FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.11.34

एवं नृपाणां क्षितिभारजन्मना- मक्षौहिणीभि: परिवृत्ततेजसाम् । विधाय वैरं श्वसनो यथानलं मिथो वधेनोपरतो निरायुध: ॥ ३४ ॥
evaṁ nṛpāṇāṁ kṣiti-bhāra-janmanām
[evam nripaanaam kshiti-bhaara-janmanaam]
akṣauhiṇībhiḥ parivṛtta-tejasām
[akshauhineebhih parivritta-tejasaam]
vidhāya vairaṁ śvasano yathānalaṁ
[vidhaaya vairam shvasano yathaanalam]
mitho vadhenoparato nirāyudhaḥ
[mitho vadhenoparato niraayudhah]
evam — thus nṛpāṇām — of the kings or administrators kṣiti-bhāra — the burden of the earth janmanām — born in that way akṣauhiṇībhiḥ — empowered by a military strength of horses, elephants, chariots and infantry parivṛtta — being puffed up by such surroundings tejasām — prowess vidhāya — having created vairam — hostility śvasanaḥ — interaction of the wind and the pipe plants yathā — as it is analam — fire mithaḥ — with one another vadhena — by killing them uparataḥ — relieved nirāyudhaḥ — by Himself without being a party to such fighting.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
evaṁ nṛpāṇāṁ kṣiti-bhāra-janmanām
evam
thus
nṛpāṇām
of the kings or administrators
kṣiti-bhāra
the burden of the earth
janmanām
born in that way
akṣauhiṇībhiḥ parivṛtta-tejasām
akṣauhiṇībhiḥ
empowered by a military strength of horses, elephants, chariots and infantry
parivṛtta
being puffed up by such surroundings
tejasām
prowess
vidhāya vairaṁ śvasano yathānalaṁ
vidhāya
having created
vairam
hostility
śvasanaḥ
interaction of the wind and the pipe plants
yathā
as it is
analam
fire
mitho vadhenoparato nirāyudhaḥ
mithaḥ
with one another
vadhena
by killing them
uparataḥ
relieved
nirāyudhaḥ
by Himself without being a party to such fighting.
The Lord was pacified after killing those kings who were burdensome to the earth. They were puffed up with their military strength, their horses, elephants, chariots, infantry, etc. He Himself was not a party in the fight. He simply created hostility between the powerful administrators, and they fought amongst themselves. He was like the wind which causes friction between bamboos and so sparks a fire.

As stated above, the living beings are not factual enjoyers of things which are manifested as God’s creation. The Lord is the genuine proprietor and enjoyer of everything manifested in His creation. Unfortunately, influenced by the deluding energy, the living being becomes a false enjoyer under the dictation of the modes of nature. Puffed up by such a false sense of becoming God, the deluded living being increases his material strength by so many activities and thus becomes the burden of the earth, so much so that the earth becomes completely uninhabitable by the sane. This state of affairs is called dharmasya glāniḥ, or misuse of the energy of the human being. When such misuse of human energy is prominent, the saner living beings become perturbed by the awkward situation created by the vicious administrators, who are simply burdens of the earth, and the Lord appears by His internal potency just to save the saner section of humanity and to alleviate the burden due to the earthly administrators in different parts of the world. He does not favor either of the unwanted administrators, but by His potential power He creates hostility between such unwanted administrators, as the air creates fire in the forest by the friction of the bamboos. The fire in the forest takes place automatically by the force of the air, and similarly the hostility between different groups of politicians takes place by the unseen design of the Lord. The unwanted administrators, puffed up by false power and military strength, thus become engaged in fighting amongst themselves over ideological conflicts and so exhaust themselves of all powers. The history of the world reflects this factual will of the Lord, and it will continue to be enacted until the living beings are attached to the service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā (7.14) this fact is very vividly described. It is said, “The deluding energy is My potency, and thus it is not possible for the dependent living beings to supersede the strength of the material modes. But those who take shelter in Me [the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa] can cross over the gigantic ocean of material energy.” This means that no one can establish peace and prosperity in the world by fruitive activities or by speculative philosophy or ideology. The only way is to surrender unto the Supreme Lord and thus become free from the illusion of the deluding energy.

Unfortunately persons who are engaged in destructive work are unable to surrender to the Personality of Godhead. They are all fools of the first order; they are the lowest of the human species of life; they are robbed of their knowledge, although apparently they seem to be academically educated. They are all of the demoniac mentality, always challenging the supreme power of the Lord. Those who are very materialistic, always hankering after material power and strength, are undoubtedly fools of the first order because they have no information of the living energy, and being ignorant of that supreme spiritual science, they are absorbed in material science, which ends with the end of the material body. They are the lowest of human beings because the human life is especially meant for reestablishing the lost relation with the Lord, and they miss this opportunity by being engaged in material activities. They are robbed of their knowledge because even after prolonged speculation they cannot reach to the stage of knowing the Personality of Godhead, the summum bonum of everything. And all of them are men of demoniac principle, and they suffer the consequences, as did such materialistic heroes as Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, Kaṁsa and others.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Though Kṛṣṇa’s feet were next to them and in private, those feet appeared more and more beautiful at every moment. Which woman could give up those feet which Lakṣmī never gives up?
Commentary

At every moment (pade pade) the feet appeared newer and newer to them. If Lakṣmī who is fickle in nature, the embodiment of all beauty, finds those feet ever fresh, then what to speak of anyone else being able to give them up.

He was pacified after killing those kings burdensome to earth — though He Himself was not party to the fight. He simply created the divisions that did the work. Cosmic management uses local agents.
Reflection Questions
  • Where might the Lord be 'managing' through divisions in my world?
  • How does this reframe the conflicts around me?
📝 My note

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