Bhagavatam study 71 1.14.1.11 – Departure of the order-sustaining Lord leads to disruption of that order

Thank you. So, here, in this chapter, Arjuna’s journey to Dwaraka to find out about the well-being of Krishna and his return, and the observation of inauspicious symptoms in the meanwhile, is described over here. So, Krishna is living in Dwaraka and Arjuna went there.
Krishna, which is the name of Arjuna, he went there to see his bandhu, that is Krishna. He also wanted to know the intentions, the plans. What was his future plan? He wanted to know.
So, Arjuna is a friend as well as a devotee of the Lord and he always consulted Krishna before making any major decisions. And thus, he wanted to know what was Krishna’s plan. So, he asked, he went there to inquire, to see Krishna and to inquire about his plans.
So, when we have friends, we go to meet them, sometimes it’s just a friendly call, social call, and we say, oh, I want to see how you are. Sometimes we just want to spend time with someone. But beyond that, there is also a purpose of if we have some service to do together.
So, what are you doing? How should we do this particular thing? We discuss these things. So, both, to see his friend out of affection and to know his intentions, so that accordingly he could mould his plans, Arjuna had gone to meet Krishna. So, this chapter is described from Yudhishtira’s perspective.
So, it describes the situation Hastinapur is being described. And it said that when Arjuna had gone, in a few months had passed away, and Arjuna did not come back. So, at that time, of ghastly form, means causes or more specifically, the word there refers to omens.
So, the omens indicated some inauspicious about to happen. So, he started seeing very fearful omens all around. Kurudvaha is the best.
Kurudvaha is the best among the Kuru, that is their king, current king, that is Maharaja Yudhishtira. In the previous word, Punyashlokas here was used for Krishna. Well, sorry, for Krishna.
And now that usage ties up over here to how when that Lord who is glorified by virtuous poetry, who is a supreme virtue personified, who comes to establish virtue, when that Lord departs, how chaos comes in this world. That is being described in this chapter. And thus, the stress over here is on explaining this nimittani ghor roopani, the inauspiciousness omens, which indicate that the Lord of all auspiciousness, Punyashlokas here, had departed from the world.
And that will be mentioned in future verses. When he saw the moment of time, raudram, fearful, fierce, viparyasya tartu dharminah, viparyasya, viparya means opposite, the reversed, tutu dharminah, seasons had become inverted. They are not going according to natural way.
Paapi yasi indranam vartam. And the disposition of people in general became sinful. Paapi vartam means, it can refer specifically to occupation, so that people in their occupational conduct started becoming immoral, manipulative, deceptive.
Krodha loba anruta atmanam. So, krodha, loba, anruta, so krodha is anger, loba is greed, anruta is falsehood. So, paapi yasi, how have people become sinful? Because they were engaged, because they were letting themselves act according to lust, anger and falsity.
Now here, when he talks about profession, when people act at a professional level, it may well happen that they start becoming greedy. They try to exploit others to get as much money as possible from them, while paying as less as possible, say, the dues to them, whatever is to be given. So, for a small product, we charge too much from them, that is loba.
And say, bosses become very aggressive and exploitative and insulting towards the subordinates, that’s anger at work. Anruta, and everybody basically tries to cheat each other. Even for the orderly functioning of society at any level, certain level of harmony, certain level of honesty is required.
If honesty is not there, then the whole of society will collapse. And that’s what is happening over here, as I described. globharop anrutatmanam So, people’s very beings seem to be filled with atmanam, with anger, greed and falsity.
jimma prayam vyavahrutam shatyam ishram jasa urudam pitra matra surudhatra dampatinam chakalkanam jimma prayam vyavahrutam That vyavahrutam, vyavahar, the normally ordinary interactions that we do in day to day life, jimma prayam, that there was cheating involved in that. shatyam ishram jasa urudam And duplicity started coming in, in close relationships also. saurudam Saurudha is one who is a well-wisher.
Now, amidst such well-wishers, shatyam ishram, shatyam ishram rather, that what happened was, there was falsity that came in among such relationship. And duplicity came in. So, rather than speaking truthfully to each other, even close relatives started hiding things from each other, thereby not letting the proper understanding of things, which leads to trust, which leads to intimacy, all that was being obstructed.
And naturally, when there is suspicion, when there is lack of openness, then even small, small differences lead to explosive confrontations. So, that happened, pitra matra surudhatra Dampati namche kalkanam, kalkanam That means, kalki refers to the agent of quarrel. So, kalkanam refers to the agent who causes quarrel, kalkanam refers to the fact of quarrel among people.
So, here there is quarrel among mothers, fathers, close friends, brothers, and even spouses. In this way, the inauspiciousness started being seen everywhere. Overall, this verse talks about how, when there is duplicity, that leads to dissension.
And then that leads eventually to distress and degradation. So, in this way, seeing various inauspicious openings, arishtani, those which are inauspicious, kaletu anugatendranam, as time was passing with these inauspicious moments, staying on and not going away, lobhadhyadharamaprakritam, greed and others, activities of a adharmic nature, of an impious, vicious nature, drishtvavachanujamdrupah, the king spoke on seeing all this, uvach, he spoke to anujam, he spoke to his younger brother. So, in this case, the younger brother whom he took in confidence and spoke to was Bhima.
At one level, sometimes you may think of Bhima as a very short-tempered person who is just about to explode at any time. But those are a few, that was one characteristic of Bhima, but that was not his only characteristic. He was a responsible kshatriya and although he would get angry and he would act out of anger, he also knew how to maintain his temper when necessary.
And since Nakul and Sahadev were significantly younger, so three brothers, Yudhishthir, Bhima and Arjun, they were closer to each other in some ways. And of course, among them, Bhima and Yudhishthir were closest in age. So normally, when we have some anxieties, we don’t tell those anxieties to people who are a little too younger than us, with whom if we have a relationship like that of parent and child, then we may not tell our anxieties to them.
But those who are more equal to us, we may confide in them. So here, Yudhishthir is confiding to Bhima about his observations of the inauspiciousness that he is seeing everywhere. Yudhishthir Vacha, this is text 6. sampreshito dvarkayam jishnur bandhadidrukshaya ghyatum cha punyashlokasya krishnasya chavicheshtitam So, sampreshito dvarkayam, similar words as earlier came.
jishnur bandhadidrukshaya. So actually, this whole verse is identical to the verse 1. The only difference is that, that same, the verbs and the nouns have changed slightly, because here it is Yudhishthir describing that event, rather than the action of Arjuna going there being described. There it was, sampreshito dvarkayam jishnur bandhadidrukshaya ghyatum cha punyashlokasya krishnasya chavicheshtitam.
And here it is, sampreshito, so the verb has changed, dvarkayam, jishnur bandhadidrukshaya. So jishnur, the nature of the noun and its relationship with the action has changed, because there it was described Arjuna was going, and here it is saying Arjuna went. And the last line is, last two lines are identical.
So that was the main purpose why he had gone, and Yudhishthir is repeating that purpose, while starting his conversation with Bheema. Text 7 kataha saptadhuna maasa bheemasena tavanuja naayati kasyavahetor naaham vededa manjasa kataha saptadhuna maasa So here an additional detail is given, earlier it was said that he had gone for some time, now it is said that he went for three months. saptadhuna maasa bheemasena tavanuja Oh Bheema, your younger brother has gone for seven months now.
naayati kasyavahetor He has not come back. And what is the reason for this delay? What is the reason for not having any communication with us? naaham vededa manjasa I do not know factually what is the matter. Why has he not returned? I do not know about this.
So the person whom they are looking forward to see, they are not seeing that itself is a cause of anxiety. But instead they are seeing something that further increases anxiety, that indicates inauspiciousness. api devarishena adishtaha sakaloyam upasthitaha yadatmano angam akridam bhagavan utsisrukshati So api devarishena adishtaha As the Devarishi Narada had told, it is mentioned in the previous chapter, that you should continue to rule as long as Lord Krishna is there on this planet.
So and then after that, when he departs, time will turn inauspicious. He had mentioned all this. So when he said sakaloyam upasthitaha, that time I am seeing has now come.
upasthitaha yadatmano angam akridam At that time, I have seen that the unfavorable time has arrived. Has that time now come? He says, there is a question mark implied over here that, Oh, is the time of inauspicious departure of Krishna, has it already arrived? yadatmano angam akridam The manifestation, is it going to end? bhagavan utsisrukshati utsisrukshati Now he is inquiring this question. Now, Krishna comes, dharma samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge But when he departs, then there is no more… Yesterday, when he comes, dharma comes with him.
When he goes, you could say conversely, dharma goes. Dharma is established, but the establishment of dharma is not a one-time process. It is a process that has to be repeated time and time again.
Because the very nature of dharma is that, actually, there is no way for us to move forwards. Actually, in moving forwards, we all are going to have difficulties. Because the nature of life is that there are difficulties.
The world is a difficult place to live in. And when the Lord departs, then the dharma that has been established, that starts declining. So, when Krishna is not there, Kaal is there.
The Kaal’s flow is relentless. In Kaalousmilokakshakrutparavuddha, Krishna says, that the flow of time often makes things difficult for us. And that’s what happened over here to him.
yasmannasampato rajyam dharaprana kulampraja asan sapatna vijayo lokasya yadanugraha Yadanugraha So, although Yudhishthir is the king, he is not just the king, he is the emperor. There have been majestic sacrifices, such as the Rajasuya, that have been performed to enthrone him as the king. But still, he is remembering that all this is Yadanugraha.
It all is by the mercy of Krishna. And by his mercy, he says, yes, by his mercy, we have got all that. sampato, we have got the wealth, we have got rajyam, the kingdom, dharaha, even our wives, pranaha, life, kulampraja, our children, our kulam refers to children specifically, it can refer also to dynasty over here, prajaha, the population, the citizen that we have, asan sapatna vijayan And all this became possible because along with it, we all had enemies, but the victory over our enemies, it all became possible by his grace.
sapatna vijayoh lokasya yadanugraha So, here Yudhishthir is revealing his divine consciousness, whereby he doesn’t think that he is responsible for the success of his citizens, rather he is saying that actually it is for his own success, he is saying that it is the Lord who is responsible, whose grace has made all success and opulence possible. The nature of the world is that temptation can come from anywhere. Temptation in the sense of becoming distracted from our Lord, that can happen when we are caught in illusion and that illusion can come either when there is distress and we start wondering, what is God doing for me? Or it can come in success and happiness, when we may start thinking what do I need God for? So, here Yudhishthir is displaying how even in the midst of prosperity, the earlier part of the Mahabharata described how in adversity, he had always taken shelter of the Lord, now it is describing that how in prosperity, he remembered the Lord and he was dependent on the Lord.
So, our spirituality is tested in both adversity and prosperity. Adversity makes us feel the question, why is God doing this or at least what is God doing to help me in this? Prosperity, temptation is what do I need God for? Either way, we do see that there is the danger of distraction from devotion in all situations and we need to be always on guard. Sampadhe Vipadhe, in both happiness and distress, if we stay devoted to our Lord, then there is auspiciousness for us.
If we do not do so, if we let ourselves get distracted from our devotional purpose because of our inability to stay fixed, then if our intention is weak, then even adversity can divert us and even prosperity can divert us. If our intention is strong, then both adversity and prosperity will inspire us to intensify our devotion. Text 10 over here.
पश्योत् पातान् नरव् व्याग्र दिव्यान् भोमान् सदहिकान् दारूनां शम्सतो दूराद भयम्नो बुद्धि मोहनम् पश्य उत्पातान् पश्य ओन् सीं उत्पातान् उत्पातान् दिस्टर्बन्स We have the well-known verse, स्मति शुति शुति पुराणावि आईकान्ति की हरेयर भत्ति उत्पातायय वकल्पने पांचरात्री की विधिम्विना When we practice bhakti without considering scriptural guidelines, then the result is that devotion causes disruption. When it is done without authorization, and understanding this, what we need to do is we have to be cautious. We have to recognize that we have to stay fixed without being fixed in our spiritual practices.
Otherwise, our life will be disrupted. And sometimes disruptions can come from within our own consciousness because of various temptations. And sometimes disruptions can come externally because of the various situations that we face in life.
So here Yudhishthir is talking about outer disruptions and how they are causing inner concern to him, which he is voicing to his brother and confidant, Bhima. So, नरव्याग्र The Vedic culture is a culture of profound respect. So therein, we see that even when he is referring to his younger brother, on one side he affectionately, अजु अनुज, your brother.
Now he is also referring also as that, actually, उत्पातान उत्पातान That he is saying that नरव्याग्र, that there are these disruptions, but, oh, Bhima, you are the tiger among men. You are extremely powerful. So because you are extremely powerful, we will be able to recognize that we can deal with this.
You, oh, Bhima are powerful enough. By reminding himself and reminding Bhima, of his power, he is also seeking and providing assurance amidst this time of uncertainty and anxiety. So each one of us has to be a support to each other.
दिव्यान, भौमान, सदहीकान That there are three kinds of auspiciousness that may happen. That may happen in the atmosphere, on the earth, and in our own body and mind. दारूनाम शमसतो अधूराद That all this, in this, all these inauspiciousness that I am seeing, उत्पातान, दारूनाम, they indicate that a great danger, शमसतो, is going to happen.
This is an indication of that. अधूराद, दूर is far away, अधूराद is not far away. That means it’s close.
So if we are going to meet someone and they call us and ask, when will you reach here? Not too long. अधूराद But not too long also indicates some amount of uncertainty or indefiniteness. We don’t know when it is going to happen, but it’s not going to be a long time.
So these omens indicate that some disaster is about to befall. Now when exactly it is going to befall, there is some amount of uncertainty, but it’s not very far away. भयन्यो बुद्धि मोहनम् So भयम, there is fear being caused in बुद्धि मोहनम्.
Normally when we talk about moha, we say that it is the mind that is put in moha. But there are times when even the intelligence can be put in moha. Because the nature of the intelligence is that it needs to seek some kind of sense out of whatever is happening.
And when the mind is deluded, if our intelligence is steady, then we can come back to sense. But if the intelligence itself is deluded, then it is very difficult to come back to sense. Because in that case, then we just appear helpless.
We just don’t know what we can do or what we should do or how we should do it. भयन्यो बुद्धि मोहनम् बुद्धि मोहनम् यदाते मोह कलिलं बुद्धे गतिदारिषते Moha in association with buddhi is talked about in the Bhagavad Gita also in 2.52-53 when Krishna tells Arjuna that after understanding the essential message of the Vedas and after living in a mode of detachment, then even if in the Vedas itself something is talked, which is based on material attachment, you will not get caught by that. You will not get distracted by that.
Rather, you will move onwards positively in your life. बुद्धि मोहनम् Now, because these inauspicious symptoms are being seen and one is not able to make sense of why these inauspicious symptoms are there, therefore, there is anxiety. There is बुद्धि मोहनम् that has happened.
So, it is when the बुद्धि becomes मोहित, it becomes deluded, then we need to consult some higher intelligence. We need to consult Krishna. And that is what is being talked over here.
Text 11 उर्वाक्षिबाहवो महियम् स्पुरंत्य अंगपुनपुनः विपतुष्चापिरिदये आरादास्यन्ति विप्रियम् उर्वाक्षिबाहवो महियम् So, he is saying, my thighs, eyes, arms, all of them, they are quivering. स्पुरंत्य अंगपुनपुनः The left side of my body is again and again quivering. विपतुष्चापिरिदये There are palpitations in the left side of my body.
There are palpitations in my heart, rather. रुदये आरादास्यन्ति विप्रियम् आराद And then, विपतुष्चापिरिदये These are due to fear. आरादास्यन्ति विप्रियम् Because I see that विप्रियम् Something very inauspicious is about to happen.
In a sense, none of us can avoid inauspicious situations. But still, that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to go out of our way to seek inauspicious situations. And when inauspicious situations cause inauspicious reactions, then the inauspiciousness gets doubled.
So here, Yudhishthira is saying that the inauspiciousness outside has made him has caused greater inauspiciousness within him. And he’s seeing that further inauspiciousness in the form of his bodily trembling. And actually, the symptoms which Yudhishthira is describing are very similar to the symptoms which Arjuna describes at the start of the Bhagavad Gita.
But the commonality is only in the bodily symptoms. Not in the environmental symptoms. The difference in the environmental symptoms is significant.
And those environmental symptoms will be described in the next series of verses. Thank you.