Shloka 11
Uddhava’s Remembrance of Kṛṣṇa and the Theology of the Lord’s Disappearance
प्रदर्श्यातप्ततपसामवितृप्तदृशां नृणाम् । आदायान्तरधाद्यस्तु स्वबिम्बं लोकलोचनम् ॥ ११ ॥
pradarśyātapta-tapasām avitṛpta-dṛśāṁ nṛṇām ādāyāntar adhād yas tu sva-bimbaṁ loka-locanam
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the eyes of the world, revealed His eternal form before all on earth, and then—by withdrawing that very form—He enacted His disappearance from the sight of those who, lacking due austerity, could not behold Him as He is.
In this verse the word avitṛpta-dṛśām is most significant. The conditioned souls in the material world are all trying to satisfy their senses in various ways, but they have failed to do so because it is impossible to be satisfied by such efforts. The example of the fish on land is very appropriate. If one takes a fish from the water and puts it on the land, it cannot be made happy by any amount of offered pleasure. The spirit soul can be happy only in the association of the supreme living being, the Personality of Godhead, and nowhere else. The Lord, by His unlimited causeless mercy, has innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets in the brahmajyoti sphere of the spiritual world, and in that transcendental world there is an unlimited arrangement for the unlimited pleasure of the living entities.
FAQs
This verse says the Lord may withdraw His visible form even after revealing Himself, emphasizing that His appearance and disappearance are His divine will and part of His līlā.
Uddhava is recounting Krishna’s departure and its impact, helping Vidura understand the Lord’s transcendental actions and deepening remembrance (smaraṇa) of Krishna.
When spiritual experiences feel distant, continue steady sādhana and remembrance—Bhagavatam teaches that the Lord’s presence is not limited to what the eyes can see.