Complete surrender to Krishna's protection renders all dangers powerless and all earthly defenses insignificant.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.24 — April 16, 1973, Los Angeles 730416SB-LOS ANGELES [40:33 Minutes] SB-01.08.24_730416SB-LOS ANGELES Prabhupāda: [leads singing of Jaya rādhā-mādhava] [04:25] [prema-dhvāṇī prayers] Thank you very much. Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
[leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] viṣān mahāgneḥ puruṣāda-darśanād asat-sabhāyā vana-vāsa-kṛcchrataḥ mṛdhe mṛdhe 'neka-mahārathāstrato drauṇy-astrataś cāsma hare 'bhirakṣitāḥ [SB 1.8.24] [Prabhupāda corrects a devotee's pronunciation in chanting]
Prabhupāda: All right. Girls. [ladies lead chanting] That's all right. Now word meanings.
Pradyumna: viṣāt—from poison; mahā-agneḥ—from the great fire; puruṣa-ada—the man-eaters; darśanāt—by combating; asat—vicious; sabhāyāḥ—assembly; vana-vāsa—exiled to the forest; kṛcchrataḥ—sufferings; mṛdhe mṛdhe—again and again in battle; aneka—many; mahā-ratha—great generals; astrataḥ—weapons; drauṇi—the son of Droṇācārya; astrataḥ—from the weapon of; ca—and; āsma—indicating past tense; hare—by the Personality of Godhead; abhirakṣitāḥ—protected completely [14:09] Translation. "My dear Kṛṣṇa, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Aśvatthāmā." Prabhupāda: So Kuntī is remembering all the dangers that she had passed before gaining the kingdom. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati [Bg. 9.31].
These Pāṇḍavas, they were great devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And in the material world, because people are interested in material things, so they were put into so many dangerous condition of life. That was the policy of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, how to kill the sons of Pāṇḍu and usurp the kingdom for his own sons. That was his policy from the very beginning.
But they were very obedient, because Dhṛtarāṣṭra was their guardian. So Dhṛtarāṣṭra constructed a house of lac. Lac means as soon as you touch one matchstick, immediately takes fire. So he asked his nephews and sister-in-law, Kuntī, that "For some times you go. I have constructed a very nice house.
You can go and live there." Vidura informed that "This is the policy: Dhṛtarāṣṭra wants you to burn into ashes by going that house." Duryodhana could understand that Vidura had already informed. Therefore he was very angry. These are politics. So although they knew that "This is the plan of my uncle to send into that house and set fire," but they agreed, "Yes." Not disobedient to the order of the superior.