SB 1.9.17

TEXT 17

TEXT

तस्मादिदं दैवतन्त्रं व्यवस्य भरतर्षभ ।
तस्यानुविहितो ऽनाथा नाथ पाहि प्रजाः प्रभो ॥ १७ ॥

tasmad idam daiva-tantram

vyavasya bharatarsabha

tasyanuvihito 'natha

natha pahi prajah prabho

tasmat-therefore; idam-all these; daiva-tantram-enchantment of providence only; vyavasya-ascertaining; bharata-rsabha-the best among the descendants of Bharata; tasya-His; anuvihitah-as desired by Him; anathah-helpless; natha-O master; pahi-just take care of; prajah-of the subjects; prabho-O lord.

TRANSLATION

O best amongst the descendants of Bharata [Yudhisthira], I maintain, therefore, that all this is within the plan of the Lord. Accepting the inconceivable plan of the Lord, you must follow it. You are now the appointed administrative head, and my lord, you should now take care of those subjects who are now rendered helpless.

PURPORT

The popular saying is that a housewife teaches the daughter-in-law by teaching the daughter. Similarly, the Lord teaches the world by teaching the devotee. The devotee does not have to learn anything new from the Lord because the Lord teaches the sincere devotee always from within. Whenever, therefore, a show is made to teach the devotee, as it was in the case of teaching the Bhagavad-gita, it is for teaching the less intelligent men. A devotee's duty is, therefore, to ungrudgingly accept tribulations from the Lord as a benediction. The Pandavas are advised by Bhismadeva to accept the responsibility of administration without hesitation. The poor subjects were without protection due to the Battle of Kuruksetra, and they were awaiting the assumption of power by Maharaja Yudhisthira. A pure devotee of the Lord accepts tribulations as favors from the Lord. Since the Lord is absolute, there is no mundane difference between the two.

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