Shloka 36
Yoga-māyā Appears as Durgā; Kaṁsa’s Repentance and the Demonic Policy of Persecuting Vaiṣṇavas
किं क्षेमशूरैर्विबुधैरसंयुगविकत्थनै: । रहोजुषा किं हरिणा शम्भुना वा वनौकसा । किमिन्द्रेणाल्पवीर्येण ब्रह्मणा वा तपस्यता ॥ ३६ ॥
kiṁ kṣema-śūrair vibudhair asaṁyuga-vikatthanaiḥ raho-juṣā kiṁ hariṇā śambhunā vā vanaukasā kim indreṇālpa-vīryeṇa brahmaṇā vā tapasyatā
Apa yang perlu ditakuti dari para dewa yang hanya membual tentang keberanian saat jauh dari medan perang? Hari bersemayam tersembunyi di gua hati para yogi; Śambhu telah pergi ke hutan; Brahmā tenggelam dalam tapa; dan Indra serta yang lain lemah dayanya—maka engkau tak perlu takut.
Kaṁsa’s ministers told Kaṁsa that all the exalted demigods had fled in fear of him. One had gone to the forest, one to the core of the heart, and one to engage in tapasya. “Thus you can be free from all fear of the demigods,” they said. “Just prepare to fight.”
FAQs
This verse shows Kaṁsa’s asuric pride: he dismisses the devas as powerless, belittling even Hari, Śiva, Indra, and Brahmā—revealing how arrogance blinds one to divine supremacy.
In the narrative, Kaṁsa is agitated by fear of his foretold death and becomes defiant; he tries to bolster his confidence by mocking the gods as ineffective and irrelevant.
It warns against contempt and ego: when fear or ambition rises, one may dismiss sacred authority; cultivating humility and remembrance of the Lord protects the heart from such blindness.