Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.1.5-7

pitāmahā me samare 'marañjayair

devavratādyātirathais timińgilaih

duratyayam kaurava-sainya-sāgaram

kritvātaran vatsa-padam sma yat-plavāh

drauny-astra-viplushtam idam mad-ańgam

santāna-bījam kuru-pāndavānām

jugopa kukshim gata ātta-cakro

mātuś ca me yah śaranam gatāyāh

vīryāni tasyākhila-deha-bhājām

antar bahih pūrusha-kāla-rūpaih

prayacchato mrityum utāmritam ca

māyā-manushyasya vadasva vidvan

SYNONYMS

pitāmahāh — my grandfathers, the five Pāndavas (Yudhishthira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva); me — my; samare — on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra; amaram jayaih — with fighters who could gain victory over the demigods on the battlefield; devavrata-ādya — Bhīshmadeva and others; atirathaih — great commanders in chief; timińgilaih — resembling great timińgila fish, which can easily eat large sharks; duratyayam — very difficult to cross; kaurava-sainya-sāgaram — the ocean of the assembled soldiers of the Kauravas; kritvā — considering such an ocean; ataran — crossed it; vatsa-padam — exactly as one steps over a small hoofprint of a calf; sma — in the past; yat-plavāh — the shelter of the boat of Krishna's lotus feet; drauni — of Aśvatthāmā; astra — by the brahmāstra; viplushtam — being attacked and burned; idam — this; mat-ańgam — my body; santāna-bījam — the only seed left, the last descendant of the family; kuru-pāndavānām — of the Kurus and the Pāndavas (because no one but me lived after the Battle of Kurukshetra); jugopa — gave protection; kukshim — within the womb; gatah — being placed; ātta-cakrah — taking in hand the disc; mātuh — of my mother; ca — also; me — my; yah — the Lord who; śaranam — the shelter; gatāyāh — who had taken; vīryāni — the glorification of the transcendental characteristics; tasya — of Him (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); akhila-deha-bhājām — of all the materially embodied living entities; antah bahih — inside and outside; pūrusha — of the Supreme Person; kāla-rūpaih — in the forms of eternal time; prayacchatah — who is the giver; mrityum — of death; uta — it is so said; amritam ca — and eternal life; māyā-manushyasya — of the Lord, who appeared as an ordinary human being by His own potency; vadasva — kindly describe; vidvan — O learned speaker (Śukadeva Gosvāmī).

TRANSLATION

Taking the boat of Krishna's lotus feet, my grandfather Arjuna and others crossed the ocean of the Battlefield of Kurukshetra, in which such commanders as Bhīshmadeva resembled great fish that could very easily have swallowed them. By the mercy of Lord Krishna, my grandfathers crossed this ocean, which was very difficult to cross, as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf. Because my mother surrendered unto Lord Krishna's lotus feet, the Lord, Sudarśana-cakra in hand, entered her womb and saved my body, the body of the last remaining descendant of the Kurus and the Pāndavas, which was almost destroyed by the fiery weapon of Aśvatthāmā. Lord Śrī Krishna, appearing within and outside of all materially embodied living beings by His own potency in the forms of eternal time — that is, as Paramātmā and as virāt-rūpa — gave liberation to everyone, either as cruel death or as life. Kindly enlighten me by describing His transcendental characteristics.

PURPORT

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.58):

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam

mahat-padam punya-yaśo murāreh

bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padam param padam

padam padam yad vipadām na teshām

"For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, or the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf's hoofprint. His goal is param padam, or Vaikuntha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step."

One who seeks shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna is immediately protected by the Lord. As the Lord promises in Bhagavad-gītā (18.66), aham tvām sarva-pāpebhyo mokshayishyāmi mā śucah: "I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." By taking shelter of Lord Krishna, one comes under the safest protection. Thus when the Pāndavas took shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna, all of them were on the safe side of the Battlefield of Kurukshetra. Parīkshit Mahārāja, therefore, felt obliged to think of Krishna in the last days of his life. This is the ideal result of Krishna consciousness: ante nārāyana-smritih. If at the time of death one can remember Krishna, one's life is successful. Parīkshit Mahārāja, therefore, because of his many obligations to Krishna, intelligently decided to think of Krishna constantly during the last days of his life. Krishna had saved the Pāndavas, Mahārāja Parīkshit's grandfathers, on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra, and Krishna had saved Mahārāja Parīkshit himself when he was attacked by the brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā. Krishna acted as the friend and worshipable Deity of the Pāndava family. Moreover, apart from Lord Krishna's personal contact with the Pāndavas, Krishna is the Supersoul of all living entities, and He gives everyone liberation, even if one is not a pure devotee. Kamsa, for example, was not at all a devotee, yet Krishna, after killing him, gave him salvation. Krishna consciousness is beneficial to everyone, whether one is a pure devotee or a nondevotee. This is the glory of Krishna consciousness. Considering this, who will not take shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna. Krishna is described in this verse as māyā-manushya because He descends exactly like a human being. He is not obliged to come here, like karmīs, or ordinary living beings; rather, He appears by His own internal energy (sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā [Bg. 4.6]) just to show favor to the fallen conditioned souls. Krishna is always situated in His original position as sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], and anyone who renders service to Him is also situated in his original, spiritual identity (svarūpena vyavasthitih). This is the highest perfection of human life.

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