Shloka 9
Uddhava’s Counsel: The Jarāsandha Resolution and Kṛṣṇa’s Arrival at Indraprastha
गायन्ति ते विशदकर्म गृहेषु देव्यो राज्ञां स्वशत्रुवधमात्मविमोक्षणं च । गोप्यश्च कुञ्जरपतेर्जनकात्मजाया: पित्रोश्च लब्धशरणा मुनयो वयं च ॥ ९ ॥
gāyanti te viśada-karma gṛheṣu devyo rājñāṁ sva-śatru-vadham ātma-vimokṣaṇaṁ ca gopyaś ca kuñjara-pater janakātmajāyāḥ pitroś ca labdha-śaraṇā munayo vayaṁ ca
In their homes, the virtuous wives of the imprisoned kings sing of Your pure and noble deeds—that You will slay their husbands’ enemy and deliver them. The gopīs too sing Your glory: how You destroyed the foe of Gajendra, the foe of Sītā, Janaka’s daughter, and even the foes of Your own parents. So do the sages who have taken shelter of You, and so do we.
Great sages and devotees had informed the grief-stricken wives of the imprisoned kings that Lord Kṛṣṇa would arrange for the killing of Jarāsandha and would thus save them from their crisis. These godly women would thus sing the glories of the Lord at home, and when their children would cry for their fathers, their mothers would tell them, “Child, do not cry. Śrī Kṛṣṇa will save your father.” In fact, the Lord has saved many devotees in the past, as described here.
FAQs
This verse praises Kṛṣṇa’s “spotless deeds,” saying He destroys the enemies of kings (protection in the world) and also grants ātma-vimokṣaṇa—liberation of the soul—to those who take shelter of Him.
They are cited as classic examples of śaraṇāgati (taking shelter). Like Gajendra, and like Sītā and her parents, those who depend on the Lord experience His saving grace—therefore sages and devotees sing His fame.
Adopt kīrtana (singing the Lord’s deeds) and śaraṇāgati (conscious reliance on God), remembering that divine help can address both worldly struggles and the deeper need for inner freedom.