Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.50.44
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesAnger Leads to a Threat Against Mathurā
“Arriving at Mathurā, this Yavana laid siege to the city with thirty million barbarian soldiers. He had never found a human rival worth fighting, but he had heard that the Vṛṣṇis were his equals.”
What the purport teaches
- Kālayavana besieged Mathurā with thirty million barbarian soldiers. Having found no worthy human rival, he had heard that the Vṛṣṇis were his equals.
- Angered by ridicule and the Yādavas’ laughter, Gārgya desired a son who would terrorize them. After twelve years of worship, Lord Mahādeva granted his desired benediction.
- Gārgya later fathered Kālayavana in the Yavana king’s wife. When Nārada identified the Yadus as the strongest kings, Kālayavana came to Mathurā.
Try this today
If you remember an insult today, pause rather than planning a hurtful response.
Ask yourself
What does Gārgya’s response to ridicule show me about nurturing a desire for revenge?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.