Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.9.15
Nirodha· Winding upResources Cannot Prevent Every Reversal
“Oh, how wonderful is the influence of inevitable time! It is irreversible — otherwise, how can there be reverses in the presence of King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of the demigod controlling religion; Bhīma, the great fighter with a club; the great bowman Arjuna with his mighty weapon Gāṇḍīva; and above all, the Lord, the direct well-wisher of the Pāṇḍavas?”
What the purport teaches
- The Pāṇḍavas lacked neither material nor spiritual resources. They had powerful warriors, a religious king and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself as their well-wisher.
- Yet piety, strength, expert management and weapons did not prevent their reverses. Bhīṣmadeva explains these reverses through the influence of inevitable time.
- Kāla is identical with the Lord Himself, and its influence indicates His inexplicable wish. There is nothing to lament when a matter lies beyond human control.
Try this today
Identify one outcome you cannot control and pause your repeated worrying about it, remembering the Lord’s supreme control.
Ask yourself
Do I expect good conduct and careful planning to protect me from every reversal?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.