SB 1.8.37 (1964)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 37
Api adya nas tam swakrita ihita prabho jihasasi swit suhridanujivinah. Yesam na cha anyat bhavatah padambujat parayanam rajasu yojitam amhasam.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Api—if, Adya—today, Nas—us, Tam-You, Swakrita—self executed, Ihita—all duties, Prabho—oh my Lord, Jihasasi—giving up, Swit—possibly, Suhridam—intimate friends, Anujibinah—living at the mercy of, Yesam—of whom, Na—neither, Cha—and, Anyat—anyone else, Bhavatah-Your, Padambujat—from the lotus feet, Parayanam—dependant. Raaasu—unto the kings, Yojitam—engaged in, Amhasam—enmity.
TRANSLATION
Oh my Lord You are self executed of all duties. Are You leaving us today possibly although we are completely dependant on Your mercy as we have nobody else to help us specially in a state when all the kings are engaged in enmity with us.
PURPORT
The Pandavas are the most fortunate persons because with all good luck they were entirely dependant on the mercy of the Lord. In the material world to be dependant on the mercy of somebody else is the utmost sign of misfortune but in the case of our transcendental relation with the Lord it is the most fortunate case when we can live completely dependant on Him. The material disease is what we think of becoming independant of everything. But the cruel material nature does not allow us to become independant. The attempt to become independant falsely of the stringent laws of nature is known as material advancement of experimental knowledge. The whole material world is moving on this false attempt to become independant of the laws of nature. Beginning from Ravana who wanted to prepare a direct stair case up to the planet of heaven down to the present age they are trying to overcome the laws of nature They are trying now to approach the distant planetary system by electronic mechanical power. But on the contrary the finest part of human civilisation is to work hard under the guidance of the Lord and become completely dependant on Him. The highest achievement of perfect civilisation is to work by the best part of our valour but at the same time to depend completely on the direction of the Lord. The Pandavas were the ideal executor of this standard of civilization. Undoubtedly they were completely dependant on the good will of Lord Sri Krishna but they were not idle parasites of the Lord. They were all highly qualified both by personal character and physical activities. Still they always looked for the mercy of the Lord. Because they were perfect in knowledge that the human being or for the matter of that every living being is dependant by constitutional position. The perfection of life is therefore, to become dependant on the Will of the Lord instead of becoming falsely independant in the material world. Those who try to become falsely independant of the Lord are called Anatha or without any guardian while those who are completely dependant on the Will of the Lord are called Sanatha or the person having some one able to protect them. Therefore we must try to be Sanatha always so that we can always be protected from the unfavorable condition of material existence. By the deluding power of the external material nature we forget that the material condition of life is the most undesirable perplexity. The Bhagwat Geeta therefore directs us (7.19) that after many many births one fortunate person becomes aware of the fact that Vasudeva is all in all and the best way of leading our life is to surrender unto Him completely. That is the sign of a Mahatma. As such all the members of the Pandava family were Mahatmas in household life and Moharaj Yudhisthir was the head of such Mahatmas and Queen Kunti Devi was the Mother of such Mahatmas. The lessons of the Bhagwat Geeta and all the Puranas specifically the Bhagwatam Puranam, are therefore inevitably connected with the history of the Pandava Mahatmas. For them separation of the Lord is just like separation of the fish from water. Srimati Kunti Devi, therefore, felt such separation of the Lord something like a thunderbolt and the whole Prayer of the queen is to try to persuade the Lord to stay with them. After the battle of Kurukshetra although the inimical kings were killed still their sons and grand sons were there for dealing with the Pandavas. It is not only for the Pandavas that they were put into the condition of enmity but all of us are always in such condition and the best way of living is to become completely dependant on the Will of the Lord and thereby overcome all difficulties of material existence.