Chapter 37 · Class prep
A printable handout for teaching this chapter. For each verse with Personal Guidance, you'll see Prabhupāda's translation, the essence, two or three practical applications, and a discussion prompt. Press ⌘P / Ctrl P to print as a handout.
BG 37.1-2
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The demon Keśī, sent by Kaṁsa, appeared in Vraja as a great horse. Running with the speed of the mind, he tore up the earth with his hooves. The hairs of his mane scattered the clouds and the demigods’ airplanes throughout the sky, and he terrified everyone present with his loud neighing.
Essence. Keśī, a huge horse demon sent by Kaṁsa, gallops into Vraja so fast his mane scatters clouds and demigod airplanes, terrifying everyone with his neighing. The Lord steps forward to meet him — Kṛṣṇa does not wait for trouble to find Him.
BG 37.3
Seeing the Lord standing before him, Keśī ran toward Him in extreme rage, his mouth gaping as if to swallow up the sky. Rushing with furious speed, the unconquerable and unapproachable horse demon tried to strike the lotus-eyed Lord with his two front legs.
Essence. Seeing the Lord standing there, Keśī rushes in extreme rage, mouth gaping to swallow the sky, trying to strike with his front legs. Demonic rage often presents itself as 'unconquerable' precisely the moment before it loses.
BG 37.4
But the transcendental Lord dodged Keśī’s blow and then with His arms angrily seized the demon by the legs, whirled him around in the air and contemptuously threw him the distance of one hundred bow-lengths, just as Garuḍa might throw a snake. Lord Kṛṣṇa then stood there.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa dodges, seizes Keśī by the legs, whirls him in the air, and throws him a hundred bow-lengths like Garuḍa throwing a snake. The Lord handles powerful attackers as casually as a bird tosses prey.
BG 37.5
Upon regaining consciousness Keśī angrily got up, opened his mouth wide and again rushed to attack Lord Kṛṣṇa. But the Lord just smiled and thrust His left arm into the horse’s mouth as easily as one would make a snake enter a hole in the ground.
Essence. Regaining consciousness, Keśī rushes Kṛṣṇa again, mouth wide; the Lord smiles and thrusts His left arm in as easily as putting a snake in a hole. The Lord smiles at reattempts; what is terrible for us is play for Him.
BG 37.6
Keśī’s teeth immediately fell out when they touched the Supreme Lord’s arm, which to the demon felt as hot as molten iron. Within Keśī’s body the Supreme Personality’s arm then expanded greatly, like a diseased stomach swelling because of neglect.
Essence. Keśī's teeth fall out at Kṛṣṇa's arm — molten iron to him though tender to devotees — and the Lord's arm expands inside the demon's body. The same touch is medicine to devotees and death to demons; reception depends on identity.
BG 37.7
As Lord Kṛṣṇa’s expanding arm completely blocked Keśī’s breathing, his legs kicked convulsively, his body became covered with sweat, and his eyes rolled around. The demon then passed stool and fell on the ground, dead.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa's expanding arm blocks Keśī's breath; he kicks, sweats, eyes roll, he passes stool and dies. When Kṛṣṇa moves inside a demon, no further effort is needed — the result is automatic once the inner expansion begins.
BG 37.8
The mighty-armed Kṛṣṇa withdrew His arm from Keśī’s body, which now appeared like a long karkaṭikā fruit. Without the least display of pride at having so effortlessly killed His enemy, the Lord accepted the demigods’ worship in the form of flowers rained down from above.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa withdraws His arm without any display of pride and quietly accepts the demigods' flower-worship. Effortless victory does not need swagger; the truly powerful don't perform their power.
BG 37.9
My dear King, thereafter Lord Kṛṣṇa was approached in a solitary place by the great sage among the demigods, Nārada Muni. That most exalted devotee spoke as follows to the Lord, who effortlessly performs His pastimes.
Essence. Nārada Muni approaches Kṛṣṇa in a solitary place to speak with Him; even the Lord meets His devotees privately. The great share, with the Great, conversations the world isn't invited to.
BG 37.10-11
[Nārada Muni said:] O Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, unlimited Lord, source of all mystic power, Lord of the universe! O Vāsudeva, shelter of all beings and best of the Yadus! O master, You are the Supreme Soul of all created beings, sitting unseen within the cave of the heart like the fire dormant within kindling wood. You are the witness within everyone, the Supreme Personality and the ultimate controlling Deity.
Essence. Nārada hails Kṛṣṇa as unlimited Lord, source of mystic power, Supreme Soul hidden in the heart like fire in kindling. The Lord we adore in form is the same hidden inside us — worship outside is meeting the witness within.
BG 37.12
You are the shelter of all souls, and being the supreme controller, You fulfill Your desires simply by Your will. By Your personal creative potency You manifested in the beginning the primal modes of material nature, and through their agency You create, maintain and then destroy this universe.
Essence. Nārada acknowledges Kṛṣṇa as shelter of all souls, fulfilling desires by will, creating, maintaining, destroying through the modes of nature. The world we live in is run from inside out by His will, not by accidents.
BG 37.13
You, that very same creator, have now descended to the earth to annihilate the Daitya, Pramatha and Rākṣasa demons who are posing as kings, and also to protect the godly.
Essence. The same creator has descended to annihilate Daitya, Pramatha and Rākṣasa demons posing as kings, and to protect the godly. The Lord's appearances are simultaneously corrective and protective — He removes oppressors and shelters devotees.
BG 37.14
The horse demon was so terrifying that his neighing frightened the demigods into leaving their heavenly kingdom. But by our good fortune You have enjoyed the sport of killing him.
Essence. Nārada notes the horse demon's neighing drove demigods from their heavenly kingdom, but by good fortune Kṛṣṇa enjoyed the sport of killing him. What terrifies even the high-born becomes 'sport' for the Lord.
BG 37.15-20
In just two days, O almighty Lord, I will see the deaths of Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika and other wrestlers, along with those of the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa and King Kaṁsa — all by Your hand. Then I will see You kill Kālayavana, Mura, Naraka and the conch demon, and I will also see You steal the pārijāta flower and defeat Indra. I will then see You marry many daughters of heroic kings after paying for them with Your valor. Then, O Lord of the universe, in Dvārakā You will deliver King Nṛga from a curse and take for Yourself the Syamantaka jewel, together with another wife. You will bring back a brāhmaṇa’s dead son from the abode of Your servant Yamarāja, and thereafter You will kill Pauṇḍraka, burn down the city of Kāśī and slay Dantavakra, and You will also put an end to the King of Cedi during the great Rājasūya sacrifice. I shall see all these heroic pastimes, along with many others You will perform during Your residence in Dvārakā. These pastimes are glorified on this earth in the songs of transcendental poets.
Essence. Nārada previews the deaths of Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, Kuvalayāpīḍa, Kaṁsa, Kālayavana, Mura, Naraka, the conch demon, Kṛṣṇa's pārijāta theft, defeat of Indra, and many royal marriages. Devotees can rejoice in advance — the script ends in the Lord's victory.
BG 37.21
Subsequently I will see You appear as time personified, serving as Arjuna’s chariot driver and destroying entire armies of soldiers to rid the earth of her burden.
Essence. Nārada will see Kṛṣṇa as time personified, driving Arjuna's chariot, destroying armies to rid the earth of her burden. The same Lord who plays with calves will one day drive the chariot of history.
BG 37.22
Let us approach You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for shelter. You are full of perfectly pure spiritual awareness and are always situated in Your original identity. Since Your will is never thwarted, You have already achieved all possible desirable things, and by the power of Your spiritual energy You remain eternally aloof from the flow of the qualities of illusion.
Essence. Nārada says: we approach You for shelter, full of pure spiritual awareness, always in Your original identity, will never thwarted, eternally aloof from illusion's modes. The Lord stays Himself through every pastime — that consistency is the shelter.
BG 37.23
I bow down to You, the supreme controller, who are dependent only on Yourself. By Your potency You have constructed the unlimited particular arrangements of this universe. Now you have appeared as the greatest hero among the Yadus, Vṛṣṇis and Sātvatas and have chosen to participate in human warfare.
Essence. Nārada bows to the supreme controller dependent only on Himself, who has chosen to appear as a Yadu hero and participate in human warfare. The self-sufficient Lord voluntarily enters our messy history without losing His sovereignty.
BG 37.24
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Having thus addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa, the chief of the Yadu dynasty, Nārada bowed down and offered Him obeisances. Then that great sage and most eminent devotee took his leave from the Lord and went away, feeling great joy at having directly seen Him.
Essence. Nārada bows, takes leave, and goes away feeling great joy at having directly seen the Lord. Even the cosmic devotee's day ends with the simple joy of darśana — meeting the Lord is the highest event no matter who you are.
BG 37.25
After killing the demon Keśī in battle, the Supreme Personality of Godhead continued to tend the cows and other animals in the company of His joyful cowherd boyfriends. Thus He brought happiness to all the residents of Vṛndāvana.
Essence. After killing Keśī, Kṛṣṇa goes back to tending cows with joyful cowherd boyfriends, bringing happiness to all Vṛndāvana. The Lord returns to ordinary life after extraordinary deeds — daily care is His real ongoing work.
BG 37.26
One day the cowherd boys, while grazing their animals on the mountain slopes, played the game of stealing and hiding, acting out the roles of rival thieves and herders.
Essence. The cowherd boys play 'thieves and herders and sheep' on the mountain slopes — a game of stealing and hiding. Even Kṛṣṇa's playmates dramatize roles of theft and protection in innocent play.
BG 37.27
In that game, O King, some acted as thieves, others as shepherds and others as sheep. They played their game happily, without fear of danger.
Essence. Some boys act as thieves, others as shepherds, others as sheep — playing happily without fear of danger. Innocent play presumes a safe world; the Lord's presence underwrites the boys' fearlessness.
BG 37.28
A powerful magician named Vyoma, son of the demon Maya, then appeared on the scene in the guise of a cowherd boy. Pretending to join the game as a thief, he proceeded to steal most of the cowherd boys who were acting as sheep.
Essence. Vyoma, son of the demon Maya, appears as a cowherd boy and, pretending to be a thief in the game, begins stealing actual 'sheep' boys. Evil hides inside familiar play, taking advantage of the rules of innocence.
BG 37.29
Gradually the great demon abducted more and more of the cowherd boys and cast them into a mountain cave, which he sealed shut with a boulder. Finally only four or five boys acting as sheep remained in the game.
Essence. Vyoma gradually abducts more boys and seals them in a mountain cave with a boulder, until only a few remain. Disguised evil works incrementally — by the time you notice, much has already been hidden away.
BG 37.30
Lord Kṛṣṇa, who shelters all saintly devotees, understood perfectly well what Vyomāsura was doing. Just as a lion grabs a wolf, Kṛṣṇa forcefully seized the demon as he was taking away more cowherd boys.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa, shelter of all saintly devotees, sees through the demon's act and seizes him like a lion grabbing a wolf. The Lord notices what we miss; what we let creep past Him, He stops mid-act.
BG 37.31
The demon changed into his original form, as big and powerful as a great mountain. But try as he might to free himself, he could not do so, having lost his strength from being held in the Lord’s tight grip.
Essence. Vyoma resumes his original mountain-like form and struggles to free himself but cannot, having lost strength in the Lord's grip. Even gigantic problems lose their power once Kṛṣṇa actually holds them.
BG 37.32
Lord Acyuta clutched Vyomāsura between His arms and threw him to the ground. Then, while the demigods in heaven looked on, Kṛṣṇa killed him in the same way that one kills a sacrificial animal.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa clutches Vyomāsura between His arms, throws him down, and kills him as one strangles a sacrificial animal, while the demigods watch. The Lord's destruction of the demon is also an offering — even violence in His hand has sacrificial dignity.
BG 37.33
Kṛṣṇa then smashed the boulder blocking the cave’s entrance and led the trapped cowherd boys to safety. Thereafter, as the demigods and cowherd boys sang His glories, He returned to His cowherd village, Gokula.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa smashes the boulder, leads the trapped boys to safety, and returns to Gokula as demigods and cowherds sing His glories. Real spiritual victory rescues what was hidden away and brings everyone home together.