Yudhiṣṭhira’s Apprehension at the Sight of Inauspicious Omens and Arjuna’s Return from Dvārakā

This chapter contains forty-four verses, out of which the first five are spoken by Sūta, verses 6–21 by Yudhiṣṭhira, verses 22–24 by Sūta, and the final twenty by Yudhiṣṭhira. In the previous chapter, Sūta had related the details of Vidura’s return to Hastināpura, his instructing Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the latter’s departure to the Himālayas along with Gān-dhārī, and Nārada’s enlightening Yudhiṣṭhira regarding their plight. In the midst of his instruction, Nārada hinted at the imminent departure of Kṛṣṇa from the world (SB 1.13.49). This intimation, in particular, sets the scene for what unfolds in this chapter.

Sūta reports that Yudhiṣṭhira had sent Arjuna to Dvārakā to obtain news about Kṛṣṇa and the other Yādavas. Although many months had passed, Arjuna had still not returned. Coincidentally, Yudhiṣṭhira began to notice many inauspicious omens, such as the reversal of time’s ordinary course, the sinful behavior of human beings, and their unrighteous dealings, overtaken by deceit and quarrel. This made him apprehensive about the fate of the Yādavas (verses 1–5).

Yudhiṣṭhira thus revealed his concerns to his younger brother Bhīma. He suspected that the time for Kṛṣṇa’s departure from earth might have already come, as previously indicated by the sage Nārada. To justify his feeling, he pointed out to Bhīma all the terrible omens he had witnessed, categorizing them as bodily (daihikān), terrestrial (bhaumān), and atmospheric (divyān). Seeing all these forebodings of imminent misfortune, he concluded that Kṛṣṇa must have already left the earth (verses 6–21).

Sūta then reports that while Yudhiṣṭhira was deliberating in this manner, Arjuna returned from Dvārakā, looking gloomy and dejected (verses 22–24). Yudhiṣṭhira had never seen Arjuna in such a condition. Witnessing his despondency and remembering Nārada’s words, he inquired at length about the well-being of all the principal Yādavas, culminating in Kṛṣṇa Himself (verses 25–34).

At this point, Yudhiṣṭhira dwelt upon the unique graces bestowed upon the Yadus. It was exclusively for the upliftment of all living beings, and specifically the Yadus, that Kṛṣṇa had appeared in their midst. Such being the case, misfortune could hardly be possible in Kṛṣṇa’s direct presence. Thus, Yudhiṣṭhira’s reflection here once again confirmed his original feeling that Kṛṣṇa must have already departed (verses 35–38).

Finally, Yudhiṣṭhira inquired about Arjuna himself. Having noticed that he had lost his luster, he proposed a list of possible reasons to account for Arjuna’s unprecedented anguish, all of them related either to the nature of family relations, varṇāśrama moral codes, or kṣatriya-dharma (verses 39–43). In the end, however, he rejects all these as impossible in the case of Arjuna. Thus, in his final question, he concludes that there could be no explanation for Arjuna’s condition other than the departure of his dearest friend Śrī Kṛṣṇa to His own abode (verse 44). Arjuna replies to Yudhiṣṭhira’s questions in the next chapter.

All Verses

  1. Verse 1Śrī Sūta said: The victorious Arjuna had departed to Dvārakā with the intent to see his relatives [the Yadus] and to learn of the acts and intentions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, of immaculate glory.
  2. Verse 2Many months elapsed, yet Arjuna had still not returned from Dvārakā. At that time, Yudhiṣṭhira, the uplifter of the Kuru dynasty, began to notice terrifying omens.
  3. Verse 3He witnessed the formidable advance of time, whose regular traits related to the seasons were now reversed, as well as the sinful means of livelihood adopted by human beings, whose hearts were beset with anger, greed, and falsity.
  4. Verse 4He observed that dealings were filled with deceit, friendship was tainted with guile, and quarrels flared between parents and children, relatives, brothers and sisters, and husbands and wives.
  5. Verse 5With the advance of time’s own inevitable course, all these catastrophic omens became commonplace. Witnessing the immoral nature of human beings, exhibited in the form of greed [anger and the whole assortment of other vices], King Yudhiṣṭhira spoke the following words to his younger brother [Bhīma].
  6. Verse 6Yudhiṣṭhira said: The victorious Arjuna was sent to Dvārakā to see our relatives and to learn of the acts and intentions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, of immaculate glory.
  7. Verse 7O Bhīmasena, seven months have elapsed, yet till now, your younger brother Arjuna has still not returned. I cannot fathom in truth what the reason might be for this.
  8. Verse 8Has that very time arrived, as indicated by the celestial sage Nārada, when Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa intends to withdraw His own humanlike form that He manifested for the sake of play?
  9. Verse 9It is on His account and by His grace that our abundant prosperity, kingdom, wives, lives, dynasty, progeny, victory over enemies, and status in the higher worlds have all come to be.
  10. Verse 10O tiger among men, see now the terrible forebodings of misfortune—atmospheric, terrestrial, and bodily—that indicate imminent fear that will bewilder our intelligence.
  11. Verse 11Dear brother, my [left] thigh, eye, and arm are quivering again and again, and there are palpitations in my heart as well. These [inauspicious omens] will soon bring misery upon us.
  12. Verse 12O Bhīma, this she-jackal, vomiting fire from her mouth, howls at the rising sun; this dog barks at me rabidly without any fear.
  13. Verse 13O tiger among men, auspicious animals pass me on my left side, while other inauspicious animals pass me on the right, and I see my horses and other carriers crying.
  14. Verse 14This pigeon is a messenger of death. The owl and its enemy, the crow, make my heart shudder with their shrieking sounds. The two of them remain awake throughout the night, desiring to nullify the world.
  15. Verse 15O brother, the smoky directions appear as though multilayered coverings [concealing within, the blazing fire that consumes the three worlds], and the earth along with its mountains trembles. There are violent strokes of lightning [in a cloudless sky], accompanied by the rumblings of thunder.
  16. Verse 16A harsh wind blows, spreading darkness by the profusion of dust. The clouds rain blood, creating a gruesome scene all around.
  17. Verse 17See how the sun has lost its effulgence and the planets are colliding with one another in the heavens. Heaven and earth appear to be ablaze with throngs of ghastly beings [the attendants of Rudra].
  18. Verse 18Large rivers, streams, lakes, and the minds of living beings are all agitated. Fire [meant for religious ritual acts] does not burn, even with ghee. What misery will this contradictory time bring forth?
  19. Verse 19The calves do not drink milk from their mothers’ udders and their mothers do not allow their calves to drink their milk. The cows cry with faces covered in tears and the bulls no longer rejoice in the pasturing ground.
  20. Verse 20The deities certainly appear as if to cry, perspire, and move [from their fixed locations]. These districts, villages, cities, gardens, mines, and hermitages are devoid of beauty and bereft of delight. What evil might they signify to us?
  21. Verse 21From all these menacing forebodings of misfortune, I conclude that the Earth has assuredly lost her fortune due to being deprived of Bhagavān’s feet, the unique splendor of which is not to be found in any other person.
  22. Verse 22O brāhmaṇa [Śaunaka], as the king was deliberating in this manner, with his mind burdened by the dreadful omens witnessed by him, Arjuna returned from the capital of the Yadus, Dvārakā.
  23. Verse 23-24Seeing his younger brother Arjuna bowing down at his feet with unprecedented dejection, his face downcast, teardrops trickling from his lotus-like eyes, and pale of appearance, the king, whose heart trembled with anxiety, questioned him in the midst of his relatives, while recollecting the words spoken by Nārada.
  24. Verse 25Yudhiṣṭhira inquired: Are our relatives, the Madhus, Bhojas, Daśārhas, Arhas, Sātvatas, Andhakas, and the Vṛṣṇis, living happily in Dvārakā?
  25. Verse 26Is our honorable maternal grandfather Śūrasena perhaps keeping well? And [moreover] is our maternal uncle Vasudeva faring well along with his younger brother?
  26. Verse 27Are our maternal aunts, the seven sisters who are all wives of Vasudeva headed by Devakī, each living happily along with their sons and daughters-in-law?
  27. Verse 28-29Is King Ugrasena, whose son was the wicked Kaṁsa, still alive? And is his younger brother [Devaka] also living on? Are Hṛdīka along with his son [Kṛtavarmā], Akrūra, Jayanta, Gada, Sāraṇa as well as those headed by Śatrujit all living well? And is Bhagavān Balarāma, the Master and Guardian of the Sātvatas, living happily?
  28. Verse 30Is Pradyumna, a warrior of the highest rank (mahā-ratha) among all the Vṛṣṇis, keeping well? And is the honorable Aniruddha, a mighty torrent in battle, prospering joyfully?
  29. Verse 31-33Are Suṣeṇa and Cārudeṣṇa [both sons of Rohiṇī], Sāmba, the son of Jāmbavatī, and the other principal sons of Kṛṣṇa, including Ṛṣabha and others, each along with their sons, faring well? And indeed are Śrutadeva, Uddhava, and other attendants of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as well as the other principal Sātvatas—headed by Sunanda and Nanda—all keeping well, protected by the arms of Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa? Do they, being bound by affection to us, give a thought to our well-being?
  30. Verse 34Is Bhagavān Govinda as well, who is the benefactor of the brāhmaṇas and the affectionate guardian of His devotees, living joyfully in Dvārakā, in the magnificent Sudharmā assembly hall, surrounded by His friends and relatives?
  31. Verse 35It is for the well-being, preservation, and prosperity of all beings that the Original Supreme Person, the companion of Balarāma, is residing in the ocean of the Yadu dynasty.
  32. Verse 36Honored by all, the Yadus sport in supreme bliss like the associates of Viṣṇu in their own city, protected by Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s staff-like arms.
  33. Verse 37By embracing the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s feet as their primary function, the sixteen thousand wives of Bhagavān, headed by Satyabhāmā, defeated the devas in battle and took away the objects enjoyed by them [such as the pārijāta tree and its flowers], which are fit for the wife of Indra, Śacī.
  34. Verse 38The great heroes of the Yadu dynasty, who live by the power of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s stout arms and are thus fearless, habitually tread upon—with their own feet—the [celebrated] Sudharmā assembly hall itself, which was forcibly brought from heaven and is fit for the foremost of the devas.
  35. Verse 39Are you well, my dear brother? You seem to me to have lost your luster. Because you were staying abroad so long, my dear, did you not receive proper honor [from your relatives], or were you disrespected [by them]?
  36. Verse 40Were you not wounded by harsh words devoid of love? Were you unable to deliver that which you had promised to give to those appealing for your help with the particular hopes they each cherished? Or did you not speak [to assure them, remaining completely silent instead]?
  37. Verse 41Did you turn away a brāhmaṇa, a child, a cow, an elderly person, a person stricken with disease, a woman, or any other living being who approached you for protection because you were long since recognized as a provider of shelter?
  38. Verse 42Did you have physical relations with an unsuitable woman or with a woman who, although suitable, behaved disrespectfully? Were you defeated on the path back home by someone in no way superior to you [an equal] or by one who was not at all your match [an inferior]?
  39. Verse 43Did you eat before feeding the elderly or children, who deserved to be fed? Or did you perform some abominable act that was unfit to be enacted by you?
  40. Verse 44Or, having been deprived of your ever dearest and most intimate natural friend [Śrī Kṛṣṇa], do you now think of yourself as empty? Otherwise, your mental anguish could never have occurred.