SB 10.57.30

SB 10.57.30

Devanagari

अक्रूरे प्रोषितेऽरिष्टान्यासन् वै द्वारकौकसाम् । शारीरा मानसास्तापा मुहुर्दैविकभौतिका: ॥ ३० ॥

Verse text

akrūre proṣite ’riṣṭāny āsan vai dvārakaukasām śārīrā mānasās tāpā muhur daivika-bhautikāḥ

Synonyms

akrūre Akrūra ; proṣite being in exile ; ariṣṭāni ill omens ; āsan arose ; vai indeed ; dvārakā okasām — for the residents of Dvārakā ; śārīrāḥ caused by the body ; mānasaḥ and by the mind ; tāpāḥ distresses ; muhuḥ repeated ; daivika caused by higher powers ; bhautikāḥ caused by other creatures .

Translation

In Akrūra’s absence ill omens arose in Dvārakā, and the citizens began to suffer continually from physical and mental distresses, as well as from disturbances caused by higher powers and by creatures of the earth.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In Akrūra's absence ill omens arose in Dvārakā, and the citizens began to suffer continually from physical and mental distresses, as well as from disturbances caused by higher powers and by creatures of the earth. KB 10.57.30 The citizens of Dvārakā felt themselves threatened with pestilence and natural disturbances due to the absence of Akrūra from the city.

Purport

The word daivika here refers to disturbances caused by supernatural beings. These disturbances often manifest as natural calamities like earthquakes, tidal waves or extreme weather. Nowadays materialistic people attribute these disturbances to earthly causes, not realizing that they constitute punishment at the hands of superior beings. The word bhautikāḥ refers to trouble caused by fellow creatures of the earth, such as human beings, animals and insects. According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, Akrūra took the Syamantaka jewel and went to reside in the city of Benares, where he became known as Dānapati, “the master of charity.” There he executed fire sacrifices on gold altars with elaborate assemblies of qualified priests. Some residents of Dvārakā felt that the unusual calamities were due to Akrūra’s absence, forgetting (as described in the next verse) that the Supreme Lord’s personal presence in Dvārakā precluded that possibility. Because when the Lord comes to earth His pastimes resemble those of human beings, the principle of “familiarity breeds contempt” comes into play. It appears that during the lives of many saintly persons and incarnations of God there always exists a class of people who fail to appreciate, or who only occasionally appreciate, the position of the great souls among them. On the other hand, the fortunate and enlightened souls who recognize the true position of the Lord and His associates are supremely blessed.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Ariṣṭāni refers to calamities like earthquakes. Another version has ariṣṭā. In that case the masculine form is poetic license. There were various sufferings (verb is understood) of the body and mind which were ādhyāmika suffering, caused by one’s own body. There were also daivikā sufferings (caused by nature) and bhautika (caused by other living entities) sufferings.