Shloka 18
Kṛṣṇa’s Impending Departure; Uddhava’s Surrender; King Yadu and the Avadhūta’s Twenty-Four Gurus
Beginnings
तस्माद् भवन्तमनवद्यमनन्तपारं सर्वज्ञमीश्वरमकुण्ठविकुण्ठधिष्ण्यम् । निर्विण्णधीरहमु हे वृजिनाभितप्तो नारायणं नरसखं शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥ १८ ॥
tasmād bhavantam anavadyam ananta-pāraṁ sarva-jñam īśvaram akuṇṭha-vikuṇṭha-dhiṣṇyam nirviṇṇa-dhīr aham u he vṛjinābhitapto nārāyaṇaṁ nara-sakhaṁ śaraṇaṁ prapadye
അതുകൊണ്ട് പ്രഭോ, ഭൗതികജീവിതത്തിൽ നിരാശനായി ദുഃഖതാപങ്ങളിൽ പീഡിതനായി ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളുടെ ശരണം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. നിങ്ങൾ നിർദോഷൻ, അനന്തൻ, സർവ്വജ്ഞ പരമേശ്വരൻ; നിങ്ങളുടെ വൈകുണ്ഠധാമം കലഹരഹിതം. നിങ്ങൾ നാരായണൻ, സർവ്വജീവികളുടെ സത്യസഖാവ്.
No one can claim to be a self-made man, because everyone works with the body and mind awarded by material nature. By the laws of nature there is always anxiety in material existence, and terrible tragedies periodically harass the conditioned souls. Here Uddhava points out that only Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is a proper master, friend and shelter for the conditioned souls. We may be attracted by the good qualities of a particular man or demigod, but we may later discover discrepancies in that person’s behavior. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is described as anavadyam. There are no discrepancies in the personal conduct or character of the Personality of Godhead; He is eternally faultless.
FAQs
This verse models śaraṇāgati by explicitly taking refuge in Nārāyaṇa, praising Him as faultless, limitless, all-knowing, and the Supreme Lord, and surrendering especially when one is afflicted by distress.
In the Uddhava-gītā context, Uddhava turns to Krishna as the ultimate shelter; calling Him nara-sakha emphasizes the Lord’s intimate compassion—He is not only the Supreme controller but also the friend who protects the conditioned soul.
When distress burns the mind, use it to cultivate detachment from temporary supports and consciously take shelter of the Lord through prayer, remembrance, and devotional practice, trusting Him as the all-knowing protector and friend.