Verse Text
tatra ādyaṁ, yathā mahābhārate—
pratijṣā tava govinda na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati |
iti saṁsmṛtya saṁsmṛtya prāṇān saṁdhārayāmy aham ||189||
Translation
The first type, trust, is described in Mahābhārata: O Govinda, remembering again and again Your promise that Your devotee will never perish, I maintain my life.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
This is the statement of Draupadī. It will be shown later that since she is an associate of the Lord on the level of high prema, the statement is the result of elevated prema, not sādhana. Still, it may be used as an example of sādhana since even those on the level of highest prema will sometimes act on the level of sādhana. The next verse (verse 190), which is taken from the section of Bhāgavatam describing the uttama devotees (who are beyond sādhana), should also be understood in a similar way. Later, this section in the Bhāgavatam concludes with the words praṇaya-rasanayā dhṛtāṅghri-padma: one who has thus captured the Supreme Lord within his heart is to be known as bhāgavata-pradhāna, the most exalted devotee of the Lord. [Note: Here praṇaya is mentioned, which indicates that the uttamādhikārī is at the high level of prema, not sādhana. Nevertheless, verse 190 quotes this as an example of viśvāsa in sādhana-bhakti, for the same reason explained in the present commentary.] (SB 11.2.55)
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
In the Mahābhārata, Draupadī says, “My dear Govinda, Your promise is that Your devotee can never be vanquished. I believe in that statement, and therefore in all kinds of tribulations I simply remember Your promise, and thus I live.” The purport is that Draupadī and her five husbands, the Pāṇḍavas, were put into severe tribulations by their cousin-brother Duryodhana, as well as by others. The tribulations were so severe that even Bhīṣmadeva, who was both a lifelong brahmacārī and a great warrior, would sometimes shed tears thinking of them. He was always surprised that although the Pāṇḍavas were so righteous and Draupadī was practically the goddess of fortune, and although Kṛṣṇa was their friend, still they had to undergo such severe tribulations. Though their tribulations were not ordinary, Draupadī was not discouraged. She knew that because Kṛṣṇa was their friend, ultimately they would be saved.