Shloka 3
Kṛṣṇa’s Impending Departure; Uddhava’s Surrender; King Yadu and the Avadhūta’s Twenty-Four Gurus
Beginnings
कुलं वै शापनिर्दग्धं नङ्क्ष्यत्यन्योन्यविग्रहात् । समुद्र: सप्तमे ह्येनां पुरीं च प्लावयिष्यति ॥ ३ ॥
kulaṁ vai śāpa-nirdagdhaṁ naṅkṣyaty anyonya-vigrahāt samudraḥ saptame hy enāṁ purīṁ ca plāvayiṣyati
Durch den Fluch der Brāhmaṇas wird das Yadu‑Geschlecht gewiss durch gegenseitigen Streit zugrunde gehen; und am siebten Tag von heute an wird sich der Ozean erheben und die Stadt Dvārakā überfluten.
In this and the following verses, Lord Kṛṣṇa indicates to Uddhava that he should immediately fix himself in self-realization by giving up all identification with the material world. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has pointed out that the Yadu dynasty was not actually destroyed by Lord Kṛṣṇa but merely removed from the vision of the world through the curse of the brāhmaṇas; similarly, the Lord’s eternal abode Dvārakā can never be drowned by the ocean. Nevertheless, all external approaches to this transcendental city were covered by the ocean, and thus the Lord’s abode remains inaccessible to foolish persons in Kali-yuga, as will be described later in this canto.
FAQs
This verse states that the dynasty, burned by a curse, will be destroyed by internal fighting—showing how quarrel and offense lead to downfall even among the powerful.
The verse foretells that on the seventh day the ocean will inundate the city, indicating the divine winding up of Dvārakā’s manifest pastimes and the impermanence of worldly opulence.
Avoid needless conflict and factionalism: internal quarrel can ruin families, communities, and institutions faster than external enemies.