Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 18
The Curse on the Yadus Begins: Kṛṣṇa’s Plan to Withdraw His Dynasty
किं कृतं मन्दभाग्यैर्न: किं वदिष्यन्ति नो जना: । इति विह्वलिता गेहानादाय मुषलं ययु: ॥ १८ ॥
kiṁ kṛtaṁ manda-bhāgyair naḥ kiṁ vadiṣyanti no janāḥ iti vihvalitā gehān ādāya muṣalaṁ yayuḥ
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.
FAQs
This verse shows the Yādavas becoming mentally shaken—worrying “What will people say?”—and acting impulsively, a sign of confusion and decline when pride and social fear replace clear dharmic intelligence.
After ominous events connected to the curse upon the Yadu dynasty, they became disturbed and bewildered, abandoned their homes, and went out carrying clubs—setting the stage for the fratricidal destruction that unfolds by divine arrangement.
It cautions against panic decisions driven by shame, fear, or “what will people think,” encouraging steadiness, ethical reflection, and reliance on higher guidance rather than impulsive reaction.