FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.37

सञ्जय उवाच नाहं वेद व्यवसितं पित्रोर्व: कुलनन्दन । गान्धार्या वा महाबाहो मुषितोऽस्मि महात्मभि: ॥ ३७ ॥
sañjaya uvāca
[sanjaya uvaacha]
nāhaṁ veda vyavasitaṁ
[naaham veda vyavasitam]
pitror vaḥ kula-nandana
[pitror vah kula-nandana]
gāndhāryā vā mahā-bāho
[gaandhaaryaa vaa mahaa-baaho]
muṣito ’smi mahātmabhiḥ
[mushito ’smi mahaatmabhih]
sañjayaḥ uvāca — Sañjaya said na — not aham — I veda — know vyavasitam — determination pitroḥ — of your uncles vaḥ — your kula-nandana — O descendant of the Kuru dynasty gāndhāryāḥ — of Gāndhārī vā — or mahā-bāho — O great King muṣitaḥ — cheated asmi — I have been mahā-ātmabhiḥ — by those great souls.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sañjaya uvāca
sañjayaḥ uvāca
Sañjaya said
nāhaṁ veda vyavasitaṁ
na
not
aham
I
veda
know
vyavasitam
determination
pitror vaḥ kula-nandana
pitroḥ
of your uncles
vaḥ
your
kula-nandana
O descendant of the Kuru dynasty
gāndhāryā vā mahā-bāho
gāndhāryāḥ
of Gāndhārī
vā
or
mahā-bāho
O great King
muṣito ’smi mahātmabhiḥ
muṣitaḥ
cheated
asmi
I have been
mahā-ātmabhiḥ
by those great souls.
Sañjaya said: My dear descendant of the Kuru dynasty, I have no information of the determination of your two uncles and Gāndhārī. O King, I have been cheated by those great souls.

That great souls cheat others may be astonishing to know, but it is a fact that great souls cheat others for a great cause. It is said that Lord Kṛṣṇa also advised Yudhiṣṭhira to tell a lie before Droṇācārya, and it was also for a great cause. The Lord wanted it, and therefore it was a great cause. Satisfaction of the Lord is the criterion of one who is bona fide, and the highest perfection of life is to satisfy the Lord by one’s occupational duty. That is the verdict of Gītā and Bhāgavatam. * Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Vidura, followed by Gāndhārī, did not disclose their determination to Sañjaya, although he was constantly with Dhṛtarāṣṭra as his personal assistant. Sañjaya never thought that Dhṛtarāṣṭra could perform any act without consulting him. But Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s going away from home was so confidential that it could not be disclosed even to Sañjaya. Sanātana Gosvāmī also cheated the keeper of the prison house while going away to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and similarly Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī also cheated his priest and left home for good to satisfy the Lord. To satisfy the Lord, anything is good, for it is in relation with the Absolute Truth. We also had the same opportunity to cheat the family members and leave home to engage in the service of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Such cheating was necessary for a great cause, and there is no loss for any party in such transcendental fraud.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Sañjaya said: O joy of the dynasty! I certainly do not know about your uncles and Gāndhārī. O mighty-armed warrior! They have cheated me.
Commentary

Veda should actually be vedmi. Muṣitaḥ means cheated. They left while he was sleeping.

Saṅjaya: I have no information about your uncles and Gāndhārī. I have been cheated by those great souls. Honest helplessness is sometimes the truest answer.
Reflection Questions
  • Where could I say 'I have been cheated' or 'I don't know' rather than fake an answer?
  • What would change if I owned my not-knowing?
📝 My note

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