Shloka 24
The Lord’s Apology to the Kumāras and the Fall of Jaya and Vijaya
तत्तेऽनभीष्टमिव सत्त्वनिधेर्विधित्सो: क्षेमं जनाय निजशक्तिभिरुद्धृतारे: । नैतावता त्र्यधिपतेर्बत विश्वभर्तु- स्तेज: क्षतं त्ववनतस्य स ते विनोद: ॥ २४ ॥
tat te ’nabhīṣṭam iva sattva-nidher vidhitsoḥ kṣemaṁ janāya nija-śaktibhir uddhṛtāreḥ naitāvatā try-adhipater bata viśva-bhartus tejaḥ kṣataṁ tv avanatasya sa te vinodaḥ
Dear Lord, treasure-house of all goodness, desiring the welfare of all beings You remove the evil element by Your own mighty potency, though it may seem against Your wish. Yet You are the master of the three creations and the maintainer of the universe; Your splendor is not diminished by humility. Rather, by submission You reveal Your transcendental pastimes.
Lord Kṛṣṇa was never reduced in His position by becoming a cowherd boy or by offering respect to Sudāmā Brāhmaṇa or His other devotees like Nanda Mahārāja, Vasudeva, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and the Pāṇḍavas’ mother, Kuntī. Everyone knew that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, yet His behavior was exemplary. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha; His form is completely spiritual, full of bliss and knowledge, and it is eternal. Because the living entities are His parts and parcels, originally they also belong to the same quality of eternal form as the Lord, but when they come in contact with māyā, the material potency, due to their forgetfulness their existential constitution is covered. We should try to understand the appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa in this spirit, as the Kumāras pray to Him. He is eternally a cowherd boy at Vṛndāvana, He is eternally the leader of the Battle of Kurukṣetra, and He is eternally the opulent prince of Dvārakā and the lover of the damsels of Vṛndāvana. All His appearances are meaningful because they show His real characteristics to the conditioned souls, who have forgotten their relationship with the Supreme Lord. He does everything for their benefit. The force exhibited in the Battle of Kurukṣetra by the desire of Kṛṣṇa and through the agency of Arjuna was also necessary because when people become too irreligious, force is required. Nonviolence in this respect is rascaldom.
FAQs
This verse explains that the Lord’s seeming humility or acceptance of an unfavorable situation does not lessen His divine power; it is His vinoda—His playful, instructive pastime for the welfare of all.
After the conflict at Vaikuntha involving the gatekeepers, the Kumaras acknowledge that the Lord’s arrangement—even if it appears undesirable—ultimately serves universal welfare, and His glory is never actually harmed.
It encourages faith that higher purpose can operate even through setbacks; one can respond with humility and devotion, trusting that what appears unfavorable may still lead to deeper good and spiritual growth.