Shloka 23
Parīkṣit Confronts Kali; Dharma and Bhūmi Lament Kṛṣṇa’s Departure
यद्वाम्ब ते भूरिभरावतार कृतावतारस्य हरेर्धरित्रि । अन्तर्हितस्य स्मरती विसृष्टा कर्माणि निर्वाणविलम्बितानि ॥ २३ ॥
yadvāmba te bhūri-bharāvatāra- kṛtāvatārasya harer dharitri antarhitasya smaratī visṛṣṭā karmāṇi nirvāṇa-vilambitāni
Wahai Ibu Bumi, demi meringankan bebanmu yang berat, Hari telah turun sebagai Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Segala perbuatan-Nya bersifat transendental dan meneguhkan jalan pembebasan. Kini Dia telah ghaib dari pandangan, dan engkau kehilangan kehadiran-Nya. Barangkali engkau mengingati lila-lila-Nya itu dan bersedih kerana ketiadaan-Nya.
The activities of the Lord include liberation, but they are more relishable than the pleasure derived from nirvāṇa, or liberation. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the word used here is nirvāṇa-vilambitāni, “that which minimizes the value of liberation.” To attain nirvāṇa, liberation, one has to undergo a severe type of tapasya, austerity, but the Lord is so merciful that He incarnates to diminish the burden of the earth. Simply by remembering such activities, one can defy the pleasure derived from nirvāṇa and reach the transcendental abode of the Lord to associate with Him, eternally engaged in His blissful loving service.
FAQs
This verse describes Earth (Dharitrī) remembering Lord Hari’s avatāra and His deeds after He became hidden, expressing the pain of separation and the sense of loss felt in His absence.
In the context of Parīkṣit encountering Kali and seeing Dharma and Earth distressed, Śukadeva explains that Earth’s sorrow is tied to the Lord’s departure—His presence had relieved her burden and restrained the world’s decline.
The verse points to smaraṇa (remembrance) of Hari’s deeds as spiritually protective—keeping one oriented toward liberation and steadiness even amid Kali Yuga’s increasing disorder.