Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.18.8
किं नु बालेषु शूरेण कलिना धीरभीरुणा ।
अप्रमत्त: प्रमत्तेषु यो वृको नृषु वर्तते ॥ ८ ॥
kiṁ nu bāleṣu śūreṇa
[kim nu baaleshu shoorena]
kalinā dhīra-bhīruṇā
[kalinaa dheera-bheerunaa]
apramattaḥ pramatteṣu
[apramattah pramatteshu]
yo vṛko nṛṣu vartate
[yo vriko nrishu vartate]
Word-for-word
kim
—
what
nu
—
may be
bāleṣu
—
among the less intelligent persons
śūreṇa
—
by the powerful
kalinā
—
by the personality of Kali
dhīra
—
self-controlled
bhīruṇā
—
by one who is afraid of
apramattaḥ
—
one who is careful
pramatteṣu
—
among the careless
yaḥ
—
one who
vṛkaḥ
—
tiger
nṛṣu
—
among men
vartate
—
exists.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kiṁ nu bāleṣu śūreṇa
kim
what
nu
may be
bāleṣu
among the less intelligent persons
śūreṇa
by the powerful
kalinā dhīra-bhīruṇā
kalinā
by the personality of Kali
dhīra
self-controlled
bhīruṇā
by one who is afraid of
apramattaḥ pramatteṣu
apramattaḥ
one who is careful
pramatteṣu
among the careless
yaḥ
one who
yo vṛko nṛṣu vartate
vṛkaḥ
tiger
nṛṣu
among men
vartate
exists.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit considered that less intelligent men might find the personality of Kali to be very powerful, but that those who are self-controlled would have nothing to fear. The King was powerful like a tiger and took care for the foolish, careless persons.
Purport
Those who are not devotees of the Lord are careless and unintelligent. Unless one is thoroughly intelligent, one cannot be a devotee of the Lord. Those who are not devotees of the Lord fall prey to the actions of Kali. It will not be possible to bring about a saner condition in society unless we are prepared to accept the modes of action adopted by Mahārāja Parīkṣit, i.e., propagation of the devotional service of the Lord to the common man.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Kali was an attentive tiger among inattentive men. But what could powerful Kali do to the innocent people since he was afraid of the devotees?
Commentary
The king had another intention. Was there a disturbance to the foolish people by Kali? There was none, because he had fear of the devotees — those who were discerning in nature. Kali was a powerful tiger among the innocent.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
He considered Kali powerful for the less intelligent but harmless for the self-controlled. He took care for the foolish, not the wise. The wise leader protects the vulnerable from forces the wise themselves can handle.
Reflection Questions
- Whom in my world is vulnerable to forces I myself withstand?
- Where could my strength shield those still developing theirs?
My note
Source: vedabase.io