20 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Lord Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by Balarāma and surrounded by the Yadu dynasty, killed many demons. Then, producing a quarrel, he quickly relieved the earth of its burden.
The Supreme Lord made the Pāṇòavas, enraged by the numerous offenses of their enemies, such as duplicitous gambling, verbal insults, the seizing of Draupadī's hair, the immediate cause, and then had all the assembled kings kill each other, thus relieving the earth of its burden.
This verse described the quarrel. The Lord made Arjuna and others, enraged greatly (subahu) by the unfair gambling match and other incidents, the cause, and then had the assembled kings kill each other and thus removed the burden of the earth.
After using the Yadu dynasty, which was protected by his arms, to eliminate the kings who with their armies had been the burden of this earth, the unfathomable Lord thought, "Although the earth's burden is now gone, in my opinion it is not yet gone, because there still remains the intolerable burned of Yādu dynasty itself remain."
Who were the Yadus? They were protected by the strength of Lords own arms. He then began to think, but because it is not possible to understand his thoughts at that time, he is described as aprameyaḥ: unfathomable. Nanu indicates a conjecture. I think that though, from the commoners perception, the burden is gone, the burden is not gone. Why? Though the Yādavas have the highest dharma, they are also a form of burden. This is explained in the First Canto (Chapter Fifteen).
They cannot at all be censured by anyone else since they have unrestricted power, having taken constant shelter of me. Making a quarrel within the Yadu family like a fire in a bamboo grove, and thus destroying them, I will then attain my abode.
Should relieving the earth of this burden be undertaken by someone else? The answer is given. They cannot even be censured (paribhavaḥ) by anyone else, what to speak of being killed. They have taken shelter of me ad have unrestricted power. Arranging from them to go to Prabhāsa and having them quarrel, I will arrange for their destruction (śāntim), and then attain Vaikuṇṭha. I will go to Vaikuṇṭha in my portion, as my form of Nārāyaṇa (which merged into Kṛṣṇa when he appeared on earth). Just as a wind causes fire by friction of bamboos, destroys them, and then disappears, I will arrange for friction among the Yadus, destroy them, and then disappear.
O King! When the powerful Lord, whose desire always come true, had thus decided, he withdrew his family from the earth on the pretext of a curse spoken by an assembly of brāhmaṇas.
Making up his mind in this way, on the pretext of a brāhmaṇas curse he withdrew his family. One purpose of this arrangement was to show the great powers of brāhmaṇas.
ācchidya kīrtiṁ su-ślokāṁ vitatya hy añjasā nu kau tamo 'nayā tariṣyantīty agāt svaṁ padam īśvaraḥ
Having stolen peoples eyes with my form which makes them reject all other beauty, having stolen their voices and ears by my words, having stolen their minds and having stolen their movements of their bodies by the markings on my footprints, and having distributed my glories which are praised by poets, people of the future will be delivered from samara by these glories. Thinking in this way, the Lord made up his mind.
Having accomplished the mission of his descent on earth, he then disappeared. He stole the eyes of everyone by his form which made them give up all other beauty. When people looked at other things, their sight did not function. In this way he stole their eyes. He stole the voice of everyone by his words. By his words he stole their voices and their ears as well, since those without voices were also devoid of ears (since they had to hear his words alone). He stole the hearts of all persons who remember. Similarly he attracted the movements such as walking of those who saw the marks on his footprints. Having accomplished this, he became absorbed in his decision.
Kṛṣṇa, having appeared, having attracted the senses of all people, made them blind, deaf, mute, mad and paralyzed. Who can call him merciful? He is the greatest thief. This is a form of vyāja-stuti, criticism indicating praise. But actually he gave liberation to the demons after killing them, and to others he drowned them in the ocean of his beauty and gave them prema. No one else had such unrestricted mercy. After having spread his glories which poets praise, people who will be born on earth in the future will easily cross the ocean of saṁsāra (tamaḥ), by that glory (anayā), like a boat. Considering in that way, he made up his mind. This indicates his mercy to the people of the future. Svam padam means he became absorbed in his decision. According to Amara-koṣa, padam can mean decision, deliverance, place, wealth, feet, and object. After accomplishing my purpose in a hundred and twenty-five years, now I will become invisible from the material world. He came to that decision. It is not possible for this to mean He went to Vaikuṇṭha with all his portions. That is because in the previous Canto it was stated that Kṛṣṇa eternally performs pastimes in Vṛṇdāvana, Mathurā and Dvārakā, and this is supported by śruti and smṛti statements. The statements of Uddhava comparing Kṛṣṇa to the sun and fire, confirm the fact that Kṛṣṇa never gives up his three abodes:
kṛṣṇa-dyumaṇi nimloce gīrṇeṣv ajagareṇa ha
kiṁ nu naḥ kuśalaṁ brūyāṁ gata-śrīṣu gṛheṣv aham
Since Kṛṣṇa has disappeared like the sun,1 how can I describe the condition of us, his friends, devoid of splendor, whose houses have been swallowed by the snake of lamentation? SB 3.2.7
sva-śānta-rūpeṣv itaraiḥ sva-rūpair
abhyardyamāneṣv anukampitātmā
parāvareśo mahad-aṁśa-yukto
hy ajo 'pi jāto bhagavān yathāgniḥ
Being compassionate in mind, when his devotees are afflicted by the demons, Svayam Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, though not having material birth, and who is like fire, 2 appears within this world along with all his Viṣṇu expansions, since he is the Lord of all forms of God and devatās. SB 3.2.15
King Parīkṣit said: How could the brāhmaṇas curse the Vṛṣṇis, who were always respectful to the brāhmaṇas, who were charitable, who were inclined to serve seniors and whose minds were always absorbed in Kṛṣṇa?
O purest of the twice-born! What was the motive for this curse? What did it consist of? And how could such a disagreement have arisen among the Yadus, who were all devotees of Kṛṣṇa? Please tell me all these things.
How could there be a quarrel causing their destruction among those with one mind?
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Possessing a body composed of the most beautiful objects, performing most auspicious acts in this world, enjoying while residing in Dvārakā, and spreading his fame for the benefit of future generations, he desired to destroy his family after completing his mission, since three goals remained to be accomplished.
The Lord produced the curse through the brāhmaṇas by his will, since he desired to disappear with the Vṛṣṇis after completing his intended work-- making all men successful by showing his most attractive form, pastimes, and pleasures. His form is described. He had a body in which resided the beauty of all things. His actions are described. He performed most auspicious activities. Situated in his abodes such as Dvārakā, he was enjoying, with his dear wives. This describes his astonishing pleasure. All that he wanted to do was completed (āpta-kāmaḥ). He had the magnanimous fame (udāra-kīrtiḥ) of giving prema to the people born in the future, since he was known for his form, pastimes and pleasures. He then desired to destroy his family through the curse of brāhmaṇas, since he had three remaining activities to perform: the devatās among the Yadus should be reestablished in Svarga; his portions should be reestablished in Vaikuṇṭha, Śvetadvīpa, Badarikāśrama and other places; and he would disappear with his eternal associates from the eyes of materialistic people.
viśvāmitro 'sitaḥ kaṇvo durvāsā bhṛgur aḍgirāḥ kaśyapo vāmadevo 'trir vasiṣṭho nāradādayaḥ
In the home of the chief of the Yadus, Vasudeva, the father of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the sages Viśvāmitra, Asita, Kaṇva, Durvāsā, Bhṛgu, Aḍgirā, Kaśyapa, Vāmadeva, Atri and Vasiṣṭha, along with Nārada and others, once performed rituals that award abundant pious results, bring great happiness and take away the sins of Kali-yuga for the whole world, by being recounted. After Lord Kṛṣṇa, who was staying in Vasudeva's house as time personified, respectfully sent the sages off at the conclusion of the ceremonies, the sages went to the holy place called Piṇòāraka.
First the Lord made arrangements for the curse to be made. After performing horse sacrifices etc., sages called for the sacrifice, after being given donations, arrived at a holy place near Piṇòaraka. They were permitted to leave by Kṛṣṇa, who was the personification of time. As time he had a desire to destroy the dynasty.
te veṣayitvā strī-veṣaiḥ sāmbaṁ jāmbavatī-sutam eṣā pṛcchati vo viprā antarvatny asitekṣaṇā
praṣṭuṁ vilajjatī sākṣāt
prabrūtāmogha-darśanāḥ
prasoṣyantī putra-kāmā
kiṁ svit sañjanayiṣyati
To that holy place, the young boys of the Yadu dynasty had brought Sāmba, son of Jāmbavatī, dressed in woman's garb. Playfully approaching the great sages gathered there, the boys grabbed hold of the sages' feet and impudently asked them with feigned humility, "O learned brāhmaṇas, this black-eyed pregnant woman has something to ask you. She is too embarrassed to inquire for herself. She is just about to give birth and is very desirous of having a son. Since all of you are great sages with infallible vision, please tell us whether her child will be a boy or a girl."
Upasaḍgṛhya means they touched the sages feet. Kiṁ svit means Will she bear a son or not ?
O King! Thus put to a test, the sages became angry, and told the boys, "Fools! She will bear you an iron club that will destroy your dynasty."
Pralabdhāḥ here means having their knowledge being put to a test.
Upon hearing the curse of the sages, the terrified boys quickly uncovered the belly of Sāmba, and indeed they observed there an iron club.
The young men of the Yadu dynasty said, "Oh, what have we done? We are so unfortunate! What will our family members say to us?" Speaking thus and being very disturbed, they returned to their homes, taking the club with them.
The Yadu boys, the luster of their faces completely faded, brought the club into the royal assembly, and in the presence of all the Yādavas they told King Ugrasena what had happened.
They told Ugrasena, not Kṛṣṇa.
O King Parīkṣit, when the inhabitants of Dvārakā heard of the infallible curse of the brāhmaṇas and saw the club, they were astonished and distraught with fear.
After having the club ground to powder, Ugrasena, King of the Yadus, threw the pieces, along with the remaining lump of iron, into the water of the ocean.
Ugrasena told everyone, Do not have fear or shame. Without asking Kṛṣṇa, he ground up the club. A small piece remained which he thought was insignificant. He threw it all in the water.
A certain fish swallowed the iron lump, and the powdered iron, carried back to the shore by the waves, stuck there and grew into sharp canes.
Taralaiḥ means by waves.
The fish was caught in the ocean along with other fish in a fisherman's net. The iron lump in the fish's stomach was taken by the hunter Jarā, who fixed it as a head at the tip of his arrow.
Knowing fully the significance of all these events, the Supreme Lord, though capable of reversing the brāhmaṇas' curse, did not wish to do so. Rather, in his form of time, he sanctioned the events.
Thus ends the commentary on First Chapter of the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
I offer respects to Śrī Kṛṣṇa-caitanya. I take shelter of the Lord of Govardhana, the supporter of the earth which nourishes the cows, and to the Govardhana Mountain. Offering respects to guru and Kṛṣṇa, the ocean of mercy, I take shelter of Śukadeva, master of the world, eye of the universe. I offer myself and everything I possess to he who is the life of the gopīs, the controller, for service to his dear devotees.
One chapter begins to describe Kṛṣṇas disappearance. Four chapters deal with the Navayogendras. One chapter describes the curse of the sages and the prayers of the devatās. Twenty-three chapters are dedicated to Kṛṣṇas teachings to Uddhava. One chapter describes the destruction of the Yadu dynasty, and one chapter describes Kṛṣṇas disappearance. Thus, in thirty-one chapters of the Eleventh Canto, the subject of liberation, previously mentioned, is described. In the First Chapter, thinking of how to destroy the Yadu dynasty the Lord arranged for brāhmaṇas to curse them and the iron ball became reeds.
In the Tenth Canto Kṛṣṇa, the tenth subject āśraya, Svayam Bhagavān, who satisfies and astonishes his devotees with his variegated, sweet pastimes, was described. In the Eleventh Canto, liberation, which takes shelter of lotus feet, is described, and to relate a little of the remaining pastimes, the previous pastimes are again mentioned in this verse. The augment on the verse avatārayat is absent as poetic license. Javiṣṭham means most quickly. The quarrel refers to the dissension between the Kurus and Pāṇòavas.