Shloka 51
Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent
Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear
अग्नेर्यथा दारुवियोगयोगयो-रदृष्टतोऽन्यन्न निमित्तमस्ति । एवं हि जन्तोरपि दुर्विभाव्य:शरीरसंयोगवियोगहेतु: ॥ ५१ ॥
agner yathā dāru-viyoga-yogayor adṛṣṭato ’nyan na nimittam asti evaṁ hi jantor api durvibhāvyaḥ śarīra-saṁyoga-viyoga-hetuḥ
As fire, for some unseen cause, leaps over one piece of wood and ignites the next—so it is by destiny. In the same way, the cause by which a living being joins one body and departs from another is hard to fathom; there is no reason other than unseen fate.
When there is a fire in a village, the fire sometimes jumps over one house and burns another. Similarly, when there is a forest fire, the fire sometimes jumps over one tree and catches another. Why this happens, no one can say. One may set forth some imaginary reason why the nearest tree or house did not catch fire whereas a tree or house in a distant place did, but actually the reason is destiny. This reason also applies to the transmigration of the soul, by which a prime minister in one life may become a dog in the next. The work of unseen destiny cannot be ascertained by practical experimental knowledge, and therefore one must be satisfied by reasoning that everything is done by supreme providence.
FAQs
This verse states that the unseen force of destiny—shaped by prior karma—governs events like acquiring a body and leaving it, much as adṛṣṭa governs fire’s union with or separation from wood.
In the opening of Krishna’s appearance narrative, Shukadeva frames worldly events—fear, persecution, and changing circumstances—as ultimately moved by unseen karmic destiny, encouraging deeper spiritual understanding beyond surface causes.
Recognize that not everything is fully controllable or traceable to visible causes; respond with humility, responsibility for one’s actions, and steadiness in devotion rather than anxiety or blame.