Shloka 51
Chapter 54
प्राणावशेष उत्सृष्टो द्विड्भिर् हत-बल-प्रभः ।
स्मरन् विरूप-करणं वितथात्म-मनोरथः ।
चक्रे भोजकटं नाम निवासाय महत् पुरम् ॥
prāṇāvaśeṣa utsṛṣṭo dviḍbhir hata-bala-prabhaḥ / smaran virūpa-karaṇaṃ vitathātma-manorathaḥ / cakre bhojakaṭaṃ nāma nivāsāya mahat puram //
Left with only his life-breath, cast off by his enemies and stripped of strength and splendor, he remembered how he had been disfigured. His hopes shattered, he built for his residence a great city called Bhojakaṭa.
This verse portrays the aftermath of pride meeting divine opposition. Having been defeated by Kṛṣṇa’s party, the antagonist survives but is inwardly broken—his physical power diminished and his prestige ruined. The phrase “remembering the disfigurement” highlights how humiliation can haunt the conditioned soul more than bodily injury. Yet instead of turning toward repentance or reconciliation, he responds by constructing a fortified seat of power—Bhojakaṭa—attempting to rebuild external security while remaining internally wounded. In Bhāgavatam’s narrative logic, such city-building symbolizes the false refuge of material arrangements: when ego is threatened, one often seeks protection in territory, institutions, and alliances rather than surrender. The verse thus contrasts worldly strategies (reasserting control through a ‘great city’) with the spiritual lesson repeatedly taught in Kṛṣṇa-līlā—real safety lies in aligning with Bhagavān, not in expanding one’s material stronghold. For devotees, the takeaway is to transform setbacks into humility and remembrance of Kṛṣṇa, rather than into renewed hostility or deeper entanglement in power-politics.
FAQs
After being defeated and humiliated, he sought to re-establish security and status by creating a powerful residence-city named Bhojakaṭa.
Bhāgavatam shows that ego clings to injury and seeks material compensation, whereas a wiser response is humility and turning toward Kṛṣṇa.
Instead of hardening the ego or seeking revenge, use the moment to cultivate humility, introspection, and dependence on God rather than external power.