Chapter 57 · 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 57.1
Śrī Bādarāyaṇi said: Although Lord Govinda was fully aware of what had actually occurred, when He heard reports that the Pāṇḍavas and Queen Kuntī had burned to death, He went with Lord Balarāma to the kingdom of the Kurus to fulfill the family obligations expected of Him.
Essence. Though Govinda is fully aware of what occurred, hearing reports that the Pāṇḍavas and Kuntī burned to death, He goes with Balarāma to the Kurus' kingdom. Even the all-knowing Lord performs ritual response to public reports; theology coexists with social participation.
BG 57.2
The two Lords met with Bhīṣma, Kṛpa, Vidura, Gāndhārī and Droṇa. Showing sorrow equal to theirs, They cried out, “Alas, how painful this is!”
Essence. The Lords meet Bhīṣma, Kṛpa, Vidura, Gāndhārī, Droṇa, showing sorrow equal to theirs, crying 'Alas, how painful!' Public grief is performed even by the omniscient; matched sorrow honors the bereaved.
BG 57.3
Taking advantage of this opportunity, O King, Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā went to Śatadhanvā and said, “Why not take the Syamantaka jewel?
Essence. Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā take advantage of the absence to tell Śatadhanvā: 'Why not take the Syamantaka jewel?' Bad counsel finds people while protectors are away; absence creates openings for whispered evil.
BG 57.4
“Satrājit promised his jewellike daughter to us but then gave her to Kṛṣṇa instead, contemptuously neglecting us. So why should Satrājit not follow his brother’s path?”
Essence. Satrājit promised his daughter to us but gave her to Kṛṣṇa instead, contemptuously neglecting us — so why shouldn't he follow his brother's path? Grievance dressed as logic; envy weaponizes earlier slight into murder.
BG 57.5
His mind thus influenced by their advice, wicked Śatadhanvā murdered Satrājit in his sleep simply out of greed. In this way the sinful Śatadhanvā shortened his own life span.
Essence. His mind thus influenced, wicked Śatadhanvā murders Satrājit in his sleep simply out of greed — shortening his own life span. Acting on bad counsel kills not only the target but the actor's future.
BG 57.6
As the women of Satrājit’s palace screamed and helplessly wept, Śatadhanvā took the jewel and left, like a butcher after he has killed some animals.
Essence. As the palace women scream and weep, Śatadhanvā takes the jewel and leaves like a butcher after killing animals. Cold criminal exit; cries of the bereaved don't register for those acting on greed.
BG 57.7
When Satyabhāmā saw her dead father, she was plunged into grief. Lamenting “My father, my father! Oh, I am killed!” she fell unconscious.
Essence. Satyabhāmā sees her dead father, lamenting 'My father, my father! I am killed!' she falls unconscious. The body collapses at the sight of a loved one's murder; some news cannot be absorbed standing up.
BG 57.8
Queen Satyabhāmā put her father’s corpse in a large vat of oil and went to Hastināpura, where she sorrowfully told Lord Kṛṣṇa, who was already aware of the situation, about her father’s murder.
Essence. Satyabhāmā puts her father's corpse in a vat of oil, goes to Hastināpura, and tells Kṛṣṇa, already aware, about the murder. Preservation of the body, journey to the Lord, narration of the loss — grief organizes itself into action.
BG 57.9
When Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma heard this news, O King, They exclaimed, “Alas! This is the greatest tragedy for Us!” Thus imitating the ways of human society, They lamented, Their eyes brimming with tears.
Essence. Hearing this, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma exclaim 'Alas! This is the greatest tragedy for Us!' — imitating human society, They lament with tears. The Lord allows Himself to lament with the bereaved; divinity doesn't bypass mourning.
BG 57.10
The Supreme Lord returned to His capital with His wife and elder brother. After arriving in Dvārakā, He readied Himself to kill Śatadhanvā and retrieve the jewel from him.
Essence. Returning to His capital with His wife and elder brother, Kṛṣṇa prepares to kill Śatadhanvā and retrieve the jewel. Grief is followed by action; justice belongs in mourning.
BG 57.11
Upon learning that Lord Kṛṣṇa was preparing to kill him, Śatadhanvā was struck with fear. To save his life he approached Kṛtavarmā and begged him for help, but Kṛtavarmā replied as follows.
Essence. Learning the Lord is preparing to kill him, Śatadhanvā is struck with fear and approaches Kṛtavarmā for help. The criminal seeks the inciter's protection; both will fail him.
BG 57.12-13
[Kṛtavarmā said:] I dare not offend the Supreme Lords, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Indeed, how can one who troubles Them expect any good fortune? Kaṁsa and all his followers lost both their wealth and their lives because of enmity toward Them, and after battling Them seventeen times Jarāsandha was left without even a chariot.
Essence. Kṛtavarmā: I dare not offend the Supreme Lords — one who troubles Them cannot expect good fortune; Kaṁsa and followers lost wealth and lives. The original inciter now refuses to help; cowardice follows manipulation.
BG 57.14
His appeal refused, Śatadhanvā went to Akrūra and begged him for protection. But Akrūra similarly told him, “Who would oppose the two Personalities of Godhead if he knew Their strength?
Essence. Refused, Śatadhanvā goes to Akrūra and begs protection; Akrūra similarly: who would oppose the two Personalities of Godhead knowing Their strength? The chain of refusals teaches the criminal what he should have known.
BG 57.15
“It is the Supreme Lord who creates, maintains and destroys this universe simply as His pastime. The cosmic creators cannot even understand His purpose, bewildered as they are by His illusory Māyā.
Essence. It is the Supreme Lord who creates, maintains, destroys the universe as His pastime; cosmic creators can't even understand His purpose. Theological size frames refusal; the no comes from cosmology, not personal animus.
BG 57.16
“As a child of seven, Kṛṣṇa uprooted an entire mountain and held it aloft as easily as a young boy picks up a mushroom.
Essence. As a child of seven, Kṛṣṇa uprooted an entire mountain and held it aloft as easily as a young boy picks up a mushroom. Past deeds frame present caution; the Lord's history is the warning.
BG 57.17
“I offer my obeisances to that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, whose every deed is amazing. He is the Supreme Soul, the unlimited source and fixed center of all existence.”
Essence. Obeisances to Kṛṣṇa, whose every deed is amazing, Supreme Soul, unlimited source and fixed center of all. Even refusal of an unwise request ends in praise; declining to help becomes occasion for theology.
BG 57.18
His appeal thus rejected by Akrūra also, Śatadhanvā placed the precious jewel in Akrūra’s care and fled on a horse that could travel one hundred yojanas [eight hundred miles].
Essence. Refused by Akrūra too, Śatadhanvā places the jewel in Akrūra's care and flees on a horse capable of one hundred yojanas. The criminal entrusts the very object he killed for to a man who refused to help; desperate logic fails its own assumptions.
BG 57.19
My dear King, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma mounted Kṛṣṇa’s chariot, which flew the flag of Garuḍa and was yoked with tremendously swift horses, and pursued Their elder’s murderer.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma mount the Garuḍa-flagged chariot with swift horses and pursue their elder's murderer. Pursuit is divine; speed of justice is part of the design.
BG 57.20
In a garden on the outskirts of Mithilā, the horse Śatadhanvā was riding collapsed. Terrified, he abandoned the horse and began to flee on foot, with Kṛṣṇa in angry pursuit.
Essence. In a garden outside Mithilā the horse collapses; terrified, Śatadhanvā abandons the horse and flees on foot with Kṛṣṇa angrily pursuing. Even the fastest escape ends in collapse; the Lord arrives on foot when wheels fail.
BG 57.21
As Śatadhanvā fled on foot, the Supreme Lord, also going on foot, cut off his head with His sharp-edged disc. The Lord then searched Śatadhanvā’s upper and lower garments for the Syamantaka jewel.
Essence. On foot, the Lord cuts off the fleeing man's head with His sharp disc and searches his garments for the jewel. The act of justice is completed; the search for the asset begins immediately after.
BG 57.22
Not finding the jewel, Lord Kṛṣṇa went to His elder brother and said, “We have killed Śatadhanvā uselessly. The jewel isn’t here.”
Essence. Not finding the jewel, Kṛṣṇa tells Balarāma: 'We have killed Śatadhanvā uselessly. The jewel isn't here.' The Lord names what looks like a failed mission; honesty about apparently incomplete victory.
BG 57.23
To this Lord Balarāma replied, “Indeed, Śatadhanvā must have placed the jewel in the care of someone. You should return to Our city and find that person.
Essence. Balarāma replies: Śatadhanvā must have placed it with someone; return to the city and find that person. Each step that 'fails' yields the next clue; the elder brother reads next move from current data.
BG 57.24
“I wish to visit King Videha, who is most dear to Me.” O King, having said this, Lord Balarāma, the beloved descendant of Yadu, entered the city of Mithilā.
Essence. Balarāma adds: I wish to visit King Videha, most dear to Me; saying so, He enters Mithilā. Personal detours are part of the schedule; missions don't preclude visiting loved ones along the way.
BG 57.25
The King of Mithilā immediately rose from his seat when he saw Lord Balarāma approaching. With great love the King honored the supremely worshipable Lord by offering Him elaborate worship, as stipulated by scriptural injunctions.
Essence. Janaka rises immediately upon seeing Balarāma, honoring Him with elaborate worship as scripture stipulates. Royal protocol honors divine arrival fully; no abbreviation when the Supreme visits.
BG 57.26
The almighty Lord Balarāma stayed in Mithilā for several years, honored by His affectionate devotee Janaka Mahārāja. During that time Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son Duryodhana learned from Balarāma the art of fighting with a club.
Essence. Balarāma stays in Mithilā several years, honored by Janaka; during that time Duryodhana learns the art of club-fighting from Balarāma. Even side detours produce major future consequences; Mithilā teaching becomes a Mahābhārata factor.
BG 57.27
Lord Keśava arrived in Dvārakā and described the demise of Śatadhanvā and His own failure to find the Syamantaka jewel. He spoke in a way that would please His beloved, Satyabhāmā.
Essence. Keśava arrives in Dvārakā and describes Śatadhanvā's demise and His failure to find the jewel, in a way that pleases Satyabhāmā. Even partial victory is presented gently to the bereaved; how news is told matters.
BG 57.28
Lord Kṛṣṇa then had the various funeral rites performed for His deceased relative, Satrājit. The Lord attended the funeral along with well-wishers of the family.
Essence. The Lord has funeral rites performed for Satrājit and attends with family well-wishers. After justice and reporting comes ritual; the dead receive proper rites even when they were partly responsible.
BG 57.29
When Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā, who had originally incited Śatadhanvā to commit his crime, heard that he had been killed, they fled Dvārakā in terror and took up residence elsewhere.
Essence. When Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā hear Śatadhanvā is killed, they flee Dvārakā in terror and take residence elsewhere. The inciters realize their exposure and flee; complicity has its own consequences.
BG 57.30
In Akrūra’s absence ill omens arose in Dvārakā, and the citizens began to suffer continually from physical and mental distresses, as well as from disturbances caused by higher powers and by creatures of the earth.
Essence. In Akrūra's absence, ill omens arise in Dvārakā; citizens suffer physical and mental distress, disturbances from higher powers and earthly creatures. The absence of a particular devotee can affect a whole city; certain people's presence is structural.
BG 57.31
Some men proposed [that the troubles were due to Akrūra’s absence], but they had forgotten the glories of the Supreme Lord, which they themselves had so often described. Indeed, how can calamities occur in a place where the Personality of Godhead, the residence of all the sages, resides?
Essence. Some men propose the troubles are due to Akrūra's absence, but they have forgotten the Lord's glories which they themselves so often described — how can calamities occur where Kṛṣṇa lives? Even devotees forget the central protector under stress.
BG 57.32
[The elders said:] Previously, when Lord Indra had withheld rain from Kāsī [Benares], the king of that city gave his daughter Gāndinī to Śvaphalka, who was then visiting him. It soon rained in the kingdom of Kāśī.
Essence. Elders recall: when Indra withheld rain from Kāśī, its king gave his daughter Gāndinī to Śvaphalka, who was visiting; soon it rained. Family-arrangement honoring of a powerful guest can shift cosmic weather; lineage matters.
BG 57.33
Wherever his equally powerful son Akrūra stays, Lord Indra will provide sufficient rain. Indeed, that place will be free of miseries and untimely deaths.
Essence. Wherever his equally powerful son Akrūra stays, Indra provides sufficient rain — free of miseries and untimely deaths. The 'rain effect' is heritable; particular devotee presences carry their own meteorology.
BG 57.34
Hearing these words from the elders, Lord Janārdana, though aware that the absence of Akrūra was not the only cause of the evil omens, had him summoned back to Dvārakā and spoke to him.
Essence. Janārdana, though aware that Akrūra's absence isn't the only cause, has him summoned back. The Lord engages with proposed explanations even when He knows more; engaging community theology is part of leadership.
BG 57.35-36
Lord Kṛṣṇa honored Akrūra, greeted him confidentially and spoke pleasant words with him. Then the Lord, who was fully aware of Akrūra’s heart by virtue of His being the knower of everything, smiled and addressed him: “O master of charity, surely the opulent Syamantaka jewel was left in your care by Śatadhanvā and is still with you. Indeed, We have known this all along.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa honors Akrūra, greets him confidentially, and — knowing his heart — smiles and speaks. The Lord engages even the complicit with warmth; smile and honor open the conversation.
BG 57.37
“Since Satrājit had no sons, his daughter’s sons should receive his inheritance. They should pay for memorial offerings of water and piṇḍa, clear their grandfather’s outstanding debts and keep the remainder of the inheritance for themselves.
Essence. Since Satrājit had no sons, his daughter's sons should receive the inheritance — pay piṇḍa offerings, clear debts, keep the remainder. Practical inheritance rules are stated; spiritual law includes property law.
BG 57.38-39
“Nevertheless, the jewel should remain in your care, O trustworthy Akrūra, because no one else can keep it safely. But please show the jewel just once, since My elder brother does not fully believe what I have told Him about it. In this way, O most fortunate one, you will pacify My relatives. [Everyone knows you have the jewel, for] you are now continually performing sacrifices on altars of gold.”
Essence. Yet the jewel should remain in your care, Akrūra, because no one else can keep it safely; but please show it once, since My elder brother does not fully believe what I have told Him. The Lord honors safekeeping while requesting demonstration; multiple needs balanced.
BG 57.40
Thus shamed by Lord Kṛṣṇa’s conciliatory words, the son of Śvaphalka brought out the jewel from where he had concealed it in his clothing and gave it to the Lord. The brilliant gem shone like the sun.
Essence. Shamed by Kṛṣṇa's conciliatory words, Akrūra brings out the jewel from his clothing and gives it to the Lord — it shines like the sun. Even the complicit are won by conciliatory speech; shame produces what threat would not.
BG 57.41
After the almighty Lord had shown the Syamantaka jewel to His relatives, thus dispelling the false accusations against Him, He returned it to Akrūra.
Essence. After showing the jewel to His relatives, dispelling false accusations, the Lord returns it to Akrūra. The Lord's reputation matters enough to display the evidence; ownership matters enough to return it.
BG 57.42
This narration, rich with descriptions of the prowess of Lord Śrī Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, removes sinful reactions and bestows all auspiciousness. Anyone who recites, hears or remembers it will drive away his own infamy and sins and attain peace.
Essence. This narration, rich with descriptions of Viṣṇu's prowess, removes sinful reactions and bestows all auspiciousness — anyone reciting, hearing or remembering it will drive away their adversity. The story itself is an act of worship with effects.