Shloka 41
Balarāma Humbles the Kurus and Rescues Sāmba
लाङ्गलाग्रेण नगरमुद्विदार्य गजाह्वयम् । विचकर्ष स गङ्गायां प्रहरिष्यन्नमर्षित: ॥ ४१ ॥
lāṅgalāgreṇa nagaram udvidārya gajāhvayam vicakarṣa sa gaṅgāyāṁ prahariṣyann amarṣitaḥ
Irado, o Senhor desentranhou a cidade de Gajāhvaya (Hastināpura) com a ponta de seu arado e começou a arrastá-la, pretendendo lançá-la no Ganges.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes as follows: “Lord Balarāma seemed so furious that He looked as if He could burn the whole cosmic creation to ashes. He stood up steadily and, taking His plow in His hand, began striking the earth with it. In this way the whole city of Hastināpura was separated from the earth. Lord Balarāma then began to drag the city toward the flowing water of the river Ganges. Because of this, there was a great tremor throughout Hastināpura, as if there had been an earthquake, and it seemed that the whole city would be dismantled.”
FAQs
In 10.68.41, Śukadeva describes Balarāma, angered by the Kauravas’ refusal to act justly, using His plow to split and drag Hastināpura toward the Gaṅgā—showing that divine authority subdues pride and restores dharma.
The Kauravas acted arrogantly and rejected rightful, dharmic settlement; Balarāma, as an elder protector of His family’s honor and justice, displayed overwhelming power to curb their pride and compel proper conduct.
It warns against stubborn pride and injustice: when ego resists what is right, consequences follow; cultivate humility, accept correction, and choose dharma over prestige.