Chapter 31 · 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 31.1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Then Lord Brahmā arrived at Prabhāsa along with Lord Śiva and his consort, the sages, the Prajāpatis and all the demigods, headed by Indra.
Essence. Brahmā, Śiva and his consort, sages, Prajāpatis, and demigods led by Indra arrived at Prabhāsa. The highest beings come to witness the Lord's departure.
BG 31.2-3
The forefathers, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Vidyādharas and great serpents also came, along with the Cāraṇas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Kinnaras, Apsarās and relatives of Garuḍa, greatly eager to witness the departure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As they were coming, all these personalities variously chanted and glorified the birth and activities of Lord Śauri [Kṛṣṇa].
Essence. Forefathers, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, serpents, Cāraṇas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Kinnaras, Apsarās, Garuḍa's kin came eager to witness the Lord's departure. The cosmic audience is vast.
BG 31.4
O King, crowding the sky with their many airplanes, they showered down flowers with great devotion.
Essence. Crowding the sky with airplanes, they showered flowers with great devotion. Even at departure, beauty rains down.
BG 31.5
Seeing before Him Brahmā, the grandfather of the universe, along with the other demigods, who are all His personal and powerful expansions, the Almighty Lord closed His lotus eyes, fixing His mind within Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Essence. Seeing Brahmā and the demigods — His own expansions — before Him, the Almighty Lord closed His lotus eyes and fixed His mind within Himself. The interior turn precedes departure.
BG 31.6
Without employing the mystic āgneyī meditation to burn up His transcendental body, which is the all-attractive resting place of all the worlds and the object of all contemplation and meditation, Lord Kṛṣṇa entered into His own abode.
Essence. Without using mystic fire-meditation to burn His body, the Lord entered His own abode — His body, all-attractive resting place, was preserved. The transcendental body does not require fire.
BG 31.7
As soon as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa left the earth, Truth, Religion, Faithfulness, Glory and Beauty immediately followed Him. Kettledrums resounded in the heavens and flowers showered from the sky.
Essence. As Kṛṣṇa left the earth, Truth, Religion, Faithfulness, Glory, Beauty immediately followed; drums resounded in heaven and flowers showered. The Lord and the virtues depart together.
BG 31.8
Most of the demigods and other higher beings led by Brahmā could not see Lord Kṛṣṇa as He was entering His own abode, since He did not reveal His movements. But some of them did catch sight of Him, and they were extremely amazed.
Essence. Most demigods, including Brahmā, could not see Kṛṣṇa entering His abode because He did not reveal His movements; some did catch sight, amazed. Vision is gift, not entitlement.
BG 31.9
Just as ordinary men cannot ascertain the path of a lightning bolt as it leaves a cloud, the demigods could not trace out the movements of Lord Kṛṣṇa as He returned to His abode.
Essence. As ordinary men cannot trace a lightning bolt's path from a cloud, the demigods could not trace the Lord's return path. Even illumination's path is not always traceable.
BG 31.10
A few of the demigods, however — notably Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva — could ascertain how the Lord’s mystic power was working, and thus they became astonished. All the demigods praised the Lord’s mystic power and then returned to their own planets.
Essence. A few — Brahmā and Śiva — could ascertain the Lord's mystic working; they praised it and returned to their planets. Even the highest praise and depart.
BG 31.11
My dear King, you should understand that the Supreme Lord’s appearance and disappearance, which resemble those of embodied conditioned souls, are actually a show enacted by His illusory energy, just like the performance of an actor. After creating this universe He enters into it, plays within it for some time, and at last winds it up. Then the Lord remains situated in His own transcendental glory, having ceased from the functions of cosmic manifestation.
Essence. The Lord's appearance and disappearance, resembling those of conditioned souls, are a show enacted by His illusory energy — like an actor's performance. The Lord is performer; the audience must remember.
BG 31.12
Lord Kṛṣṇa brought the son of His guru back from the planet of the lord of death in the boy’s selfsame body, and as the ultimate giver of protection He saved you also when you were burned by the brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā. He conquered in battle even Lord Śiva, who deals death to the agents of death, and He sent the hunter Jarā directly to Vaikuṇṭha in his human body. How could such a personality be unable to protect His own Self?
Essence. Kṛṣṇa brought His guru's son from the lord of death, saved Parīkṣit from Aśvatthāmā's brahmāstra, conquered Śiva in battle — He could have stopped His own departure but chose not to. Power was always present; restraint was His.
BG 31.13
Although Lord Kṛṣṇa, being the possessor of infinite powers, is the only cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of innumerable living beings, He simply did not desire to keep His body in this world any longer. Thus He revealed the destination of those fixed in the self and demonstrated that this mortal world is of no intrinsic value.
Essence. Lord Kṛṣṇa, with infinite powers and the sole cause of all creation-maintenance-destruction, simply did not wish to keep His body here, and revealed the destination of yogīs. Choice, not necessity, governs His departure.
BG 31.14
Anyone who regularly rises early in the morning and carefully chants with devotion the glories of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental disappearance and His return to His own abode will certainly achieve that same supreme destination.
Essence. Whoever regularly rises early and chants with devotion the glories of Kṛṣṇa's transcendental disappearance and return will reach the same destination. The promise is named for daily practice.
BG 31.15
As soon as Dāruka reached Dvārakā, he threw himself at the feet of Vasudeva and Ugrasena and drenched their feet with his tears, lamenting the loss of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Essence. Dāruka reached Dvārakā, threw himself at the feet of Vasudeva and Ugrasena, and drenched their feet with tears, lamenting the loss of Kṛṣṇa. Grief is brought to elders with the body's full involvement.
BG 31.16-17
Dāruka delivered the account of the total destruction of the Vṛṣṇis, and upon hearing this, O Parīkṣit, the people became deeply distraught in their hearts and stunned with sorrow. Feeling the overwhelming pain of separation from Kṛṣṇa, they struck their own faces while hurrying to the place where their relatives lay dead.
Essence. Hearing of the Vṛṣṇis' destruction, people were stunned with sorrow, struck their own faces, and felt overwhelming pain of separation from Kṛṣṇa. Communal grief is given a body.
BG 31.18
When Devakī, Rohiṇī and Vasudeva could not find their sons, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, they lost consciousness out of anguish.
Essence. Devakī, Rohiṇī, and Vasudeva, not finding Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, lost consciousness from anguish. Even the Lord's parents collapse.
BG 31.19
Tormented by separation from the Lord, His parents gave up their lives at that very spot. My dear Parīkṣit, the wives of the Yādavas then climbed onto the funeral pyres, embracing their dead husbands.
Essence. Tormented by separation, the parents gave up their lives at that spot; the wives climbed funeral pyres embracing their dead husbands. Devotion shows in following the loved one's path.
BG 31.20
The wives of Lord Balarāma also entered the fire and embraced His body, and Vasudeva’s wives entered his fire and embraced his body. The daughters-in-law of Lord Hari entered the funeral fires of their respective husbands, headed by Pradyumna. And Rukmiṇī and the other wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa — whose hearts were completely absorbed in Him — entered His fire.
Essence. Balarāma's wives, Vasudeva's wives, the daughters-in-law headed by Pradyumna's wife, and Rukmiṇī and the queens — all entered the fires of their respective husbands. The loyalty cascade is total.
BG 31.21
Arjuna felt great distress over separation from Lord Kṛṣṇa, his dearmost friend. But he consoled himself by remembering the transcendental words the Lord had sung to him.
Essence. Arjuna felt great distress over separation from Kṛṣṇa his dearest friend, but consoled himself by remembering the transcendental words the Lord had sung to him. Grief is met by memory of teaching.
BG 31.22
Arjuna then saw to it that the funeral rites were properly carried out for the dead, who had no remaining male family members. He executed the required ceremonies for each of the Yadus, one after another.
Essence. Arjuna saw that funeral rites were properly carried out for the dead with no remaining male family members, performing required ceremonies for each Yadu. The living honor the dead through ritual labor.
BG 31.23
As soon as Dvārakā was abandoned by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ocean flooded it on all sides, O King, sparing only His palace.
Essence. As soon as Dvārakā was abandoned by the Lord, the ocean flooded it, sparing only His palace. The withdrawal of His presence brings collapse, but His palace remains.
BG 31.24
Lord Madhusūdana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is eternally present in Dvārakā. It is the most auspicious of all auspicious places, and merely remembering it destroys all contamination.
Essence. Lord Madhusūdana is eternally present in Dvārakā — the most auspicious place; merely remembering it destroys all contamination. Memory itself is purifying.
BG 31.25
Arjuna took the survivors of the Yadu dynasty — the women, children and old men — to Indraprastha, where he installed Vajra as ruler of the Yadus.
Essence. Arjuna took the survivors — women, children, old men — to Indraprastha and installed Vajra as ruler of the Yadus. After collapse, continuity is engineered.
BG 31.26
Hearing from Arjuna of the death of their friend, my dear King, your grandfathers established you as the maintainer of the dynasty and left to prepare for their departure from this world.
Essence. Hearing of Kṛṣṇa's death, Parīkṣit's grandfathers established him as the dynasty's maintainer and left to prepare their own departure. The torch is passed deliberately.
BG 31.27
A person who with faith engages in chanting the glories of these various pastimes and incarnations of Viṣṇu, the Lord of lords, will gain liberation from all sins.
Essence. A person who with faith engages in chanting the glories of these various pastimes and incarnations of Viṣṇu gains liberation from all sins. Faith plus chanting is named as the working pair.
BG 31.28
The all-auspicious exploits of the all-attractive incarnations of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and also the pastimes He performed as a child, are described in this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in other scriptures. Anyone who clearly chants these descriptions of His pastimes will attain transcendental loving service unto Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the goal of all perfect sages.
Essence. The all-auspicious exploits of the Lord, including childhood pastimes, are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; anyone who clearly chants them attains the Lord. The book closes pointing back to itself as the doorway.