Shloka 31
The Slaying of Śālva and the Destruction of Saubha
क्व शोकमोहौ स्नेहो वा भयं वा येऽज्ञसम्भवा: । क्व चाखण्डितविज्ञानज्ञानैश्वर्यस्त्वखण्डित: ॥ ३१ ॥
kva śoka-mohau sneho vā bhayaṁ vā ye ’jña-sambhavāḥ kva cākhaṇḍita-vijñāna- jñānaiśvaryas tv akhaṇḍitaḥ
How could lamentation, bewilderment, worldly affection, or fear—born of ignorance—be attributed to the infinite Supreme Lord, whose perception, knowledge, and power are likewise infinite and unbroken?
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “Lamentation, aggrievement and bewilderment are characteristics of conditioned souls, but how can such things affect the person of the Supreme, who is full of knowledge, power and all opulence? Actually, it is not at all possible that Lord Kṛṣṇa was misled by the mystic jugglery of Śālva. He was displaying His pastime of playing the role of a human being.”
FAQs
This verse states that grief, delusion, attachment, and fear are products of ignorance, whereas the Supreme Lord is indivisible and never touched by such conditions.
In the narrative surrounding Pauṇḍraka and the events at Kāśī, Śukadeva highlights Kṛṣṇa’s transcendence to show that the Lord’s actions are divine līlā, not driven by material emotions or limitations.
It encourages seekers to recognize that fear and sorrow often come from misunderstanding the self and God; cultivating spiritual knowledge and devotion helps one become steadier and less ruled by ignorance-based emotions.