Shloka 35
Mahārāja Parīkṣit Cursed by a Brāhmaṇa Boy (Śṛṅgi) and the Moral Crisis of Kali-yuga
कृष्णे गते भगवति शास्तर्युत्पथगामिनाम् । तद्भिन्नसेतूनद्याहं शास्मि पश्यत मे बलम् ॥ ३५ ॥
kṛṣṇe gate bhagavati śāstary utpatha-gāminām tad bhinna-setūn adyāhaṁ śāsmi paśyata me balam
เมื่อพระผู้เป็นเจ้า ศรีกฤษณะ ผู้ทรงเป็นผู้ปกครองสูงสุด เสด็จไปแล้ว พวกหลงทางเหล่านี้ก็ผยองขึ้น; ดังนั้นวันนี้เราจะลงโทษผู้ทำลายขอบเขตเอง—จงดูฤทธิ์เดชของเรา!
The inexperienced brāhmaṇa, puffed up by a little brahma-tejas, became influenced by the spell of Kali-yuga. Mahārāja Parīkṣit gave license to Kali to live in four places as mentioned hereinbefore, but by his very expert government the personality of Kali could hardly find the places allotted him. The personality of Kali-yuga, therefore, was seeking the opportunity to establish authority, and by the grace of the Lord he found a hole in the puffed-up, inexperienced son of a brāhmaṇa. The little brāhmaṇa wanted to show his prowess in destruction, and he had the audacity to punish such a great king as Mahārāja Parīkṣit. He wanted to take the place of Lord Kṛṣṇa after His departure. These are the principal signs of upstarts who want to take the place of Śrī Kṛṣṇa under the influence of the Age of Kali. An upstart with a little power wants to become an incarnation of the Lord. There are many false incarnations after the departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa from the face of the globe, and they are misleading the innocent public by accepting the spiritual obedience of the general mass of people to maintain false prestige. In other words, the personality of Kali got the opportunity to reign through this son of a brāhmaṇa, Śṛṅgi.
FAQs
This verse shows that after Lord Kṛṣṇa’s departure, people tend to break moral boundaries (bhinna-setu), and even righteous leaders can become provoked—highlighting the weakening of dharma associated with Kali-yuga.
After being dishonored and feeling that social restraints were collapsing in Kṛṣṇa’s absence, Parīkṣit spoke in anger, resolving to punish the “boundary-breakers,” which leads him to commit an offense at the sage Śamīka’s āśrama.
The shloka warns that reacting from ego and anger can create grave mistakes; a devotee should uphold dharma with humility, self-control, and reliance on the Lord rather than displaying “my power.”