FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.4.22

भूमेर्भरावतरणाय यदुष्वजन्मा जात: करिष्यति सुरैरपि दुष्कराणि । वादैर्विमोहयति यज्ञकृतोऽतदर्हान् शूद्रान् कलौ क्षितिभुजो न्यहनिष्यदन्ते ॥ २२ ॥
bhūmer bharāvataraṇāya yaduṣv ajanmā
[bhoomer bharaavataranaaya yadushv ajanmaa]
jātaḥ kariṣyati surair api duṣkarāṇi
[jaatah karishyati surair api dushkaraani]
vādair vimohayati yajña-kṛto ’tad-arhān
[vaadair vimohayati yajna-krito ’tad-arhaan]
śūdrān kalau kṣiti-bhujo nyahaniṣyad ante
[shoodraan kalau kshiti-bhujo nyahanishyad ante]
Word-for-word
bhūmeḥ — of the earth bhara — the burden avataraṇāya — to diminish yaduṣu — in the Yadu dynasty ajanmā — the unborn Lord jātaḥ — taking birth kariṣyati — He will perform suraiḥ — by the demigods api — even duṣkarāṇi — difficult deeds vādaiḥ — by speculative arguments vimohayati — He will bewilder yajña-kṛtaḥ — the performers of Vedic sacrifices atat-arhān — who are unfit to be so engaged śūdrān — the low-class men kalau — in the degraded Age of Kali kṣiti-bhujaḥ — rulers nyahaniṣyat — He will kill ante — at the end.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
bhūmer bharāvataraṇāya yaduṣv ajanmā
bhūmeḥ
of the earth
bhara
the burden
avataraṇāya
to diminish
yaduṣu
in the Yadu dynasty
ajanmā
the unborn Lord
jātaḥ kariṣyati surair api duṣkarāṇi
jātaḥ
taking birth
kariṣyati
He will perform
suraiḥ
by the demigods
api
even
duṣkarāṇi
difficult deeds
vādair vimohayati yajña-kṛto ’tad-arhān
vādaiḥ
by speculative arguments
vimohayati
He will bewilder
yajña-kṛtaḥ
the performers of Vedic sacrifices
atat-arhān
who are unfit to be so engaged
śūdrān kalau kṣiti-bhujo nyahaniṣyad ante
śūdrān
the low-class men
kalau
in the degraded Age of Kali
kṣiti-bhujaḥ
rulers
nyahaniṣyat
He will kill
ante
at the end.
To diminish the burden of the earth, the unborn Lord will take birth in the Yadu dynasty and perform feats impossible even for the demigods. Propounding speculative philosophy, the Lord, as Buddha, will bewilder the unworthy performers of Vedic sacrifices. And as Kalki the Lord will kill all the low-class men posing as rulers at the end of the Age of Kali.
Purport

It is understood that in this verse the description of the Lord’s appearance in the Yadu dynasty refers to the appearance of both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, who together removed the demoniac rulers who were burdening the earth. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has pointed out that the description of the incarnations to deal with śūdrān, or low-class men, refers to both Buddha and Kalki. Those who misuse Vedic sacrifice to engage in gross sense gratification, such as the sinful killing of animals, are certainly in the category of śūdra, as are the so-called political leaders of Kali-yuga who perform many atrocities in the name of state management.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
To diminish the burden of the earth, the unborn Lord will be born in the Yadu dynasty and perform feats impossible even for the devatās. Propounding speculative philosophy, the Lord, as Buddha, will bewilder the unworthy performers of Vedic sacrifices. And as Kalki, the Lord will kill all the low-class men posing as rulers at the end of the age of Kali. Buddha will bewilder the performers of sacrifice by his philosophy. Kalki will kill the śūdras acting as kings.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Kṛṣṇa Himself descends in every age — as Yadu-prince, as Buddha, as Kalki — to lift the earth's burden; trust His timing and align with His mission.
Practical Applications
  • Notice one place today where you are quietly waiting for some other rescuer, and consciously re-anchor that hope in Kṛṣṇa.
  • Refuse to dress up sense gratification in the language of dharma — name one ritual or habit where you have been doing exactly that.
  • Speak up once today, kindly and concretely, against a 'leader' or influencer whose conduct you have been excusing out of convenience.
Reflection Questions
  • Where in my life am I a 'śūdra posing as a ruler' — claiming authority in a domain I have not actually purified myself for?
  • If Kṛṣṇa is the one who removes the earth's burden, what burden am I still trying to carry as if I were the savior?
For Each Age Group
youth
  • When a popular creator wraps clearly self-serving advice in 'ancient wisdom' language, name it privately in your journal instead of reposting it.
  • In your friend group, refuse the role of the 'cool ruler' who sets the tone by mocking devotion — step down from that throne today.
  • Before your next exam or interview, remind yourself that Kṛṣṇa, not your performance, is the one who actually lifts burdens — then study hard anyway.
householder
  • In one family decision this week — money, schooling, a relative's request — consciously consult what Kṛṣṇa would have you do before what is socially expected.
  • Audit one 'religious' expense or ritual in your household and ask honestly whether it serves bhakti or sense gratification dressed as dharma.
  • Stop excusing a workplace or community leader whose conduct you know is corrupt; quietly withdraw your endorsement, even if you cannot publicly oppose them.
senior
  • Identify one domain — property, a committee, a family role — where you are still 'ruling' past your competence, and begin handing it to someone more qualified.
  • Mentor a younger devotee specifically on how to distinguish genuine śāstra from vāda that merely sounds Vedic.
  • Sit with the fact that the same Lord who will appear as Kalki is the one receiving you now, and let that soften any lingering fear of the end of this body.
Common Pitfalls
  • Treating Buddha's bewildering of the unworthy as license to dismiss the Vedas, instead of as Kṛṣṇa's mercy on a specific class of misusers.
  • Romanticizing Kalki as a future fix while neglecting the daily surrender this verse actually asks of me now.
  • Reading 'low-class rulers' as only 'those politicians out there,' never as the petty tyrant ruling my own family or team.
Discussion Prompts
  • Share one area where you have personally seen 'Vedic-sounding' language used to justify gross sense gratification — and what made it hard to name.
  • Where do you and your partner or friend disagree about which current leaders are 'śūdras posing as rulers,' and what does that disagreement reveal about your criteria?
  • If the same Lord appears as warrior, as philosopher, and as chastiser, which of those three faces do you personally resist most, and why?
Role Play

Two students in a temple kitchen: one defends a popular 'spiritual' teacher who eats meat and amasses wealth by quoting selectively from scripture; the other must respond in the spirit of this verse — without contempt, without compromise — distinguishing genuine Vedic authority from vāda that bewilders the unworthy.

Objections & Responses
  • Calling Buddha an incarnation who 'bewildered' people sounds sectarian and disrespectful to Buddhists.
    The verse is not an insult; it is an act of mercy. Kṛṣṇa as Buddha stopped a specific abuse — animal slaughter dressed as yajña — by withdrawing Vedic sanction from those who had forfeited it. Honoring that intervention is not contempt for Buddhists; it is recognition that the same Lord meets each age where it has gone wrong.
  • Predicting Kalki killing 'low-class rulers' sounds like a violent, almost apocalyptic fantasy — surely a modern devotee doesn't take this literally.
    We do take it literally, but it is not our work. Kalki's sword is Kṛṣṇa's, not ours. Our work is the opposite: to stop being the kind of ruler — in our home, office, or inner life — that needs to be removed, and to surrender now rather than wait for the end of the age.
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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