SB 10.52.2 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

संवीक्ष्य क्षुल्ल‍कान् मर्त्यान् पशून्वीरुद्वनस्पतीन् । मत्वा कलियुगं प्राप्तं जगाम दिशमुत्तराम् ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

saṁvīkṣya kṣullakān martyān paśūn vīrud-vanaspatīn matvā kali-yugaṁ prāptaṁ jagāma diśam uttarām

Synonyms

saṁvīkṣya — noticing ; kṣullakān — tiny ; martyān — the human beings ; paśūn — animals ; vīrut — plants ; vanaspatīn — and trees ; matvā — considering ; kali — yugam — the Age of Kali ; prāptam — having arrived ; jagāma — he went ; diśam — to the direction ; uttarām — northern .

Translation

Seeing that the size of all the human beings, animals, trees and plants was severely reduced, and thus realizing that the Age of Kali was at hand, Mucukunda left for the north.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Seeing that the size of all the human beings, animals, trees and plants was severely reduced, and thus realizing that the age of Kali was at hand, Mucukunda left for the north. KB 10.52.2 On coming out of the cave, Mucukunda saw that the human species had surprisingly been reduced in stature to pygmy size. Similarly, the trees had also been far reduced in size, and Mucukunda could immediately understand that the current age was Kali-yuga. Therefore, without diverting his attention, he began to travel north.

Purport

There are several significant words in this verse. A standard Sanskrit dictionary gives the following English meanings for the word kṣullaka: “little, small, low, vile, poor, indigent, wicked, malicious, abandoned, hard, pained, distressed.” These are the symptoms of the Age of Kali, and all these qualities are said here to apply to men, animals, plants and trees in this age. We who are enamored of ourselves and our environment can perhaps imagine the superior beauty and living conditions available to people in former ages. The last line of this text, jagāma diśam uttarām — “He went toward the north” — can be understood as follows. By traveling north in India, one comes to the world’s highest mountains, the Himālayan range. There one can still find many beautiful peaks and valleys, where there are quiet hermitages suitable for austerity and meditation. Thus in Vedic culture “going to the north” indicates renouncing the comforts of ordinary society and going to the Himālayan Mountains to practice serious austerities for spiritual advancement.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Seeing that kali yuga had almost come (kail yugam praptam literally means "seeing that kali yuga had come"), Mucukunda departed for the north.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Seeing the trees and plants were small, he went north, to the āśrama of Nara-nārāyaṇa where Kali had no influence. yāvat sa pāda-padmābhyāṁ spṛśan āste ramā-patiḥ tāvat kalir vai pṛthivīṁ parākrantuṁ na cāśakat As long as Kṛṣṇa, the husband of Lakṣṁī, touched the earth with his lotus feet, Kali could not subdue this planet. SB 12.2.30 It is thus understood that while Kṛṣṇa was present Kali had no influence. But understanding that he would not remain on the planet for a long time, he went.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Seeing the trees and plants were small, he went north, to the āśrama of Nara-nārāyaṇa since great souls resided there and it was not populated because it was very cold.