Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 13
The Disappearance of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Aftermath in Dvārakā
तथाप्यशेषस्थितिसम्भवाप्यये- ष्वनन्यहेतुर्यदशेषशक्तिधृक् । नैच्छत् प्रणेतुं वपुरत्र शेषितं मर्त्येन किं स्वस्थगतिं प्रदर्शयन् ॥ १३ ॥
tathāpy aśeṣa-sthiti-sambhavāpyayeṣv ananya-hetur yad aśeṣa-śakti-dhṛk naicchat praṇetuṁ vapur atra śeṣitaṁ martyena kiṁ sva-stha-gatiṁ pradarśayan
Walau Tuhan Kṛṣṇa, pemilik kuasa tak terbatas, adalah satu-satunya sebab penciptaan, pemeliharaan, dan peleburan makhluk tak terhitung, Ia tidak berkehendak mempertahankan tubuh-Nya di dunia ini lebih lama. Dengan demikian Ia menyingkap tujuan tertinggi bagi mereka yang teguh dalam diri, serta menunjukkan bahwa dunia fana ini tiada bernilai hakiki.
Although Lord Kṛṣṇa descended to this world to save the fallen souls, He did not want to encourage people in the future to loiter here unnecessarily. In other words, as soon as possible one should perfect one’s Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back home, back to Godhead. If Lord Kṛṣṇa had remained longer on the earth, He would have unnecessarily increased the prestige of the material world.
FAQs
The verse explains that the Lord, the sole cause and possessor of unlimited potencies, chose not to keep His manifest form in the mortal world and thereby revealed His self-situated transcendental destination.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this verse while narrating to King Parīkṣit, explaining the Lord’s withdrawal of His manifest presence from the world.
It teaches detachment from temporary forms and events, and encourages faith that the Supreme remains transcendental and self-situated—helping one cultivate steadiness, devotion, and a moksha-oriented outlook.