Srimad Bhagavatam, Volume 3

FOURTEENTH CHAPTER
Disappearance of Lord Krishna:
Sri Sura Uvacha:
Samprasthite dwarakayam jisnou bandhu dtdriksaya
Jnatum cha punya slokasya krishnasya cha vichestitam.
Sri Suta uvacha—Sri Sutagoswami said: Samprasthite—having gone out,
Dwarakayam—in the city of Dwarka, Jisnou—Arjuna, Bandhu—friends and
reltives, Didrkshaya—for meeting them, Jnatum—to know, cha—also,
Punyaslokasya—of One whose glortes are sung by Vedic hymns,
Krihnasya—of Lord Krishna, Vichestitam—further programme of work.
Arjuna went to Dwarka to see Lord Sri Krishna and other friends here
and also for knowing from The Lord about His next activities.
As stated in the Bhagwat Geet The Lord descended on the earth for protection
of the faithful and anninihilation of the impious men and after the battle of
Kuruklhetra and establishment of Maharaj Yudhtsthir the mission of the Lord
was complete. The Pandavas specially Sri Arjuna was eternal companion of
the Lord and therefore he went to Dwarka to know from the Lord about His
next programme of work.
Byatitah katichit masas ada nayat tato arjuna
Dadarsa ghora rupani nimittani kurudbahah.
Byatitah—after passing away, Katichit—some, Masah—months, Tada—at
that time, Nayat—did not return, Tato— from there, Dadarsa—observed,
Ghora—fearful, Rupani—appearances, Nimittani—various causes,
Kurudbahah—Maharaj Yudhisthir.
A few months had passed away and still Arjuna did not come back from
there and Maharaj Yudhisthira also began to observe some inauspicious
causes of appearances which were themselves fearful.
Lord Srikrishna the Supreme Personality Godhead is ad infinitum more
powerful than the most powerful Sun of our experience. Millions and billions
of suns are created by Him and annihilated by Him within His one breathing
period. In the material world the sun is considered to be the source of all
productivity and material energy and due to the Sun only we can have
necessities of life. Therefore, during the personal presence of the Lord on the
earth all paraphernalia of our peace and prosperity specially religion and
knowledge were in full display on account of the Lord's presence as much as
there is full flood of light in the presence of the glowing sun. Maharaj
Yudhisthir observed some discrepancies in his kingdom and therefore, he
became too much anxious about Arjuna who was long absent and there were
no news about Dwarka's well being. He suspected disappearance of Lord
Krishna otherwise there was no possibilityof fearful causes of inauspicity.
Kalasya cha gatim roudram viparyastar tu dharmanah
Papiyasim nrinam vartam krodha lobha anritatmanam.
Kalasya—of the eternal time, Cha—also, Gatim—direction, Roudram—
fearful, Viparyastar—discrepancies, Tu—but, Dharmanah—specific function,
Papiyasim—sinful, Nrinam—of the human being, Vartam—means of
livelihood, Krodha—anger, Lobha—greed, Anritam—falsehood, Atmanam—
of the people.
He saw that direction of the eternal time had changed and it was very
fearful. There was discrepancies in the seasonal regulations. The people
in general had become too much greedy, angry and accustomed to
falsehood. And he saw also that the people in general had adopted foul
means of livelihood.
When civilization is disconnected with the loving relation of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead the symptoms like change of seasonal regulations,
man's foul means of livelihood, all becoming too much greedy angry,
affinitive for falsehood, all become too much rampant. Change of seasonal
regulation means atmosphere of one season being manifested in another
season for example the rainy season transferred to autumn or the fruits and
flowers of one season becoming fructified in another season. A godless man is
invariably a greedy, angry and accustomed to falsehood man. Such man can
earn his livelihood by any means never mind black and white. During the
reign of Maharaj Yudhisthir all the above symtoms were conspicuous by their
absence. But Maharaj Yudhisthir was astonished to experience even a slight
change in the godly atmosphere of his kingdom and at once he suspected
disappearance of the Lord. Foul means of livelihood means deviation from
one's occupational duty. There are prescribed duties for every one such as the
Brahmin, Kahatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras but any one of them who deviates
from the prescribed duty and declares at the same to belong to the particular
section it is called foul means of occupational duty. A man becomes too much
greedy for wealth and power when he has no higher objective of life and when
he knows only this earthly life for a few years is all in all. Ignorance is the
cause for all these anomalies of the human society and to remove this
ignorance of life specially in this age of degradation the powerful sun is there
in the shape of Srimad Bhagwatam to distribute light.
Jimbhaprayam byadahritam shathya misrancha souhridam
Pitri matri suhrid bhratri dampatinam cha kalkanam
15
Jimbhaprayam—almost cheating, Byadahritam—in all ordmary transactions,
Shathya—duplicity, Mishrancha— adulterated in, Souhridam—in the matter
friendly well wishes, Pitri—father, Matri—in the matter of the mother,
Bhratri—one's own brother, Dampatinam—in the matter of husband and wife,
Cha—also, Kalkanam—mutual quarrel.
All ordinary transactions and dealings become poluted with cheating;
even they are mixed up with cheatings between a friend and friend. And
over all in the family affairs there is always misunderstanding between
father mother and sons, between wellwishers, between brothers and even
with husband and wife there is always a strain of mind and quarrel.
A conditioned living being in endowed with four principle of malpractices
namely errors, insanity, inability and cheating. These are signs of
imperfectness and out of the four one malpractice namely the propensity for
cheating others is most prominent. And why this cheating practice is there in
the conditoned soul because the conditioned souls are primarily in the
material world imbued with an unnatural desire for lording it over the material
world. A living being in his pure state is not conditioned by the laws because
in his pure state he is conscious that a living being is eternally subservient to
the Supreme Being and as such it is always good for him to remain as
subservient, instead of falsely trying to lord it over the property of the
Supreme Lord. In the conditioned state such living being is not satisfted even
if he becomes actually the Lord of all that he surveys which he never becomes
and there fore he becomes the victim of all kinds of cheating even with his
most nearest and intimate relations. In such unsatistactory state of affairs there
is no harmony even between the father and the sons or between the husnand
and the wife. But all these contending difficultes can be mitigated by one
sanguine process and that is devotional service of the Lord. The world of
hypocrisy can be checked only by counteraction of devotional service of the
Lord. and nothing else. Maharaj Yudhisthir having observed the disparities,
conjectued dislocation of the Lord's presence on the earth.
Nimityani ati aristani kale tu anugate nrinam
Lobhadi adharma prakritim dristwa uvacha anuajm nripah.
Nimityani—causes, Ati—very serious, Aristani—inauspicities, Kale—in
course of time, Tu—but, Anugate—passing away, nrinam—of the humanity
at large, Lobhadi—greed etc, Adharma—irreligious Prakritim—habits,
Dristwa—having observed, Uvacha—said, Anujam—younger brother, Nripah
the king.
In course of time it has come to happen that people in general have
become accustomed to greed, anger, pride etc and Maharaj Yudhisthir
having observed all these serious inauspicities addressed his younger
brothers and said.
A pious king like Maharaj Yudhisthir at once became perturbed in mind when
there was such inhumanly symptoms as greed, anger, irreligiosities hypocrisy
rampant in the society. And it appears from this statemant that all the
abovementioned symptoms of degraded society were unknown to the people
of the time and it became astonishing for them to have experienced them with
the advent of the Kali Yuga or the age of quarrel.
Yudhisthira Uvacha
Sampresito dwarakayam jisnur bandhar didrikshaya
Jnatum cha punyaslokasya krishnasya cha vichestitam.
Yudhisthira Uvacha—Maharaja said: Sampresito—has gone to,
Dwarakayam—at Dwarka, Jisnur— Arjuna, Bandhur—friends,
Didrikshaya—for sake of meeting, Jantum—to know, Cha—also,
Punyaslokasya—of the Personality of Godhead, Krishnasya—of Lord Sri
Krishna, Cha—and, Vichestitam—programme of work.
Maharaja Yudhistir said to his younger brother Bhimasena as follows:
"Bhimsena ! I sent Arjuna to Dwarka for meeting the friends as well as to
know from the Personality of Godhead Krishna what about His
programme of work."
Gatah sapta adhuna masa bhimasena taba anuiah
Na ayati kasya va hetor na aham veda idam anjasa.
Gatah—has gone, Sapta—seven, Adhuna—upto date, Masa—months,
Bhimasena—Oh Bhimasena, Taba—Your, Anuja— younger brother, Na—
does not, Ayati—come back, Kasya—for what, Va—Or, Hetor—reason,
Na—not, Aham—I, Veda—know, Idam—this, Anjasa—factually.
"Since he has departed from this place it is now seven months past up to
date but he has not as yet returned back from there and I do not know
factually how things are going there."
Api devarshina adistah sa kalo ayam upastithah
Yada atmano angam akridam bhagawan utsisrikshati.
Api—whether, Devarshina—by the demigod saint (Narada) Adistah—
instructed, Sa—that, Kalo—eternal time, Ayam—this, Upasthitam—arrived,
Yada—when, Atmano—of His ownself, Angam—plenary portion,
Akridam—manifestation, Bhagawan—the personatity of Godhiad,
Utsisrikshati—is going to quit it off.