Shloka 7
अग्राह्य-ज्ञातिसंबन्धमण्डल-विवेचनम् / Managing Unreadable Kinship Networks: Vāsudeva–Nārada on Cohesion
बलं संकर्षणे नित्यं सौकुमार्य पुनर्गदे । रूपेण मत्त: प्रद्युम्मन: सोडसहायो5स्मि नारद,नारदजी! बड़े भाई बलराममें सदा ही असीम बल है; वे उसीमें मस्त रहते हैं। छोटे भाई गदमें अत्यन्त सुकुमारता है (अतः वह परिश्रमसे दूर भागता है); रह गया बेटा प्रद्युम्न, सो वह अपने रूप-सौन्दर्यके अभिमानसे ही मतवाला बना रहता है। इस प्रकार इन सहायकोंके होते हुए भी मैं असहाय हूँ
vāyudeva uvāca | balaṃ saṅkarṣaṇe nityaṃ saukumāryaṃ punar gade | rūpeṇa mattaḥ pradyumnaḥ ṣoḍaśa-sahāyo ’smi nārada ||
Vāyu disse: “Em Saṅkarṣaṇa (Balarāma) há força sempre presente, e ele se absorve nesse próprio poder. Em Gada há delicadeza em excesso, por isso evita o esforço. Quanto a Pradyumna, ele se embriaga do orgulho de sua própria beleza. Assim, embora eu tenha esses auxiliares, ó Nārada, sou como se não tivesse ajuda.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mere possession of capable associates does not guarantee support if each is absorbed in a personal fixation—power, comfort, or vanity. The verse cautions that pride and self-indulgence can render even a well-resourced person effectively helpless; ethical strength requires disciplined, service-oriented cooperation.
Vāyudeva addresses the sage Nārada and describes three prominent Yādava figures—Saṅkarṣaṇa, Gada, and Pradyumna—each dominated by a particular trait (strength, delicacy, or beauty-pride). Because they are preoccupied with these traits, Vāyu laments that, despite having such ‘helpers’ (even said to be sixteen), he experiences himself as unsupported.