Shloka 7
Uddhava’s Remembrance of Kṛṣṇa and the Theology of the Lord’s Disappearance
उद्धव उवाच कृष्णद्युमणिनिम्लोचे गीर्णेष्वजगरेण ह । किं नु न: कुशलं ब्रूयां गतश्रीषु गृहेष्वहम् ॥ ७ ॥
uddhava uvāca kṛṣṇa-dyumaṇi nimloce gīrṇeṣv ajagareṇa ha kiṁ nu naḥ kuśalaṁ brūyāṁ gata-śrīṣu gṛheṣv aham
Uddhava said: My dear Vidura, the sun of this world—Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa—has set, and our home has been swallowed by the great serpent of Time. What can I possibly tell you now of our welfare?
The disappearance of the Kṛṣṇa sun may be explained as follows, according to the commentary of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Vidura was struck with great sorrow when he got the hint of the annihilation of the great Yadu dynasty as well as of his own family, the Kuru dynasty. Uddhava could understand the grief of Vidura, and therefore he first of all wanted to sympathize with him by saying that after the sunset everyone is in darkness. Since the entire world was merged in the darkness of grief, neither Vidura nor Uddhava nor anyone else could be happy. Uddhava was as much aggrieved as Vidura, and there was nothing further to be said about their welfare.
FAQs
This verse portrays Krishna as the sun of all auspiciousness; when He is no longer present, devotees feel their world plunged into darkness—highlighting viraha as an intense, devotional experience.
Uddhava uses poetic metaphor: with Krishna’s ‘sun’ set, their homes feel ‘swallowed’ by darkness like a serpent, expressing the Yadus’ grief and the loss of prosperity and joy without Krishna.
It teaches to anchor well-being in remembrance of Krishna rather than external comfort—when circumstances darken, deepen sādhana (hearing, chanting, prayer) to restore inner light.