Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.12.3
न भवानवधीद्यक्षान्न यक्षा भ्रातरं तव ।
काल एव हि भूतानां प्रभुरप्ययभावयो: ॥ ३ ॥
na bhavān avadhīd yakṣān
[na bhavaan avadheed yakshaan]
na yakṣā bhrātaraṁ tava
[na yakshaa bhraataram tava]
kāla eva hi bhūtānāṁ
[kaala eva hi bhootaanaam]
prabhur apyaya-bhāvayoḥ
[prabhur apyaya-bhaavayoh]
Word-for-word
na
—
not
bhavān
—
you
avadhīt
—
killed
yakṣān
—
the Yakṣas
na
—
not
yakṣāḥ
—
the Yakṣas
bhrātaram
—
brother
tava
—
your
kālaḥ
—
time
eva
—
certainly
hi
—
for
bhūtānām
—
of living entities
prabhuḥ
—
the Supreme Lord
apyaya-bhāvayoḥ
—
of annihilation and generation.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na bhavān avadhīd yakṣān
na
not
bhavān
you
avadhīt
killed
yakṣān
the Yakṣas
na yakṣā bhrātaraṁ tava
na
not
yakṣāḥ
the Yakṣas
bhrātaram
brother
tava
your
kāla eva hi bhūtānāṁ
kālaḥ
time
eva
certainly
hi
for
bhūtānām
of living entities
prabhur apyaya-bhāvayoḥ
prabhuḥ
the Supreme Lord
apyaya-bhāvayoḥ
of annihilation and generation.
Actually, you have not killed the Yakṣas, nor have they killed your brother, for the ultimate cause of generation and annihilation is the eternal time feature of the Supreme Lord.
Purport
When the master of the treasury addressed him as sinless, Dhruva Mahārāja, considering himself responsible for killing so many Yakṣas, might have thought himself otherwise. Kuvera, however, assured him that factually he had not killed any of the Yakṣas; therefore, he was not at all sinful. He did his duty as a king, as it is ordered by the laws of nature. “Nor should you think that your brother was killed by the Yakṣas,” said Kuvera. “He died or was killed in due course of time by the laws of nature. Eternal time, one of the features of the Lord, is ultimately responsible for annihilation and generation. You are not responsible for such actions.”
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
You did not kill Yakṣas and they did not kill your brother. Time is the master of destruction and creation for all beings.
Personal Guidance
You haven't actually killed the Yakṣas, nor did they kill your brother; time, as the Lord's feature, is the true cause. Re-attribution of agency to the supreme cause dissolves both guilt and blame.
Reflection Questions
- Whose 'killing' am I claiming credit or blame for that was actually time's work?
- Where could I trade personal storyline for cosmic causality and feel lighter?
My note
Source: vedabase.io