Shloka 30
Uddhava’s Remembrance of Kṛṣṇa and the Theology of the Lord’s Disappearance
प्रयुक्तान् भोजराजेन मायिन: कामरूपिण: । लीलया व्यनुदत्तांस्तान् बाल: क्रीडनकानिव ॥ ३० ॥
prayuktān bhoja-rājena māyinaḥ kāma-rūpiṇaḥ līlayā vyanudat tāṁs tān bālaḥ krīḍanakān iva
Para ahli sihir yang boleh berubah rupa, diutus oleh raja Bhoja, Kaṁsa, untuk membunuh Kṛṣṇa; namun dalam līlā-Nya, Tuhan Śrī Kṛṣṇa membinasakan mereka semudah anak mematahkan patung mainan.
The atheist Kaṁsa wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa just after His birth. He failed to do so, but later on he got information that Kṛṣṇa was living in Vṛndāvana at the house of Nanda Mahārāja. He therefore engaged many wizards who could perform wonderful acts and assume any form they liked. All of them appeared before the child-Lord in various forms, like Agha, Baka, Pūtanā, Śakaṭa, Tṛṇāvarta, Dhenuka and Gardabha, and they tried to kill the Lord at every opportunity. But one after another, all of them were killed by the Lord as if He were only playing with dolls. Children play with toy lions, elephants, boars and many similar dolls, which are broken by the children in the course of their playing with them. Before the Almighty Lord, any powerful living being is just like a toy lion in the hands of a playing child. No one can excel God in any capacity, and therefore no one can be equal to or greater than Him, nor can anyone attain the stage of equality with God by any kind of endeavor. Jñāna, yoga and bhakti are three recognized processes of spiritual realization. The perfection of such processes can lead one to the desired goal of life in spiritual value, but that does not mean that one can attain a perfection equal to the Lord’s by such endeavors. The Lord is the Lord at every stage. When He was playing just like a child on the lap of His mother Yaśodāmayī or just like a cowherd boy with His transcendental friends, He continued to remain God, without the slightest diminution of His six opulences. Thus He is always unrivaled.
FAQs
This verse shows that even powerful illusionists who can change forms are dismissed by the Lord effortlessly—māyā cannot overpower Bhagavān; it is subordinate to Him.
Out of fear of the Lord’s growing power and fame, Kaṁsa employed deceptive, shape-shifting sorcerers—yet the Lord nullified them as a mere pastime.
Remembering the Lord’s supremacy over illusion encourages steadiness: rely on bhakti and discernment, and treat intimidating threats as temporary—like toys before divine shelter.