Srimad Bhagavatam — Prathama Skandha, Shloka 26
Arjuna’s Lament, the End of the Yadus, and the Pāṇḍavas’ Departure
जलौकसां जले यद्वन्महान्तोऽदन्त्यणीयस: । दुर्बलान्बलिनो राजन्महान्तो बलिनो मिथ: ॥ २५ ॥ एवं बलिष्ठैर्यदुभिर्महद्भिरितरान् विभु: । यदून्यदुभिरन्योन्यं भूभारान् सञ्जहार ह ॥ २६ ॥
jalaukasāṁ jale yadvan mahānto ’danty aṇīyasaḥ durbalān balino rājan mahānto balino mithaḥ
O King, as in the ocean the bigger and stronger aquatics swallow up the smaller and weaker ones, so also the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to lighten the burden of the earth, has engaged the stronger Yadu to kill the weaker, and the bigger Yadu to kill the smaller.
In the material world the struggle for existence and survival of the fittest are laws because in the material world there is disparity between conditioned souls due to everyone’s desire to lord it over the material resources. This very mentality of lording it over the material nature is the root cause of conditioned life. And to give facility to such imitation lords, the illusory energy of the Lord has created a disparity between conditioned living beings by creating the stronger and the weaker in every species of life. The mentality of lording it over the material nature and the creation has naturally created a disparity and therefore the law of struggle for existence. In the spiritual world there is no such disparity, nor is there such a struggle for existence. In the spiritual world there is no struggle for existence because everyone there exists eternally. There is no disparity because everyone wants to render service to the Supreme Lord, and no one wants to imitate the Lord in becoming the beneficiary. The Lord, being creator of everything, including the living beings, factually is the proprietor and enjoyer of everything that be, but in the material world, by the spell of māyā, or illusion, this eternal relation with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is forgotten, and so the living being is conditioned under the law of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest.
FAQs
This verse states that after using the powerful Yadus to remove other burdens on earth, the Lord arranged for the Yadus to clash among themselves, thereby removing even that remaining burden and concluding His earthly mission.
Shukadeva Gosvami speaks this verse while narrating to King Parikshit, explaining how the Lord’s plan unfolded after the Kurukshetra era.
Power and greatness can also become a burden when detached from divine purpose; the verse reminds one to remain humble, dharmic, and devoted, recognizing the Lord as the ultimate controller of outcomes.