Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 3
The Curse on the Yadus Begins: Kṛṣṇa’s Plan to Withdraw His Dynasty
भूभारराजपृतना यदुभिर्निरस्य गुप्तै: स्वबाहुभिरचिन्तयदप्रमेय: । मन्येऽवनेर्ननु गतोऽप्यगतं हि भारं यद् यादवं कुलमहो अविषह्यमास्ते ॥ ३ ॥
bhū-bhāra-rāja-pṛtanā yadubhir nirasya guptaiḥ sva-bāhubhir acintayad aprameyaḥ manye ’vaner nanu gato ’py agataṁ hi bhāraṁ yad yādavaṁ kulam aho aviṣahyam āste
พระผู้เป็นเจ้าทรงใช้ราชวงศ์ยทุ ผู้ได้รับการคุ้มครองด้วยพระกรของพระองค์เอง กำจัดบรรดากษัตริย์และกองทัพที่เป็นภาระแก่แผ่นดิน แล้วพระผู้หาประมาณมิได้ทรงดำริว่า “แม้ผู้คนจะกล่าวว่าภาระแผ่นดินหมดแล้ว แต่ตามความเห็นของเรา ยังไม่หมด เพราะราชวงศ์ยาทวะเองยังคงอยู่ มีพลังยิ่งใหญ่จนแผ่นดินยากจะทานไหว”
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura has remarked in this regard that although ordinary people might think that the Lord had now removed the burden of the earth by killing the demons, reestablishing dharma, and so on, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself could detect that there was further danger from the irreligious activities of His own family members who were acting improperly. It is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that a just king will refuse to punish his own enemy if his enemy is innocent but will punish his own son if his son actually deserves punishment. Thus although in the eyes of the world the members of the Lord’s own dynasty are always worshipable, Lord Kṛṣṇa detected that by their intimate association with Him some members of the Yadu dynasty had become indifferent to His will. Since such whimsical members of the Yadu dynasty could act freely, being relatives of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they would surely cause great misfortune for the world, and foolish persons would take such whimsical behavior to be the will of Kṛṣṇa. Thus the Lord, whose desires are inconceivable, began to consider the need to annihilate the indifferent, contemptuous members of the Yadu family.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord, through the Yadus protected by His own power, drove away the kingly armies that burdened the earth—showing His divine mission to restore balance.
He indicates that although the oppressive rulers were removed, the extraordinarily powerful Yadu dynasty itself remained, and its overwhelming might was also part of the earth’s ‘burden’ to be resolved by the Lord’s plan.
The verse warns that removing one visible problem may not end the deeper imbalance; real relief comes from addressing root causes and aligning power with dharma and humility.