Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 1
Uddhava Recalls Kṛṣṇa’s Mission: Earth’s Burden, Royal Dharma, and the Prelude to Dvārakā’s Withdrawal
उद्धव उवाच तत: स आगत्य पुरं स्वपित्रो- श्चिकीर्षया शं बलदेवसंयुत: । निपात्य तुङ्गाद्रिपुयूथनाथं हतं व्यकर्षद् व्यसुमोजसोर्व्याम् ॥ १ ॥
uddhava uvāca tataḥ sa āgatya puraṁ sva-pitroś cikīrṣayā śaṁ baladeva-saṁyutaḥ nipātya tuṅgād ripu-yūtha-nāthaṁ hataṁ vyakarṣad vyasum ojasorvyām
Śrī Uddhava berkata—kemudian Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa bersama Śrī Baladeva pergi ke kota Mathurā. Untuk menyenangkan ayah dan ibu-Nya, Baginda menjatuhkan Kaṁsa, ketua musuh, dari takhtanya lalu membunuhnya, menyeretnya di tanah dengan kekuatan besar.
King Kaṁsa’s death is only briefly described here because such pastimes are vividly and elaborately described in the Tenth Canto. The Lord proved to be a worthy son of His parents even at the age of sixteen years. Both brothers, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Baladeva, went to Mathurā from Vṛndāvana and killed Their maternal uncle, who had given so much trouble to Their parents, Vasudeva and Devakī. Kaṁsa was a great giant, and Vasudeva and Devakī never thought that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma (Baladeva) would be able to kill such a great and strong enemy. When the two brothers attacked Kaṁsa on the throne, Their parents feared that now Kaṁsa would finally get the opportunity to kill their sons, whom they had hidden for so long in the house of Nanda Mahārāja. The parents of the Lord, due to parental affection, felt extreme danger, and they almost fainted. Just to convince them that They had actually killed Kaṁsa, Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva pulled Kaṁsa’s dead body along the ground to encourage them.
FAQs
This verse says Kṛṣṇa returned to the city with Balarāma specifically to bring welfare and joy to His parents.
Uddhava highlights Kṛṣṇa’s divine strength and His decisive removal of oppressive enemies, a public act that established dharma and relieved the people.
The verse encourages trust that the Lord removes obstacles to dharma and supports those under His shelter, inspiring courage and steadiness in righteous duty.