Shloka 43
Vidura Leaves Hastināpura and Meets Uddhava
Vidura’s Tīrtha-yātrā Begins
नूनं नृपाणां त्रिमदोत्पथानां महीं मुहुश्चालयतां चमूभि: । वधात्प्रपन्नार्तिजिहीर्षयेशो- ऽप्युपैक्षताघं भगवान् कुरूणाम् ॥ ४३ ॥
nūnaṁ nṛpāṇāṁ tri-madotpathānāṁ mahīṁ muhuś cālayatāṁ camūbhiḥ vadhāt prapannārti-jihīrṣayeśo ’py upaikṣatāghaṁ bhagavān kurūṇām
Kings, led astray by three kinds of false pride, repeatedly shook the earth with the force of their armies. Yet Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa—ever eager to remove the distress of those who surrender—restrained Himself from killing the Kurus, though He saw their many sins.
As declared in Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord appears in the mortal world to execute His much-needed mission of killing the miscreants and giving protection to the suffering faithful. In spite of that mission, Lord Kṛṣṇa tolerated the insult to Draupadī by the Kurus and the injustices perpetrated against the Pāṇḍavas, as well as insults to Himself. The question may be raised, “Why did He tolerate such injustices and insults in His presence? Why did He not chastise the Kurus immediately?” When Draupadī was insulted in the assembly by the Kurus by their attempt to see her naked in the presence of all, the Lord protected Draupadī by supplying an unlimited length of clothing. But He did not chastise the insulting party immediately. This silence of the Lord did not mean, however, that He excused the offenses of the Kurus. There were many other kings on earth who had become very proud of three kinds of possessions — wealth, education and followers — and they were constantly agitating the earth by movements of military strength. The Lord was just waiting to get them together on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra and kill them all at one time, just to make a shortcut in His killing mission. Godless kings or heads of state, when puffed up by advancement of material wealth, education and increase of population, always make a show of military strength and give trouble to the innocent. When Lord Kṛṣṇa was personally present, there were many such kings all over the world, and He thus arranged for the Battle of Kurukṣetra. In His manifestation of viśva-rūpa, the Lord expressed His mission of killing as follows: “I have willingly descended to the earth in My capacity of inexorable Time in order to decrease the unwanted population. I shall finish all those who have assembled here except you, the Pāṇḍavas. This killing does not wait for you to take part in it. It is already arranged: all will be killed by Me. If you want to become famous as the hero of the battlefield and thus enjoy the booty of war, then, O Savyasācī, just become the immediate cause of this killing and thus take the credit. I have already killed all the great warriors — Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Jayadratha, Karṇa and many other great generals. Do not worry. Fight the battle and be famous as a great hero.” (Bg. 11.32-34)
FAQs
This verse explains that when proud kings disturb the world, the Lord may tolerate their offenses for a time, intending ultimately to remove their burden and relieve the distress of surrendered souls.
In the narrative, Śukadeva highlights that the Kurus’ aggression and the wider militarization of kings shook the earth; the Lord overlooked it temporarily because His plan was to end the oppression through their destruction.
Recognize how pride in status, power, or lineage pushes one onto a harmful path; cultivate humility and service-mindedness, and seek refuge in the Lord rather than domination over others.