SB 10.50.5 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

निरीक्ष्य तद्ब‍लं कृष्ण उद्वेलमिव सागरम् । स्वपुरं तेन संरुद्धं स्वजनं च भयाकुलम् ॥ ५ ॥ चिन्तयामास भगवान् हरि: कारणमानुष: । तद्देशकालानुगुणं स्वावतारप्रयोजनम् ॥ ६ ॥

Verse text

nirīkṣya tad-balaṁ kṛṣṇa udvelam iva sāgaram sva-puraṁ tena saṁruddhaṁ sva-janaṁ ca bhayākulam cintayām āsa bhagavān hariḥ kāraṇa-mānuṣaḥ tad-deśa-kālānuguṇaṁ svāvatāra-prayojanam

Synonyms

nirīkṣya — observing ; tat — of him (Jarāsandha) ; balam — the military force ; kṛṣṇaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa ; udvelam — having overflowed its boundaries ; iva — like ; sāgaram — an ocean ; sva — His own ; puram — city, Mathurā ; tena — by it ; saṁruddham — besieged ; sva — janam — His subjects ; ca — and ; bhaya — by fear ; ākulam — disturbed ; cintayām āsa — He thought ; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; hariḥ — Lord Hari ; kāraṇa — the cause of everything ; mānuṣaḥ — appearing as a human being ; tat — for that ; deśa — place ; kāla — and time ; anuguṇam — suitable ; sva — avatāra — of His descent to this world ; prayojanam — the purpose .

Translation

Although Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the original cause of this world, when He descended to the earth He played the role of a human being. Thus when He saw Jarāsandha’s assembled army surrounding His city like a great ocean overflowing its shores, and when He saw how this army was striking fear into His subjects, the Lord considered what His suitable response should be according to the time, place and specific purpose of His current incarnation.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Although Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the original cause of this world, when He descended to the earth He played the role of a human being. Thus when He saw Jarāsandha's assembled army surrounding His city like a great ocean overflowing its shores, and when He saw how this army was striking fear into His subjects, the Lord considered what His suitable response should be according to the time, place and specific purpose of His current incarnation. KB 10.50.5-6 Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who appeared like an ordinary human being, saw the immense strength of Jarāsandha, which appeared like an ocean about to cover a beach at any moment. He also perceived that the inhabitants of Mathurā were overwhelmed with fear. He began to think within Himself about His mission as an incarnation and how to tackle the present situation before Him.

Purport

The ācāryas point out that the Supreme Godhead did not have to worry about a mortal attack from Jarāsandha and his soldiers. But, as stated here, Śrī Kṛṣṇa was playing the part of a human being ( kāraṇa-mānuṣaḥ ), and He played the part well. This play is called līlā, the Lord’s enactment of spiritual pastimes for the pleasure of His devotees. Although ordinary persons may be dumbfounded by the Lord’s pastimes, the devotees derive tremendous pleasure from His inimitable style of behavior. Thus Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī points out that Śrī Kṛṣṇa thought as follows: “How should I defeat Jarāsandha? Should I kill the army but not Jarāsandha, or should I kill Jarāsandha and take the army for Myself? Or perhaps I should just kill both of them.” Lord Kṛṣṇa’s conclusion is described in the following verses.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Krsna observed Jarasandha’s army which was like an ocean overflowing its banks, going beyond its limits and began to wonder. But did Krsna really worry about that? No, there is no necessity, because he is the cause of all causes, the great controller (karana), appearing in a human form (manusya). Then what did he begin wondering about? That is described in the next four verses.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Kṛṣṇa, the cause of all elements and has a human-like form which is not material (kāraṇa-mānuṣaḥ), considered what was proper according to place and time because Mathurā was being attacked by huge armies. He had to act quickly.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Jarāsandha’s troops were unlimited like an ocean overflowing the shore. The Lord who removes the burden of the earth (hariḥ), endowed with all powers (bhagavān), began to think, because he was acting as a human for his goal (kāraṇa) of removing the burden of the earth. He thought what was suitable for time and place. The huge army had surrounded Mathurā. The army must be destroyed. He had to act quickly.