḿ
svānām udakam icchatām
dātuḿ sakṛṣṇā gańgāyāḿ
puraskṛtya yayuḥ striyaḥ
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta said; atha — thus; te — the Pāṇḍavas; samparetānām — of the dead; svānām — of the relatives; udakam — water; icchatām — willing to have; dātum — to deliver; sa-kṛṣṇāḥ — along with Draupadī; gańgāyām — on the Ganges; puraskṛtya — putting in the front; yayuḥ — went; striyaḥ — the women.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Thereafter the Pāṇḍavas, desiring to deliver water to the dead relatives who had desired it, went to the Ganges with Draupadī. The ladies walked in front.
PURPORT
To date it is the custom in Hindu society to go to the Ganges or any other sacred river to take bath when death occurs in the family. Each of the family members pours out a potful of the Ganges water for the departed soul and walks in a procession, with the ladies in the front. The Pāṇḍavas also followed the rules more than five thousand years ago. Lord Kṛṣṇa, being a cousin of the Pāṇḍavas, was also amongst the family members.
atha te samparetānāḿ
svānām udakam icchatām
dātuḿ sakṛṣṇā gańgāyāḿ
puraskṛtya yayuḥ striyaḥ
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta said; atha — thus; te — the Pāṇḍavas; samparetānām — of the dead; svānām — of the relatives; udakam — water; icchatām — willing to have; dātum — to deliver; sa-kṛṣṇāḥ — along with Draupadī; gańgāyām — on the Ganges; puraskṛtya — putting in the front; yayuḥ — went; striyaḥ — the women.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Thereafter the Pāṇḍavas, desiring to deliver water to the dead relatives who had desired it, went to the Ganges with Draupadī. The ladies walked in front.
PURPORT
To date it is the custom in Hindu society to go to the Ganges or any other sacred river to take bath when death occurs in the family. Each of the family members pours out a potful of the Ganges water for the departed soul and walks in a procession, with the ladies in the front. The Pāṇḍavas also followed the rules more than five thousand years ago. Lord Kṛṣṇa, being a cousin of the Pāṇḍavas, was also amongst the family members.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.58
putra-śokāturāḥ sarve
pāṇḍavāḥ saha kṛṣṇayā
svānāḿ mṛtānāḿ yat kṛtyaḿ
cakrur nirharaṇādikam
SYNONYMS
putra — son; śoka — bereavement; āturāḥ — overwhelmed with; sarve — all of them; pāṇḍavāḥ — the sons of Pāṇḍu; saha — along with; kṛṣṇayā — with Draupadī; svānām — of the kinsmen; mṛtānām — of the dead; yat — what; kṛtyam — ought to be done; cakruḥ — did perform; nirharaṇa-ādikam — undertakable.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, the sons of Pāṇḍu and Draupadī, overwhelmed with grief, performed the proper rituals for the dead bodies of their relatives.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Seventh Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Son of Droṇa Punished."
pāṇḍavāḥ saha kṛṣṇayā
svānāḿ mṛtānāḿ yat kṛtyaḿ
cakrur nirharaṇādikam
SYNONYMS
putra — son; śoka — bereavement; āturāḥ — overwhelmed with; sarve — all of them; pāṇḍavāḥ — the sons of Pāṇḍu; saha — along with; kṛṣṇayā — with Draupadī; svānām — of the kinsmen; mṛtānām — of the dead; yat — what; kṛtyam — ought to be done; cakruḥ — did perform; nirharaṇa-ādikam — undertakable.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, the sons of Pāṇḍu and Draupadī, overwhelmed with grief, performed the proper rituals for the dead bodies of their relatives.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Seventh Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Son of Droṇa Punished."
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.57
vapanaḿ draviṇādānaḿ
sthānān niryāpaṇaḿ tathā
eṣa hi brahma-bandhūnāḿ
vadho nānyo 'sti daihikaḥ
SYNONYMS
vapanam — cleaving the hairs from the head; draviṇa — wealth; adānam — forfeiting; sthānāt — from the residence; niryāpaṇam — driving away; tathā — also; eṣaḥ — all these; hi — certainly; brahma-bandhūnām — of the relatives of a brāhmaṇa; vadhaḥ — killing; na — not; anyaḥ — any other method; asti — there is; daihikaḥ — in the matter of the body.
TRANSLATION
Cutting the hair from his head, depriving him of his wealth and driving him from his residence are the prescribed punishments for the relative of a brāhmaṇa. There is no injunction for killing the body.
sthānān niryāpaṇaḿ tathā
eṣa hi brahma-bandhūnāḿ
vadho nānyo 'sti daihikaḥ
SYNONYMS
vapanam — cleaving the hairs from the head; draviṇa — wealth; adānam — forfeiting; sthānāt — from the residence; niryāpaṇam — driving away; tathā — also; eṣaḥ — all these; hi — certainly; brahma-bandhūnām — of the relatives of a brāhmaṇa; vadhaḥ — killing; na — not; anyaḥ — any other method; asti — there is; daihikaḥ — in the matter of the body.
TRANSLATION
Cutting the hair from his head, depriving him of his wealth and driving him from his residence are the prescribed punishments for the relative of a brāhmaṇa. There is no injunction for killing the body.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.56
vimucya raśanā-baddhaḿ
bāla-hatyā-hata-prabham
tejasā maṇinā hīnaḿ
śibirān nirayāpayat
SYNONYMS
vimucya — after releasing him; raśanā-baddham — from the bondage of ropes; bāla-hatyā — infanticide; hata-prabham — loss of bodily luster; tejasā — of the strength of; maṇinā — by the jewel; hīnam — being deprived of; śibirāt — from the camp; nirayāpayat — drove him out.
TRANSLATION
He [Aśvatthāmā] had already lost his bodily luster due to infanticide, and now, moreover, having lost the jewel from his head, he lost even more strength. Thus he was unbound and driven out of the camp.
PURPORT
Thus being insulted, the humiliated Aśvatthāmā was simultaneously killed and not killed by the intelligence of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.
bāla-hatyā-hata-prabham
tejasā maṇinā hīnaḿ
śibirān nirayāpayat
SYNONYMS
vimucya — after releasing him; raśanā-baddham — from the bondage of ropes; bāla-hatyā — infanticide; hata-prabham — loss of bodily luster; tejasā — of the strength of; maṇinā — by the jewel; hīnam — being deprived of; śibirāt — from the camp; nirayāpayat — drove him out.
TRANSLATION
He [Aśvatthāmā] had already lost his bodily luster due to infanticide, and now, moreover, having lost the jewel from his head, he lost even more strength. Thus he was unbound and driven out of the camp.
PURPORT
Thus being insulted, the humiliated Aśvatthāmā was simultaneously killed and not killed by the intelligence of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.55
sūta uvāca
arjunaḥ sahasājñāya
harer hārdam athāsinā
maṇiḿ jahāra mūrdhanyaḿ
dvijasya saha-mūrdhajam
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ — Sūta Gosvāmī; uvāca — said; arjunaḥ — Arjuna; sahasā — just at that time; ājñāya — knowing it; hareḥ — of the Lord; hārdam — motive; atha — thus; asinā — by the sword; maṇim — the jewel; jahāra — separated; mūrdhanyam — on the head; dvijasya — of the twice-born; saha — with; mūrdhajam — hairs.
TRANSLATION
Just then Arjuna could understand the motive of the Lord by His equivocal orders, and thus with his sword he severed both hair and jewel from the head of Aśvatthāmā.
PURPORT
Contradictory orders of different persons are impossible to carry out. Therefore a compromise was selected by Arjuna by his sharp intelligence, and he separated the jewel from the head of Aśvatthāmā. This was as good as cutting off his head, and yet his life was saved for all practical purposes. Here Aśvatthāmā is indicated as twice-born. Certainly he was twice-born, but he fell down from his position, and therefore he was properly punished.
arjunaḥ sahasājñāya
harer hārdam athāsinā
maṇiḿ jahāra mūrdhanyaḿ
dvijasya saha-mūrdhajam
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ — Sūta Gosvāmī; uvāca — said; arjunaḥ — Arjuna; sahasā — just at that time; ājñāya — knowing it; hareḥ — of the Lord; hārdam — motive; atha — thus; asinā — by the sword; maṇim — the jewel; jahāra — separated; mūrdhanyam — on the head; dvijasya — of the twice-born; saha — with; mūrdhajam — hairs.
TRANSLATION
Just then Arjuna could understand the motive of the Lord by His equivocal orders, and thus with his sword he severed both hair and jewel from the head of Aśvatthāmā.
PURPORT
Contradictory orders of different persons are impossible to carry out. Therefore a compromise was selected by Arjuna by his sharp intelligence, and he separated the jewel from the head of Aśvatthāmā. This was as good as cutting off his head, and yet his life was saved for all practical purposes. Here Aśvatthāmā is indicated as twice-born. Certainly he was twice-born, but he fell down from his position, and therefore he was properly punished.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.53-54
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
brahma-bandhur na hantavya
ātatāyī vadhārhaṇaḥ
mayaivobhayam āmnātaḿ
paripāhy anuśāsanam
kuru pratiśrutaḿ satyaḿ
yat tat sāntvayatā priyām
priyaḿ ca bhīmasenasya
pāñcālyā mahyam eva ca
SYNONYMS
śrī-bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; uvāca — said; brahma-bandhuḥ — the relative of a brāhmaṇa; na — not; hantavyaḥ — to be killed; ātatāyī — the aggressor; vadha-arhaṇaḥ — is due to be killed; mayā — by Me; eva — certainly; ubhayam — both; āmnātam — described according to rulings of the authority; paripāhi — carry out; anuśāsanam — rulings; kuru — abide by; pratiśrutam — as promised by; satyam — truth; yat tat — that which; sāntvayatā — while pacifying; priyām — dear wife; priyam — satisfaction; ca — also; bhīmasenasya — of Śrī Bhīmasena; pāñcālyāḥ — of Draupadī; mahyam — unto Me also; eva — certainly; ca — and.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead Sri Kṛṣṇa said: A friend of a brāhmaṇa is not to be killed, but if he is an aggressor he must be killed. All these rulings are in the scriptures, and you should act accordingly. You have to fulfill your promise to your wife, and you must also act to the satisfaction of Bhīmasena and Me.
PURPORT
Arjuna was perplexed because Aśvatthāmā was to be killed as well as spared according to different scriptures cited by different persons. As a brahma-bandhu, or a worthless son of a brāhmaṇa, Aśvatthāmā was not to be killed, but he was at the same time an aggressor also. And according to the rulings of Manu, an aggressor, even though he be a brāhmaṇa (and what to speak of an unworthy son of a brāhmaṇa), is to be killed. Droṇācārya was certainly a brāhmaṇa in the true sense of the term, but because he stood in the battlefield he was killed. But although Aśvatthāmā was an aggressor, he stood without any fighting weapons. The ruling is that an aggressor, when he is without weapon or chariot, cannot be killed. All these were certainly perplexities. Besides that, Arjuna had to keep the promise he had made before Draupadī just to pacify her. And he also had to satisfy both Bhīma and Kṛṣṇa, who advised killing him. This dilemma was present before Arjuna, and the solution was awarded by Kṛṣṇa.
brahma-bandhur na hantavya
ātatāyī vadhārhaṇaḥ
mayaivobhayam āmnātaḿ
paripāhy anuśāsanam
kuru pratiśrutaḿ satyaḿ
yat tat sāntvayatā priyām
priyaḿ ca bhīmasenasya
pāñcālyā mahyam eva ca
SYNONYMS
śrī-bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; uvāca — said; brahma-bandhuḥ — the relative of a brāhmaṇa; na — not; hantavyaḥ — to be killed; ātatāyī — the aggressor; vadha-arhaṇaḥ — is due to be killed; mayā — by Me; eva — certainly; ubhayam — both; āmnātam — described according to rulings of the authority; paripāhi — carry out; anuśāsanam — rulings; kuru — abide by; pratiśrutam — as promised by; satyam — truth; yat tat — that which; sāntvayatā — while pacifying; priyām — dear wife; priyam — satisfaction; ca — also; bhīmasenasya — of Śrī Bhīmasena; pāñcālyāḥ — of Draupadī; mahyam — unto Me also; eva — certainly; ca — and.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead Sri Kṛṣṇa said: A friend of a brāhmaṇa is not to be killed, but if he is an aggressor he must be killed. All these rulings are in the scriptures, and you should act accordingly. You have to fulfill your promise to your wife, and you must also act to the satisfaction of Bhīmasena and Me.
PURPORT
Arjuna was perplexed because Aśvatthāmā was to be killed as well as spared according to different scriptures cited by different persons. As a brahma-bandhu, or a worthless son of a brāhmaṇa, Aśvatthāmā was not to be killed, but he was at the same time an aggressor also. And according to the rulings of Manu, an aggressor, even though he be a brāhmaṇa (and what to speak of an unworthy son of a brāhmaṇa), is to be killed. Droṇācārya was certainly a brāhmaṇa in the true sense of the term, but because he stood in the battlefield he was killed. But although Aśvatthāmā was an aggressor, he stood without any fighting weapons. The ruling is that an aggressor, when he is without weapon or chariot, cannot be killed. All these were certainly perplexities. Besides that, Arjuna had to keep the promise he had made before Draupadī just to pacify her. And he also had to satisfy both Bhīma and Kṛṣṇa, who advised killing him. This dilemma was present before Arjuna, and the solution was awarded by Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.52
niśamya bhīma-gaditaḿ
draupadyāś ca catur-bhujaḥ
ālokya vadanaḿ sakhyur
idam āha hasann iva
SYNONYMS
niśamya — just after hearing; bhīma — Bhīma; gaditam — spoken by; draupadyāḥ — of Draupadī; ca — and; catuḥ-bhujaḥ — the four-handed (Personality of Godhead); ālokya — having seen; vadanam — the face; sakhyuḥ — of His friend; idam — this; āha — said; hasan — smiling; iva — as it.
TRANSLATION
Caturbhuja [the four-armed one], or the Personality of Godhead, after hearing the words of Bhīma, Draupadī and others, saw the face of His dear friend Arjuna, and He began to speak as if smiling.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa had two arms, and why He is designated as four-armed is explained by Śrīdhara Svāmī. Both Bhīma and Draupadī held opposite views about killing Aśvatthāmā. Bhīma wanted him to be immediately killed, whereas Draupadī wanted to save him. We can imagine Bhīma ready to kill while Draupadī is obstructing him. And in order to prevent both of them, the Lord discovered another two arms. Originally, the primeval Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa displays only two arms, but in His Nārāyaṇa feature He exhibits four. In His Nārāyaṇa feature He resides with His devotees in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, while in His original Śrī Kṛṣṇa feature He resides in the Kṛṣṇaloka planet far, far above the Vaikuṇṭha planets in the spiritual sky. Therefore, if Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called caturbhujaḥ, there is no contradiction. If need be He can display hundreds of arms, as He exhibited in His viśva-rūpa shown to Arjuna. Therefore, one who can display hundreds and thousands of arms can also manifest four whenever needed.
When Arjuna was perplexed about what to do with Aśvatthāmā, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as the very dear friend of Arjuna, voluntarily took up the matter just to make a solution. And He was smiling also.
draupadyāś ca catur-bhujaḥ
ālokya vadanaḿ sakhyur
idam āha hasann iva
SYNONYMS
niśamya — just after hearing; bhīma — Bhīma; gaditam — spoken by; draupadyāḥ — of Draupadī; ca — and; catuḥ-bhujaḥ — the four-handed (Personality of Godhead); ālokya — having seen; vadanam — the face; sakhyuḥ — of His friend; idam — this; āha — said; hasan — smiling; iva — as it.
TRANSLATION
Caturbhuja [the four-armed one], or the Personality of Godhead, after hearing the words of Bhīma, Draupadī and others, saw the face of His dear friend Arjuna, and He began to speak as if smiling.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa had two arms, and why He is designated as four-armed is explained by Śrīdhara Svāmī. Both Bhīma and Draupadī held opposite views about killing Aśvatthāmā. Bhīma wanted him to be immediately killed, whereas Draupadī wanted to save him. We can imagine Bhīma ready to kill while Draupadī is obstructing him. And in order to prevent both of them, the Lord discovered another two arms. Originally, the primeval Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa displays only two arms, but in His Nārāyaṇa feature He exhibits four. In His Nārāyaṇa feature He resides with His devotees in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, while in His original Śrī Kṛṣṇa feature He resides in the Kṛṣṇaloka planet far, far above the Vaikuṇṭha planets in the spiritual sky. Therefore, if Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called caturbhujaḥ, there is no contradiction. If need be He can display hundreds of arms, as He exhibited in His viśva-rūpa shown to Arjuna. Therefore, one who can display hundreds and thousands of arms can also manifest four whenever needed.
When Arjuna was perplexed about what to do with Aśvatthāmā, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as the very dear friend of Arjuna, voluntarily took up the matter just to make a solution. And He was smiling also.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.51
tatrāhāmarṣito bhīmas
tasya śreyān vadhaḥ smṛtaḥ
na bhartur nātmanaś cārthe
yo 'han suptān śiśūn vṛthā
SYNONYMS
tatra — thereupon; āha — said; amarṣitaḥ — in an angry mood; bhīmaḥ — Bhīma; tasya — his; śreyān — ultimate good; vadhaḥ — killing; smṛtaḥ — recorded; na — not; bhartuḥ — of the master; na — nor; ātmanaḥ — of his own self; ca — and; arthe — for the sake of; yaḥ — one who; ahan — killed; suptān — sleeping; śiśūn — children; vṛthā — without purpose.
TRANSLATION
Bhīma, however, disagreed with them and recommended killing this culprit who, in an angry mood, had murdered sleeping children for no purpose and for neither his nor his master's interest.
tasya śreyān vadhaḥ smṛtaḥ
na bhartur nātmanaś cārthe
yo 'han suptān śiśūn vṛthā
SYNONYMS
tatra — thereupon; āha — said; amarṣitaḥ — in an angry mood; bhīmaḥ — Bhīma; tasya — his; śreyān — ultimate good; vadhaḥ — killing; smṛtaḥ — recorded; na — not; bhartuḥ — of the master; na — nor; ātmanaḥ — of his own self; ca — and; arthe — for the sake of; yaḥ — one who; ahan — killed; suptān — sleeping; śiśūn — children; vṛthā — without purpose.
TRANSLATION
Bhīma, however, disagreed with them and recommended killing this culprit who, in an angry mood, had murdered sleeping children for no purpose and for neither his nor his master's interest.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.50
nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca
yuyudhāno dhanañjayaḥ
bhagavān devakī-putro
ye cānye yāś ca yoṣitaḥ
SYNONYMS
nakulaḥ — Nakula; sahadevaḥ — Sahadeva; ca — and; yuyudhānaḥ — Sātyaki; dhanañjayaḥ — Arjuna; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; devakī-putraḥ — the son of Devakī, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; ye — those; ca — and; anye — others; yāḥ — those; ca — and; yoṣitaḥ — ladies.
TRANSLATION
Nakula and Sahadeva [the younger brothers of the King] and also Sātyaki, Arjuna, the Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa, son of Devakī, and the ladies and others all unanimously agreed with the King.
yuyudhāno dhanañjayaḥ
bhagavān devakī-putro
ye cānye yāś ca yoṣitaḥ
SYNONYMS
nakulaḥ — Nakula; sahadevaḥ — Sahadeva; ca — and; yuyudhānaḥ — Sātyaki; dhanañjayaḥ — Arjuna; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; devakī-putraḥ — the son of Devakī, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; ye — those; ca — and; anye — others; yāḥ — those; ca — and; yoṣitaḥ — ladies.
TRANSLATION
Nakula and Sahadeva [the younger brothers of the King] and also Sātyaki, Arjuna, the Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa, son of Devakī, and the ladies and others all unanimously agreed with the King.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.49
sūta uvāca
dharmyaḿ nyāyyaḿ sakaruṇaḿ
nirvyalīkaḿ samaḿ mahat
rājā dharma-suto rājñyāḥ
pratyanandad vaco dvijāḥ
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; dharmyam — in accordance with the principles of religion; nyāyyam — justice; sa-karuṇam — full of mercy; nirvyalīkam — without duplicity in dharma; samam — equity; mahat — glorious; rājā — the King; dharma-sutaḥ — son; rājñyāḥ — by the Queen; pratyanandat — supported; vacaḥ — statements; dvijāḥ — O brāhmaṇas.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: O brāhmaṇas, King Yudhiṣṭhira fully supported the statements of the Queen, which were in accordance with the principles of religion and were justified, glorious, full of mercy and equity, and without duplicity.
PURPORT
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, who was the son of Dharmarāja, or Yamarāja, fully supported the words of Queen Draupadī in asking Arjuna to release Aśvatthāmā. One should not tolerate the humiliation of a member of a great family. Arjuna and his family were indebted to the family of Droṇācārya because of Arjuna's learning the military science from him. If ingratitude were shown to such a benevolent family, it would not be at all justified from the moral standpoint. The wife of Droṇācārya, who was the half body of the great soul, must be treated with compassion, and she should not be put into grief because of her son's death. That is compassion. Such statements by Draupadī are without duplicity because actions should be taken with full knowledge. The feeling of equality was there because Draupadī spoke out of her personal experience. A barren woman cannot understand the grief of a mother. Draupadī was herself a mother, and therefore her calculation of the depth of Kṛpī's grief was quite to the point. And it was glorious because she wanted to show proper respect to a great family.
dharmyaḿ nyāyyaḿ sakaruṇaḿ
nirvyalīkaḿ samaḿ mahat
rājā dharma-suto rājñyāḥ
pratyanandad vaco dvijāḥ
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; dharmyam — in accordance with the principles of religion; nyāyyam — justice; sa-karuṇam — full of mercy; nirvyalīkam — without duplicity in dharma; samam — equity; mahat — glorious; rājā — the King; dharma-sutaḥ — son; rājñyāḥ — by the Queen; pratyanandat — supported; vacaḥ — statements; dvijāḥ — O brāhmaṇas.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: O brāhmaṇas, King Yudhiṣṭhira fully supported the statements of the Queen, which were in accordance with the principles of religion and were justified, glorious, full of mercy and equity, and without duplicity.
PURPORT
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, who was the son of Dharmarāja, or Yamarāja, fully supported the words of Queen Draupadī in asking Arjuna to release Aśvatthāmā. One should not tolerate the humiliation of a member of a great family. Arjuna and his family were indebted to the family of Droṇācārya because of Arjuna's learning the military science from him. If ingratitude were shown to such a benevolent family, it would not be at all justified from the moral standpoint. The wife of Droṇācārya, who was the half body of the great soul, must be treated with compassion, and she should not be put into grief because of her son's death. That is compassion. Such statements by Draupadī are without duplicity because actions should be taken with full knowledge. The feeling of equality was there because Draupadī spoke out of her personal experience. A barren woman cannot understand the grief of a mother. Draupadī was herself a mother, and therefore her calculation of the depth of Kṛpī's grief was quite to the point. And it was glorious because she wanted to show proper respect to a great family.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.48
yaiḥ kopitaḿ brahma-kulaḿ
rājanyair ajitātmabhiḥ
tat kulaḿ pradahaty āśu
sānubandhaḿ śucārpitam
SYNONYMS
yaiḥ — by those; kopitam — enraged; brahma-kulam — the order of the brāhmaṇas; rājanyaiḥ — by the administrative order; ajita — unrestricted; ātmabhiḥ — by oneself; tat — that; kulam — family; pradahati — is burnt up; āśu — within no time; sa-anubandham — together with family members; śucā-arpitam — being put into grief.
TRANSLATION
If the kingly administrative order, being unrestricted in sense control, offends the brāhmaṇa order and enrages them, then the fire of that rage burns up the whole body of the royal family and brings grief upon all.
PURPORT
The brāhmaṇa order of society, or the spiritually advanced caste or community, and the members of such highly elevated families, were always held in great esteem by the other, subordinate castes, namely the administrative kingly order, the mercantile order and the laborers.
rājanyair ajitātmabhiḥ
tat kulaḿ pradahaty āśu
sānubandhaḿ śucārpitam
SYNONYMS
yaiḥ — by those; kopitam — enraged; brahma-kulam — the order of the brāhmaṇas; rājanyaiḥ — by the administrative order; ajita — unrestricted; ātmabhiḥ — by oneself; tat — that; kulam — family; pradahati — is burnt up; āśu — within no time; sa-anubandham — together with family members; śucā-arpitam — being put into grief.
TRANSLATION
If the kingly administrative order, being unrestricted in sense control, offends the brāhmaṇa order and enrages them, then the fire of that rage burns up the whole body of the royal family and brings grief upon all.
PURPORT
The brāhmaṇa order of society, or the spiritually advanced caste or community, and the members of such highly elevated families, were always held in great esteem by the other, subordinate castes, namely the administrative kingly order, the mercantile order and the laborers.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.47
mā rodīd asya jananī
gautamī pati-devatā
yathāhaḿ mṛta-vatsārtā
rodimy aśru-mukhī muhuḥ
SYNONYMS
mā — do not; rodīt — make cry; asya — his; jananī — mother; gautamī — the wife of Droṇa; pati-devatā — chaste; yathā — as has; aham — myself; mṛta-vatsā — one whose child is dead; ārtā — distressed; rodimi — crying; aśru-mukhī — tears in the eyes; muhuḥ — constantly.
TRANSLATION
My lord, do not make the wife of Droṇācārya cry like me. I am aggrieved for the death of my sons. She need not cry constantly like me.
PURPORT
Sympathetic good lady as she was, Śrīmatī Draupadī did not want to put the wife of Droṇācārya in the same position of childlessness, both from the point of motherly feelings and from the respectable position held by the wife of Droṇācārya.
gautamī pati-devatā
yathāhaḿ mṛta-vatsārtā
rodimy aśru-mukhī muhuḥ
SYNONYMS
mā — do not; rodīt — make cry; asya — his; jananī — mother; gautamī — the wife of Droṇa; pati-devatā — chaste; yathā — as has; aham — myself; mṛta-vatsā — one whose child is dead; ārtā — distressed; rodimi — crying; aśru-mukhī — tears in the eyes; muhuḥ — constantly.
TRANSLATION
My lord, do not make the wife of Droṇācārya cry like me. I am aggrieved for the death of my sons. She need not cry constantly like me.
PURPORT
Sympathetic good lady as she was, Śrīmatī Draupadī did not want to put the wife of Droṇācārya in the same position of childlessness, both from the point of motherly feelings and from the respectable position held by the wife of Droṇācārya.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.46
tad dharmajña mahā-bhāga
bhavadbhir gauravaḿ kulam
vṛjinaḿ nārhati prāptuḿ
pūjyaḿ vandyam abhīkṣṇaśaḥ
SYNONYMS
tat — therefore; dharma-jña — one who is aware of the principles of religion; mahā-bhāga — the most fortunate; bhavadbhiḥ — by your good self; gauravam — glorified; kulam — the family; vṛjinam — that which is painful; na — not; arhati — does deserve; prāptum — for obtaining; pūjyam — the worshipable; vandyam — respectable; abhīkṣṇaśaḥ — constantly.
TRANSLATION
O most fortunate one who knows the principles of religion, it is not good for you to cause grief to glorious family members who are always respectable and worshipful.
PURPORT
A slight insult for a respectable family is sufficient to invoke grief. Therefore, a cultured man should always be careful in dealing with worshipful family members.
bhavadbhir gauravaḿ kulam
vṛjinaḿ nārhati prāptuḿ
pūjyaḿ vandyam abhīkṣṇaśaḥ
SYNONYMS
tat — therefore; dharma-jña — one who is aware of the principles of religion; mahā-bhāga — the most fortunate; bhavadbhiḥ — by your good self; gauravam — glorified; kulam — the family; vṛjinam — that which is painful; na — not; arhati — does deserve; prāptum — for obtaining; pūjyam — the worshipable; vandyam — respectable; abhīkṣṇaśaḥ — constantly.
TRANSLATION
O most fortunate one who knows the principles of religion, it is not good for you to cause grief to glorious family members who are always respectable and worshipful.
PURPORT
A slight insult for a respectable family is sufficient to invoke grief. Therefore, a cultured man should always be careful in dealing with worshipful family members.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.45
sa eṣa bhagavān droṇaḥ
prajā-rūpeṇa vartate
tasyātmano 'rdhaḿ patny āste
nānvagād vīrasūḥ kṛpī
SYNONYMS
saḥ — he; eṣaḥ — certainly; bhagavān — lord; droṇaḥ — Droṇācārya; prajā-rūpeṇa — in the form of his son Aśvatthāmā; vartate — is existing; tasya — his; ātmanaḥ — of the body; ardham — half; patnī — wife; āste — living; na — not; anvagāt — undertook; vīrasūḥ — having the son present; kṛpī — the sister of Kṛpācārya.
TRANSLATION
He [Droṇācārya] is certainly still existing, being represented by his son. His wife Kṛpī did not undergo a satī with him because she had a son.
PURPORT
The wife of Droṇācārya, Kṛpī, is the sister of Kṛpācārya. A devoted wife, who is according to revealed scripture the better half of her husband, is justified in embracing voluntary death along with her husband if she is without issue. But in the case of the wife of Droṇācārya, she did not undergo such a trial because she had her son, the representative of her husband. A widow is a widow only in name if there is a son of her husband existing. So in either case Aśvatthāmā was the representative of Droṇācārya, and therefore killing Aśvatthāmā would be like killing Droṇācārya. That was the argument of Draupadī against the killing of Aśvatthāmā.
prajā-rūpeṇa vartate
tasyātmano 'rdhaḿ patny āste
nānvagād vīrasūḥ kṛpī
SYNONYMS
saḥ — he; eṣaḥ — certainly; bhagavān — lord; droṇaḥ — Droṇācārya; prajā-rūpeṇa — in the form of his son Aśvatthāmā; vartate — is existing; tasya — his; ātmanaḥ — of the body; ardham — half; patnī — wife; āste — living; na — not; anvagāt — undertook; vīrasūḥ — having the son present; kṛpī — the sister of Kṛpācārya.
TRANSLATION
He [Droṇācārya] is certainly still existing, being represented by his son. His wife Kṛpī did not undergo a satī with him because she had a son.
PURPORT
The wife of Droṇācārya, Kṛpī, is the sister of Kṛpācārya. A devoted wife, who is according to revealed scripture the better half of her husband, is justified in embracing voluntary death along with her husband if she is without issue. But in the case of the wife of Droṇācārya, she did not undergo such a trial because she had her son, the representative of her husband. A widow is a widow only in name if there is a son of her husband existing. So in either case Aśvatthāmā was the representative of Droṇācārya, and therefore killing Aśvatthāmā would be like killing Droṇācārya. That was the argument of Draupadī against the killing of Aśvatthāmā.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.44
sarahasyo dhanur-vedaḥ
savisargopasaḿyamaḥ
astra-grāmaś ca bhavatā
śikṣito yad-anugrahāt
SYNONYMS
sa-rahasyaḥ — confidential; dhanuḥ-vedaḥ — knowledge in the art of manipulating bows and arrows; sa-visarga — releasing; upasaḿyamaḥ — controlling; astra — weapons; grāmaḥ — all kinds of; ca — and; bhavatā — by yourself; śikṣitaḥ — learned; yat — by whose; anugrahāt — mercy of.
TRANSLATION
It was by Droṇācārya's mercy that you learned the military art of throwing arrows and the confidential art of controlling weapons.
PURPORT
Dhanur-veda, or military science, was taught by Droṇācārya with all its confidential secrets of throwing and controlling by Vedic hymns. Gross military science is dependent on material weapons, but finer than that is the art of throwing the arrows saturated with Vedic hymns, which act more effectively than gross material weapons like machine guns or atomic bombs. The control is by Vedic mantras, or the transcendental science of sound. It is said in the Rāmāyaṇa that Mahārāja Daśaratha, the father of Lord Śrī Rāma, used to control arrows by sound only. He could pierce his target with his arrow by only hearing the sound, without seeing the object. So this is a finer military science than that of the gross material military weapons used nowadays. Arjuna was taught all this, and therefore Draupadī wished that Arjuna feel obliged to Ācārya Droṇa for all these benefits. And in the absence of Droṇācārya, his son was his representative. That was the opinion of the good lady Draupadī. It may be argued why Droṇācārya, a rigid brāhmaṇa, should be a teacher in military science. But the reply is that a brāhmaṇa should become a teacher, regardless of what his department of knowledge is. A learned brāhmaṇa should become a teacher, a priest and a recipient of charity. A bona fide brāhmaṇa is authorized to accept such professions.
savisargopasaḿyamaḥ
astra-grāmaś ca bhavatā
śikṣito yad-anugrahāt
SYNONYMS
sa-rahasyaḥ — confidential; dhanuḥ-vedaḥ — knowledge in the art of manipulating bows and arrows; sa-visarga — releasing; upasaḿyamaḥ — controlling; astra — weapons; grāmaḥ — all kinds of; ca — and; bhavatā — by yourself; śikṣitaḥ — learned; yat — by whose; anugrahāt — mercy of.
TRANSLATION
It was by Droṇācārya's mercy that you learned the military art of throwing arrows and the confidential art of controlling weapons.
PURPORT
Dhanur-veda, or military science, was taught by Droṇācārya with all its confidential secrets of throwing and controlling by Vedic hymns. Gross military science is dependent on material weapons, but finer than that is the art of throwing the arrows saturated with Vedic hymns, which act more effectively than gross material weapons like machine guns or atomic bombs. The control is by Vedic mantras, or the transcendental science of sound. It is said in the Rāmāyaṇa that Mahārāja Daśaratha, the father of Lord Śrī Rāma, used to control arrows by sound only. He could pierce his target with his arrow by only hearing the sound, without seeing the object. So this is a finer military science than that of the gross material military weapons used nowadays. Arjuna was taught all this, and therefore Draupadī wished that Arjuna feel obliged to Ācārya Droṇa for all these benefits. And in the absence of Droṇācārya, his son was his representative. That was the opinion of the good lady Draupadī. It may be argued why Droṇācārya, a rigid brāhmaṇa, should be a teacher in military science. But the reply is that a brāhmaṇa should become a teacher, regardless of what his department of knowledge is. A learned brāhmaṇa should become a teacher, a priest and a recipient of charity. A bona fide brāhmaṇa is authorized to accept such professions.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.43
uvāca cāsahanty asya
bandhanānayanaḿ satī
mucyatāḿ mucyatām eṣa
brāhmaṇo nitarāḿ guruḥ
SYNONYMS
uvāca — said; ca — and; asahantī — being unbearable for her; asya — his; bandhana — being bound; ānayanam — bringing him; satī — the devoted; mucyatām mucyatām — just get him released; eṣaḥ — this; brāhmaṇaḥ — a brāhmaṇa; nitarām — our; guruḥ — teacher.
TRANSLATION
She could not tolerate Aśvatthāmā's being bound by ropes, and being a devoted lady, she said: Release him, for he is a brāhmaṇa, our spiritual master.
PURPORT
As soon as Aśvatthāmā was brought before Draupadī, she thought it intolerable that a brāhmaṇa should be arrested like a culprit and brought before her in that condition, especially when the brāhmaṇa happened to be a teacher's son.
Arjuna arrested Aśvatthāmā knowing perfectly well that he was the son of Droṇācārya. Kṛṣṇa also knew him to be so, but both of them condemned the murderer without consideration of his being the son of a brāhmaṇa. According to revealed scriptures, a teacher or spiritual master is liable to be rejected if he proves himself unworthy of the position of a guru or spiritual master. A guru is called also an ācārya, or a person who has personally assimilated all the essence of śāstras and has helped his disciples to adopt the ways. Aśvatthāmā failed to discharge the duties of a brāhmaṇa or teacher, and therefore he was liable to be rejected from the exalted position of a brāhmaṇa. On this consideration, both Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna were right in condemning Aśvatthāmā. But to a good lady like Draupadī, the matter was considered not from the angle of śāstric vision, but as a matter of custom. By custom, Aśvatthāmā was offered the same respect as offered to his father. It was so because generally the people accept the son of a brāhmaṇa as a real brāhmaṇa, by sentiment only. Factually the matter is different. A brāhmaṇa is accepted on the merit of qualification and not on the merit of simply being the son of a brāhmaṇa.
But in spite of all this, Draupadī desired that Aśvatthāmā be at once released, and it was all the same a good sentiment for her. This means that a devotee of the Lord can tolerate all sorts of tribulation personally, but still such devotees are never unkind to others, even to the enemy. These are the characteristics of one who is a pure devotee of the Lord.
bandhanānayanaḿ satī
mucyatāḿ mucyatām eṣa
brāhmaṇo nitarāḿ guruḥ
SYNONYMS
uvāca — said; ca — and; asahantī — being unbearable for her; asya — his; bandhana — being bound; ānayanam — bringing him; satī — the devoted; mucyatām mucyatām — just get him released; eṣaḥ — this; brāhmaṇaḥ — a brāhmaṇa; nitarām — our; guruḥ — teacher.
TRANSLATION
She could not tolerate Aśvatthāmā's being bound by ropes, and being a devoted lady, she said: Release him, for he is a brāhmaṇa, our spiritual master.
PURPORT
As soon as Aśvatthāmā was brought before Draupadī, she thought it intolerable that a brāhmaṇa should be arrested like a culprit and brought before her in that condition, especially when the brāhmaṇa happened to be a teacher's son.
Arjuna arrested Aśvatthāmā knowing perfectly well that he was the son of Droṇācārya. Kṛṣṇa also knew him to be so, but both of them condemned the murderer without consideration of his being the son of a brāhmaṇa. According to revealed scriptures, a teacher or spiritual master is liable to be rejected if he proves himself unworthy of the position of a guru or spiritual master. A guru is called also an ācārya, or a person who has personally assimilated all the essence of śāstras and has helped his disciples to adopt the ways. Aśvatthāmā failed to discharge the duties of a brāhmaṇa or teacher, and therefore he was liable to be rejected from the exalted position of a brāhmaṇa. On this consideration, both Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna were right in condemning Aśvatthāmā. But to a good lady like Draupadī, the matter was considered not from the angle of śāstric vision, but as a matter of custom. By custom, Aśvatthāmā was offered the same respect as offered to his father. It was so because generally the people accept the son of a brāhmaṇa as a real brāhmaṇa, by sentiment only. Factually the matter is different. A brāhmaṇa is accepted on the merit of qualification and not on the merit of simply being the son of a brāhmaṇa.
But in spite of all this, Draupadī desired that Aśvatthāmā be at once released, and it was all the same a good sentiment for her. This means that a devotee of the Lord can tolerate all sorts of tribulation personally, but still such devotees are never unkind to others, even to the enemy. These are the characteristics of one who is a pure devotee of the Lord.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.42
tathāhṛtaḿ paśuvat pāśa-baddham
avāń-mukhaḿ karma-jugupsitena
nirīkṣya kṛṣṇāpakṛtaḿ guroḥ sutaḿ
vāma-svabhāvā kṛpayā nanāma ca
SYNONYMS
tathā — thus; āhṛtam — brought in; paśu-vat — like an animal; pāśa-baddham — tied with ropes; avāk-mukham — without a word in his mouth; karma — activities; jugupsitena — being heinous; nirīkṣya — by seeing; kṛṣṇā — Draupadī; apakṛtam — the doer of the degrading; guroḥ — the teacher; sutam — son; vāma — beautiful; svabhāvā — nature; kṛpayā — out of compassion; nanāma — offered obeisances; ca — and.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: Draupadī then saw Aśvatthāmā, who was bound with ropes like an animal and silent for having enacted the most inglorious murder. Due to her female nature, and due to her being naturally good and well-behaved, she showed him due respects as a brāhmaṇa.
PURPORT
Aśvatthāmā was condemned by the Lord Himself, and he was treated by Arjuna just like a culprit, not like the son of a brāhmaṇa or teacher. But when he was brought before Śrīmatī Draupadī, she, although begrieved for the murder of her sons, and although the murderer was present before her, could not withdraw the due respect generally offered to a brāhmaṇa or to the son of a brāhmaṇa. This is due to her mild nature as a woman. Women as a class are no better than boys, and therefore they have no discriminatory power like that of a man. Aśvatthāmā proved himself to be an unworthy son of Droṇācārya or of a brāhmaṇa, and for this reason he was condemned by the greatest authority, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and yet a mild woman could not withdraw her natural courtesy for a brāhmaṇa.
Even to date, in a Hindu family a woman shows proper respect to the brāhmaṇa caste, however fallen and heinous a brahma-bandhu may be. But the men have begun to protest against brahma-bandhus who are born in families of good brāhmaṇas but by action are less than śūdras.
The specific words used in this śloka are vāma-svabhāvā, "mild and gentle by nature." A good man or woman accepts anything very easily, but a man of average intelligence does not do so. But, anyway, we should not give up our reason and discriminatory power just to be gentle. One must have good discriminatory power to judge a thing on its merit. We should not follow the mild nature of a woman and thereby accept that which is not genuine. Aśvatthāmā may be respected by a good-natured woman, but that does not mean that he is as good as a genuine brāhmaṇa.
avāń-mukhaḿ karma-jugupsitena
nirīkṣya kṛṣṇāpakṛtaḿ guroḥ sutaḿ
vāma-svabhāvā kṛpayā nanāma ca
SYNONYMS
tathā — thus; āhṛtam — brought in; paśu-vat — like an animal; pāśa-baddham — tied with ropes; avāk-mukham — without a word in his mouth; karma — activities; jugupsitena — being heinous; nirīkṣya — by seeing; kṛṣṇā — Draupadī; apakṛtam — the doer of the degrading; guroḥ — the teacher; sutam — son; vāma — beautiful; svabhāvā — nature; kṛpayā — out of compassion; nanāma — offered obeisances; ca — and.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: Draupadī then saw Aśvatthāmā, who was bound with ropes like an animal and silent for having enacted the most inglorious murder. Due to her female nature, and due to her being naturally good and well-behaved, she showed him due respects as a brāhmaṇa.
PURPORT
Aśvatthāmā was condemned by the Lord Himself, and he was treated by Arjuna just like a culprit, not like the son of a brāhmaṇa or teacher. But when he was brought before Śrīmatī Draupadī, she, although begrieved for the murder of her sons, and although the murderer was present before her, could not withdraw the due respect generally offered to a brāhmaṇa or to the son of a brāhmaṇa. This is due to her mild nature as a woman. Women as a class are no better than boys, and therefore they have no discriminatory power like that of a man. Aśvatthāmā proved himself to be an unworthy son of Droṇācārya or of a brāhmaṇa, and for this reason he was condemned by the greatest authority, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and yet a mild woman could not withdraw her natural courtesy for a brāhmaṇa.
Even to date, in a Hindu family a woman shows proper respect to the brāhmaṇa caste, however fallen and heinous a brahma-bandhu may be. But the men have begun to protest against brahma-bandhus who are born in families of good brāhmaṇas but by action are less than śūdras.
The specific words used in this śloka are vāma-svabhāvā, "mild and gentle by nature." A good man or woman accepts anything very easily, but a man of average intelligence does not do so. But, anyway, we should not give up our reason and discriminatory power just to be gentle. One must have good discriminatory power to judge a thing on its merit. We should not follow the mild nature of a woman and thereby accept that which is not genuine. Aśvatthāmā may be respected by a good-natured woman, but that does not mean that he is as good as a genuine brāhmaṇa.
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