Shloka 10
Uddhava Recalls Kṛṣṇa’s Mission: Earth’s Burden, Royal Dharma, and the Prelude to Dvārakā’s Withdrawal
कालमागधशाल्वादीननीकै रुन्धत: पुरम् । अजीघनत्स्वयं दिव्यं स्वपुंसां तेज आदिशत् ॥ १० ॥
kāla-māgadha-śālvādīn anīkai rundhataḥ puram ajīghanat svayaṁ divyaṁ sva-puṁsāṁ teja ādiśat
Kālayavana, vua xứ Magadha và Sālva cùng binh đoàn vây hãm thành Mathurā. Nhưng Đức Chúa không tự tay giết họ, để phô bày uy lực thần diệu của những người thuộc về Ngài, nên Ngài đã ban lệnh cho họ hành động.
After the death of Kaṁsa, when Mathurā was encircled by the soldiers of Kālayavana, Jarāsandha and Sālva, the Lord seemingly fled from the city, and thus He is known as Ranchor, or one who fled from fighting. Actually, the fact was that the Lord wanted to kill them through the agency of His own men, devotees like Mucukunda and Bhīma. Kālayavana and the King of Magadha were killed by Mucukunda and Bhīma respectively, who acted as agents of the Lord. By such acts the Lord wanted to exhibit the prowess of His devotees, as if He were personally unable to fight but His devotees could kill them. The relationship of the Lord with His devotees is a very happy one. Actually, the Lord descended at the request of Brahmā in order to kill all the undesirables of the world, but to divide the share of glory He sometimes engaged His devotees to take the credit. The Battle of Kurukṣetra was designed by the Lord Himself, but just to give credit to His devotee Arjuna ( nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin ), He played the part of the charioteer, while Arjuna was given the chance to play the fighter and thus become the hero of the Battle of Kurukṣetra. What He wants to do Himself by His transcendental plans, He executes through His confidential devotees. That is the way of the Lord’s mercy towards His pure unalloyed devotees.
FAQs
This verse shows that when powerful enemies besieged the city, Kṛṣṇa ensured protection by personally directing and manifesting His divine potency, rather than relying only on ordinary military strength.
The verse indicates that Kṛṣṇa chose to handle the threat by His own divine tejas, highlighting His role as the supreme protector and reducing the burden and danger to His followers.
Do your duty, but remember that ultimate protection comes from the Lord; cultivate faith that divine help can act beyond limited human capacity when one takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa.