Shloka 40
Śakaṭa-bhañjana, Naming by Garga, Dāmodara and Yamala-arjuna, and the Move to Vṛndāvana
निर्गुणेनापि चापेन शक्रस्य गगने पदम् अवाप्यताविवेकस्य नृपस्येव परिग्रहे
nirguṇenāpi cāpena śakrasya gagane padam avāpyatāvivekasya nṛpasyeva parigrahe
Even with a bow that lacks all excellence, he would still contrive to win a foothold in Indra’s very sky—so too does a king bereft of discernment press onward in the grasping of possessions.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: admonitory
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: To instruct rulers and society by exposing how ambition without विवेक (discernment) becomes destructive grasping, even when the means are inferior.
Leela: Dharma-upadesa
Dharma Restored: Rajadharma grounded in discernment, restraint, and rightful acquisition.
Concept: A grasping ruler without discernment will push into ever-higher claims, even with unworthy means—like one seeking Indra’s station with a poor bow.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: In leadership, set ethical constraints before pursuing expansion; audit motives, avoid prestige-chasing, and practice dana and accountability.
Vishishtadvaita: Wealth and sovereignty (śrī) are to be held as the Lord’s trust for service; without viveka they become bondage rather than instruments of kainkarya.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Lakshmi Presence: Sri
FAQs
It marks the Kali-yuga collapse of wise judgment: rulers without discernment chase acquisition (parigraha) and status, even when unfit—driving social and moral disorder.
He uses a sharp simile: just as an inferior bow is still used to reach for Indra’s heavenly station, an undiscriminating king still strains to seize possessions and power, regardless of merit or dharma.
By highlighting the decay of dharma in Kali-yuga, the text implicitly points to Vishnu as the sustaining Supreme Reality and the ultimate restorer of cosmic order when worldly sovereignty becomes corrupt.