Shloka 20
सोऽहं नृपेन्द्र रहित: पुरुषोत्तमेन सख्या प्रियेण सुहृदा हृदयेन शून्य: । अध्वन्युरुक्रमपरिग्रहमङ्ग रक्षन् गोपैरसद्भिरबलेव विनिर्जितोऽस्मि ॥ २० ॥
so ’haṁ nṛpendra rahitaḥ puruṣottamena sakhyā priyeṇa suhṛdā hṛdayena śūnyaḥ adhvany urukrama-parigraham aṅga rakṣan gopair asadbhir abaleva vinirjito ’smi
王よ、至上人格神プルショーत्तマであり、我が最愛の友で最高の善友なるシュリー・クリシュナと離別したため、我が心は空虚に見えます。主が不在のとき、道中でクリシュナの妃たちの御身を守っていた私は、不信の牧人たちに弱者のように打ち負かされました。
The important point in this verse is how it was possible that Arjuna could be defeated by a gang of ignoble cowherd men and how such mundane cowherd men could touch the bodies of the wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who were under the protection of Arjuna. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has justified the contradiction by research in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa and Brahma Purāṇa. In these Purāṇas it is said that once the fair denizens of heaven pleased Aṣṭāvakra Muni by their service and were blessed by the muni to have the Supreme Lord as their husband. Aṣṭāvakra Muni was curved in eight joints of his body, and thus he used to move in a peculiar curved manner. The daughters of the demigods could not check their laughter upon seeing the movements of the muni, and the muni, being angry at them, cursed them that they would be kidnapped by rogues, even if they would get the Lord as their husband. Later on, the girls again satisfied the muni by their prayers, and the muni blessed them that they would regain their husband even after being robbed by the rogues. So, in order to keep the words of the great muni, the Lord Himself kidnapped His wives from the protection of Arjuna, otherwise they would have at once vanished from the scene as soon as they were touched by the rogues. Besides that, some of the gopīs who prayed to become wives of the Lord returned to their respective positions after their desire was fulfilled. After the departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa, He wanted all His entourage back to Godhead, and they were called back under different conditions only.
FAQs
This verse shows Arjuna describing his heart as “śūnya” (empty) when separated from Kṛṣṇa, teaching that a devotee’s real strength and fulfillment are rooted in the Lord’s presence and remembrance.
After Kṛṣṇa’s departure, Arjuna could not protect Kṛṣṇa’s dependents and property from wicked men on the road; he contrasts his former divinely empowered victories with his present helplessness without the Lord’s support.
Rely less on ego and more on steady devotion—keep Kṛṣṇa at the center through nāma-japa, prayer, and scripture study—recognizing that spiritual strength grows from connection with the Divine, not merely from personal ability.