Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 12
The Disappearance of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Aftermath in Dvārakā
मर्त्येन यो गुरुसुतं यमलोकनीतं त्वां चानयच्छरणद: परमास्त्रदग्धम् । जिग्येऽन्तकान्तकमपीशमसावनीश: किं स्वावने स्वरनयन्मृगयुं सदेहम् ॥ १२ ॥
martyena yo guru-sutaṁ yama-loka-nītaṁ tvāṁ cānayac charaṇa-daḥ paramāstra-dagdham jigye ’ntakāntakam apīśam asāv anīśaḥ kiṁ svāvane svar anayan mṛgayuṁ sa-deham
Le Seigneur Kṛṣṇa ramena de Yamaloka le fils de Son maître avec ce même corps, et, en suprême protecteur, te sauva lorsque tu fus brûlé par le brahmāstra d’Aśvatthāmā. Il vainquit même Śiva au combat et envoya le chasseur Jarā à Vaikuṇṭha avec son corps humain. Comment une telle Personne ne pourrait-elle protéger Son propre Soi ?
To mitigate his own and Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s distress at the narration of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s departure from this world, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī here gives several clear examples proving that Lord Kṛṣṇa is far beyond the influence of death. Although the son of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual master (Sāndīpani Muni) had been taken by death, the Lord brought him back in his same body. Similarly, the power of Brahman cannot touch Lord Kṛṣṇa, since Parīkṣit Mahārāja, though burned by the brahmāstra weapon, was easily saved by the Lord. Lord Śiva was clearly defeated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the battle with Bāṇāsura, and the hunter Jarā was sent to a Vaikuṇṭha planet in his same human body. Death is an insignificant expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s external potency and cannot possibly act upon the Lord Himself. Those who actually understand the transcendental nature of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s activities will find convincing evidence in these examples.
FAQs
This verse recalls that Kṛṣṇa granted shelter and restored Parīkṣit even after he was burned by the supreme weapon, showing the Lord’s power to protect His devotee beyond all material forces.
He cites Kṛṣṇa’s earlier deeds—retrieving Sandīpani’s son from Yama’s realm and saving Parīkṣit—to establish that the Lord is unconquerable, so His later ‘departure’ cannot be understood as ordinary death.
Remembering Kṛṣṇa as the ultimate protector strengthens faith during fear, loss, or uncertainty, encouraging surrender (śaraṇāgati) rather than seeing life’s events as merely fate or defeat.