SB 1.8.11
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 11
sūta uvāca
upadhārya vacas tasyā
bhagavān bhakta-vatsalaḥ
apāṇḍavam idaṁ kartuṁ
drauṇer astram abudhyata
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca—Sūta Gosvāmī said; upadhārya—by hearing her patiently; vacaḥ—words; tasyāḥ—her; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; bhakta-vatsalaḥ—He who is very much affectionate towards His devotees; apāṇḍavam—without the existence of the Pāṇḍavas' descendants; idam—this; kartum—to do it; drauṇeḥ—of the son of Droṇācārya; astram—weapon; abudhyata—understood.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Having patiently heard her words, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is always very affectionate to His devotees, could at once understand that Aśvatthāmā, the son of Droṇācārya, had thrown the brahmāstra to finish the last life in the Pāṇḍava family.
PURPORT
The Lord is impartial in every respect, but still He is inclined towards His devotees because there is a great necessity of this for everyone's wellbeing. The Pāṇḍava family was a family of devotees, and therefore the Lord wanted them to rule the world. That was the reason He vanquished the rule of the company of Duryodhana and established the rule of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Therefore, He also wanted to protect Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was lying in embryo. He did not like the idea that the world should be without the Pāṇḍavas, the ideal family of devotees.