Shloka 17
Chapter 54
श्री-शुक उवाच एवं प्रबोधितो मित्रैश् चैद्यो 'गात् सानुगः पुरम् ।
हत-शेषाः पुनस् ते 'पि ययुः स्वं स्वं पुरं नृपाः ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca evaṃ prabodhito mitraiś caidyo 'gāt sānugaḥ puram / hata-śeṣāḥ punas te 'pi yayuḥ svaṃ svaṃ puraṃ nṛpāḥ //
Śrī Śuka said: Thus instructed by his friends, Caidya (Śiśupāla) returned to his city with his followers. And the kings who survived the slaughter also departed, each to his own capital.
After Kṛṣṇa’s swift victory in the aftermath of Rukmiṇī’s abduction, the opposing coalition loses both momentum and morale. The Bhāgavata highlights a common worldly pattern: when pride-driven alliances fail, even great rulers quickly retreat to protect their own interests. Śiśupāla (Caidya), though intensely inimical to Kṛṣṇa, is here shown accepting practical advice—yet his underlying envy is not cured, only postponed. The verse also underscores Kṛṣṇa’s supremacy: without needing prolonged warfare, He reduces vast royal opposition to scattered remnants. For devotees, the lesson is that resistance to the Lord’s will—whether by envy, prestige, or political calculation—ultimately collapses, while those who take shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s protection (as Rukmiṇī did) are securely carried forward in His līlā.
FAQs
This verse shows that even powerful kings opposing Kṛṣṇa are reduced to retreat and fragmentation; resistance to the Lord’s will ultimately collapses.
After being advised by his allies and facing Kṛṣṇa’s superior power, Śiśupāla withdrew with his followers to regroup, while the remaining kings dispersed.
Worldly pride-based alliances are unstable; steadiness comes from aligning one’s actions with dharma and devotion rather than ego and rivalry.