Bhagavatam study 73 1.14.18.33 – When we apprehend the worst-case scenario we look for alternatives

शुर्यमःतप्रभंपश्य। ग्रहमर्दम्मिथोधिवी। ससंकुलैर् भूतगनैर् ज्वलिते इवरोधसी। गालोयं किम्विधास्यति नध्यो नधास्चु शुभिता। The rivers and their tributaries are also शुभिता, they are disturbed. सरामसीच मनामसीच। The reservoirs of the water, they are perturbed, similarly the mind is perturbed.
ज्वलत्य अगनिर आजेन। Even if we put butter or ghee or any kind of fuel in fire, still it doesn’t burn. गालोयं किम्विधास्यति। What kind of time has arrived? What is going to happen? We all get some security by the predictability and the order of things that we experience around us. When we turn on a tap, if water doesn’t come, that causes some anxiety.
Although at one level we know that this world is a place of distress and पदम् पदम् यद्विपदम्, that any moment disaster can befall us, still the fact remains that there is certain predictable order in the day-to-day functioning in life. And if that predictability is lost, then almost everything is lost. Because we just don’t know how to function.
नद्यो नदाश्च शुभितः। So here he is saying that नद्यो नदाश्च शुभितः, that actually the rivers which are normally meant to be calm, they flow smoothly, gracefully, soothingly. In fact, many people go to the banks of rivers just to see and hear the sound of the water flowing on the river. And that gives so much peace, that gives so much calmness.
But when they are disturbed, शुभितः, then it can be very disturbing, सराम्सी. So just as the water bodies are disturbed, then the inner mind is also disturbed. The mind is sometimes compared to a water body.
If there is a lot of dirt in it, then we can’t see deep inside it. If there is a lot of turbulence in it, then we can’t see inside it. But if the water is calm and clear, then we can see through the water down to its bottom.
So like that, either if our mind is contaminated or agitated, so in both cases, there is the disruption of vision that happens. So this is something which all of us have to deal with, that contamination or agitation of the mind causes distortion of vision, just as the presence of dirt or the presence of turbulence in water prevents us from seeing through it to the bottom of the river. So then it is further said, नज्वलत्य अग्निराज्य.
Another significant, possibly even more significant disruption is that it’s said over here that नज्वलत्य अग्निराज्य. Normally when we light a matchstick or we light using a electric lighter, the flame needs to start, fire needs to appear. But if there is wood and we put fuel on it and still the wood doesn’t light, then that’s disturbing.
So the disappearance of the Lord who sustains the order of nature causes the disruption of the, at least disturbance is not total disruption, in the functioning of the natural order. And through this, the Bhagavatam illustrates how actually nature does not act independently. Nature acts under subordination.
And that subordination is manifest when there is disruption at such times. कालोयम् किम्विधासिति So what kind of time has come? He is asking कालोयम् What kind of time is there, O Lord? किम्विधासिति What is going to happen now? There is absolutely no predictability. There is enormous anxiety.
And that anxiety is unbearable. So that’s why, although Yudhishthira is a war-hardened Kshatriya, still he is also expressing anxiety over here. पिबंतिस्तनं बच्सा नदुयंति चमातरहा रुदंति आशुर मुखा गावो नरुश्यन्ति रिषभावरजे नपिबंतिस्तनं बच्सा That the children, the cows are not ready to drink the milk from their mothers.
And conversely, the mothers are not ready to give milk. This is another very disturbing disruption of order. One of the closest examples that we get to selfless love in this world is the relationship between a mother and a baby, an infant.
And perhaps one of the sweetest expressions of such affection is seen in the natural world, apart from the human world, and is seen in, say, cows and their calves. So, नपिबंतिस्तनं बच्सा that actually, when the cow stops providing milk and the calf stops drinking milk, then that is also very unnatural. रुदंति आशुर मुखा गावो And the cows are tear-faced.
अशुर मुखा नरिश्यन्ति रुशबावरचे They are not at all celebrating or delighting even when there is lush green pasture in front of them where they can go and have food. Animals are generally driven by their bodily functions. And their emotions are invested entirely into the body.
So, when certain bodily pleasures are available, and of course, food is not just a bodily pleasure, it’s a bodily need, when that is available, they naturally feel joy. But here, they are not expressing joy. They are actually expressing anxiety or disturbance.
They don’t know what to do. नरिश्यन्ति रुशबावरचे They don’t feel any joy at all. They don’t express any symptom of enlivenment on seeing the source of life.
That is food. For them, grass. Pasture filled with grass, in fact.
दैवतानिर्धन्तिव स्विध्यन्तेय उचलंतिच इमेजन पदाग्रामः पूरो उध्याना आकराश्रमः ब्रष्टश्रियो निरानन्दः किमघं दर्शयन्तिनः Continuing the description of the various inauspicious symptoms that are being seen Yudhishthira says that even the deities in the temples, it appears as if रुधन्तिव, देर्खायं, स्विध्यन्ति, that they are perspiring. Yudhishthira said that he can see symptoms of fear and distress on his own body, but he can see similar symptoms even in the deities in the temples. उचलंतिच, उचलंति means they seem to be about to leave.
So the inauspiciousness is परवेज, and even sacred places like temples don’t seem to be spared of this inauspiciousness. इमेजनपदाग्रामः That, इमेजनपदाग्रामः That okay, that even the cities, the villages, pooras, the towns, उध्यान, the parks, gardens, आकार, the mines, आश्रिम, the hermitages, ब्रश्ठश्रियो, निरानन्दः And in all these places, the beauty is destroyed and there is no happiness over there. निरानन्दः And किमगंदर्श्यन्तिनः Oh indeed, seeing all this inauspiciousness, the heart trembles, and one wonders what is the inauspiciousness that is going to come.
किमगंदर्श्यन्तिनः Normally, say if there is a disease in the body, then we start, if we start feeling something disorderly in the body, if we start feeling fever, if we start feeling shivering, if we start feeling, say, our hand trembling inordinately, then we start wondering, okay, if my hand is trembling, does this mean I am getting Parkinson’s? If I start feeling pain in the chest, does that mean that I am getting a heart attack? We naturally feel these fears. And when these fears come, how do we deal with them? मन्यएतैर्महोत्पातैर् नूनं भग्वतः पदै अनन्यः पुरुषः श्रीबिर्हीनाभोर् हतसवभगा So that answer, on seeing the inauspicious symptoms in the world, what is the inference to be drawn? That inference is being described in this verse. Normally when there are some symptoms which could be indicative of a terrible disease, then normally the doctors will look to see if there is some other, less threatening explanation.
Say some symptoms point towards cancer, and say advanced or terminal cancer, then that’s terrible. But if they point towards, those same symptoms could point towards something else, say not such a terrible form of cancer, or some other disease entirely, then the doctors would want to explore that option, and if that option is what works out, then they give the treatment and accordingly help the patient to be cured. So similarly, Yudhishthir, on seeing the terrible option, terrible omens, he has explored various options.
What could be the cause of this? And we will see that the similar reasoning he will do towards the end, when he sees the gloom in Arjuna also. So here, after looking at all the symptoms, first he, so it’s like, normally when a doctor sees a particular symptom, they may come to the conclusion that this is cancer. But then they will try to see if there are other explanations, and if the other explanations don’t work, then again they will come back to the explanation of the cancer.
Similarly, we will see Bhima, while speaking with Bhima, Yudhishthir gives the conclusion that, that this is what it is likely, that the Lord has departed. But when he sees Arjuna in an unprecedented state of distress, then he asks various questions about why Arjuna might be in such distress. And then he arrives at a conclusion.
So here, he is arriving at his initial diagnosis. And on seeing this Mahotpath, this huge disruption, I think that the lotus feet of the Lord, which are actually अनन्यपुरुष श्रीभीर, that person who has no equal to him, Shreebir, who is the Lord of good fortune, who himself brings good fortune, हीना भूर हतसव भगा, on his departure from the world, when the earth has become bereft of him, हीना भूर, then what has happened because of that, हतसव भगा, all her good fortune has been lost. So Yudhishthir arrives at this initial diagnosis, and now we will see towards the end, that how this diagnosis gets confirmed towards the end.
Text 22, When he was thinking like this, when he was observing these inauspicious symptoms, while also contemplating their cause, in his consciousness, all this was going on, contemplation, at that time he saw something more, राज्यह, the king saw, प्रत्यागमत, having, returning, यदुपूर्या कपिद्धज, returning to Yadupuri, अस्तिनापुर, कपिद्धज, the one with a monkey marked on his flag, that is Arjuna, ब्रह्मन, Suta Goswami is speaking, to the Brahman, he is telling over there, so यदुपूर्या, from, so it is actually here, it is प्रत्यागमत यदुपूर्या, so that means he is returning from Yadupuri, to we could say the कुरुपूरि, कुरुपूरि is the, is अस्तिनापुर, so on seeing him, normally when we see some loud one, returning after a long time, we are delighted, but then, if we see that loud one, in great distress, then our delight also, our delight just disappears, and it is replaced by apprehension, and maybe distress after that. Text 23, तम्पादयोर् निपतितं, अयथापूर्वं आतुरं, अधोवदनं अबबिन्दुन्, सर्जन्तं नयनाब्ययो, तम्पादयोर् निपतितं, So, Arjuna came and fell at the feet of Yudhishthir, अयथापूर्वं आतूरं, and he saw that there was आतूरं, there was distress, emotion in general, of the kind that he had never seen before, अधोवदनं अबबिन्दुन्, his face was looking downwards, and it’s filled with tears, अबबिन्दुन्, सर्जन्तं नयनाब्ययो, सर्जन्तं, and tears were flowing down from his eyes, his eyes were lotus-like, but right now, they were giving out tears, so his whole posture was a posture of dejection, and it indicates some very distressing event has happened. So, feeling disturbed, feeling concerned, Yudhishthir asks now, विलोक्य उद्वीगनरुदयो, विच्चायं अनुजंद्रपः, पुछतीस्मसुरुन्मद्ये, संस्मरन्नारदेरितम्, विलोक्य उद्वीगनरुदयो, on seeing this, उद्वीगनरुदयो, so, there must have been something terribly wrong in his heart, that he was burdened by something that is clearly, विच्चायं अनुजंद्रुपः, and विच्चायं, his face had no effulgence.
Then, what happened, अनुजंद्रुपः, on seeing his brother like this, the king, पुछतीस्मसुरुन्मद्ये, स्मसुरुन्मद्ये, that among his surdas, among his friends, उच्चती आस्ट, समसुरुन्मद्ये नारदेरितम्, while also remembering what Narada has said. So, like a doctor has a sense of dread when he sees symptoms which indicate a grave disease that is incurable and that is going to soon cause death, so, when there is an impending sense of doom that is coming in, but still, the doctor enquires about certain symptoms to check whether there might be some other cause for this. Similarly, we will see that Yudhishthir enquires about various causes to try to check if there could be any other explanation for why whatever was happening was happening.
Text 25, युधिष्टिर्वाच, कच्चिदानर्तपूर्याम्न, स्वजनासुखमासते, मदुभोजिदशार्हार, सात्वतान्धकवृष्णयह, So here, Yudhishthir will ask about the well-being of the entire clan of Yadus. In a sense, it also indicates his concern about everyone, his individual relationship with everyone, his personal attention to the various members of the Yadu dynasty. On another level, it also indicates an attempt to delay the unpalatable news as much as possible.
कच्चिदानर्तपूर्याम्न, अनर्तपूर्याम्न, In Dwarka, are our relatives, सुजनासुखमासते, are they living happily? मदुभोजिदशार्हार, So, there are Madhus, Bhojas, Dasharhas, Arhas, Satvatas, Andhakas, Vishnayas. These are all various races which have come within the Yadu dynasty, and they are all living in Dwarka or nearby. So he is asking, are all of them good? सूरो माता महा कच्चिद, स्वस्त्यास्ते वात मारिशः, मातुल्हसानुजा कच्चिद, कुष्यल्यानक दुन्दुवी, He is my respectable grandfather, Shura.
महा, माता महा, a maternal grandfather. Is he doing well? स्वस्त्यास्ते वात मारिशः, So, is he passing his days happily? and मातुल्हा, that my maternal uncle Vasudev, अनक्दुन्दुवी, with his younger brothers, are all of them also well? So, he is asking one by one about the well-being of the various relatives. Time and time again, the Bhagavatam uses for Vasudev, the name आनक्दुन्दुवी, that name is used over here also.
Text 27, सप्त्स्वसारस्तत्पत्न्यो, मातुलान्यसाहात्मजः, आसते सस्नुशाक्षेमं, देवकी प्रमुखास्वयम्, So, सप्त्स्वसारस्तत्पत्न्यो, So, he has seven wives, they are sisters, headed by Devaki. मातुलान्यसाहात्मजः, So, are they all well also? So, many of their sons, they have sons who have already got married also. आसते सस्नुशाक्षेमं, So, नवसास्णुशः, So, not only their sons, but are their daughter-in-laws also doing well? देवकी प्रमुखास्वयम्, As he asks about the husband, and he asks about the wives and their children also.
Normally, we talk about attachment in this world. We should not be too attached but we also need to know that we cannot be apathetic in our day-to-day interactions. There are certain courtesies which have to be expected and those courtesies have to be exhibited.
So, asking about the well-being of people is a basic courtesy that is required. So, that is the courtesy that we are talking about over here. Text 28 कच्चिद राजा हुखो जीवत्य, सत्पुत्रोस्त चानुजः, रिधिकः सस्तो क्रूरो, जयन्तगद शारणः, Text 29 Prabhupada has translated both of these together and given the purport together.
आसते कुषेलब् कच्चिद, येच शत्रुजिदादयः, कच्चिद आस्ते सुखं रामो, भगवान सात्व ताम प्रभुहुं, असत्पुत्रोस्त चानुजः, असत्पुत्रो, that person who had an asatputra, that was कच्चिद राजा हुखो जीवत्य, that was Maharaj Ugrasen, another name for him was आहूकह, is he still living, is he doing well, चानुजः, his younger brother is देवक, is he doing well also, his daughter was देवकी, देवकी and कमस, they were actually not exactly brothers, they were cousins, so, रुदिकः ससुतो क्रूरो, जयन्त गद शारणः, रुदिकः, there are others, रुदिकः and his son कृतवर्मा, are they also happy, so here he is asking about one by one the category, various people, ससुतो अक्रूरो, what about अक्रूर, who is well-known in Krishna Leela also, जयन्त गद शारणः, and then there are जयन्त गद and शारण, these are all leading members of the Yadu dynasty, आसते, कुषलं, कच्चित, are they all living happily, येच शत्रुजिदादयः, and others also, कच्चित आसते, सुखं रामो, and he is Rama, बलराम जी, is he happy, भगवान सात्वतां प्रभुः, he is भगवान, the supreme being, सात्वतां प्रभुः, and he is the lord of the सात्वतास, the pure devotees, those who are pursuing the path of सत्व, भगवान सात्वतां प्रभुः, it’s interesting that he is asking about the well-being of Rama, normally we would consider that the lord, nothing can go wrong with him, why should anyone ask about the well-being of the lord, but it’s not that, when we have a personal relationship, we have concern for the person, and that means that we don’t think that the lord is supreme and nothing can happen to him, Draupadi, when she would serve Krishna, when Krishna would be at their home, she would offer him food and she would be concerned whether the food was good or not, whether he was hungry, Krishna is beyond all distress, but then apparently he gets a headache, the gopis are concerned, they don’t think Krishna is God, so the nature of love is that we have concern for the object of love, and if the awareness of God’s omnipotence comes in the way of that concern, and the power of love becomes so great that awareness goes to the background, and the awareness of Krishna comes awareness of how we can serve Krishna comes to the foreground. Text 30 pradyumna sarva-vrishni-naam sukhamaste maharathah gambhir rayo niruddho vardhate bhagavanuta so pradyumna, now he’s asking about the children of Krishna, pradyumna sarva-vrishni-naam maharathah he’s the great general in the family of the Vrishnis, sukhamaste, is that pradyumna doing well? gambhir rayo niruddho there is Aniruddha who is also who is actually very sober and deep, and vardhate bhagavanuta is he flourishing also? one who has sobriety and dexterity, is that Aniruddha also doing well? so, words can have multiple reference Aniruddha is the name of manifestation of Mahavishnu, Chaturvedi also and Aniruddha also refers to the one of the descendants coming from Krishna so in this way there are multiple ways in which the names can be referred to of course here it is referring to the Dwarkavasis text 31 what about Sushena and Charudeshna? what about Samba who is the son of Jambavati? and Karshini Pravaraha others who are chieftains Karshini Pravaraha from Krishna the adjective comes Karshini Pravaraha so the chieftains, the generals, the head is Saputra Rushabhadaya so Rushabhadaya so these are all names of the sons of Krishna Sushena, Charudeshna, Samba, Rushabhadaya and now some of them they are also married and they also got children so are all they doing well? in this way there is enquiry about the well-being of all these individuals and thus Yudhishthira Maharaj is expressing his concern and let’s say we go to we ask one more one more enquiry in the next two verses so he goes on with the list asking Vasudha, Uddhava, Sunanda, Nanda and they are the best among people Satavata are those who are living in truth living in truth we could say they are liberated souls Satavata Pongava the word Satavata had come earlier also are they living happily? they are all under the shelter of Ram, Krishna, Bhuja, Shreyaha we all aspire to live under the shelter of the arms of Ram and Krishna and then after asking about their well-being he asks one question at the end that are they also remembering us? are they wishing for our well-being also? did they enquire about our well-being also? so there is a reciprocal enquiry over here that goes on and from the next verse onwards his enquiry will shift to something else he will ask about Krishna and he will ask further about he will start figure speaking his apprehension which he is hoping is not true but he is getting an impending sense that it is true that is Krishna has disappeared we will discuss that in our next session thank you