ततो गते दारुके केशवो ऽथ; दृष्ट्वान्तिके बभ्रुम् उवाच वाक्यम् ॥
स्त्रियो भवान् रक्षतु यातु शीघ्रं; नैता हिंस्युर् दस्यवो वित्तलोभात् ॥
स प्रस्थितः केशवेनानुशिष्टो; मदातुरो ज्ञातिवधार्दितश् च ॥
तं वै यान्तं संनिधौ केशवस्य; त्वरन्तम् एकं सहसैव बभ्रुम् ॥
ब्रह्मानुशप्तम् अवधीन् महद् वै; कूटोन्मुक्तं मुसलं लुब्धकस्य ॥
ततो दृष्ट्वा निहतं बभ्रुम् आह; कृष्णो वाक्यं भ्रातरम् अग्रजं तु ॥
इहैव त्वं मां प्रतीक्षस्व राम; यावत् स्त्रियो ज्ञातिवशाः करोमि ॥
tato gate dāruke keśavo 'tha; dṛṣṭvāntike babhrum uvāca vākyam ||
striyo bhavān rakṣatu yātu śīghraṃ; naitā hiṃsyur dasyavo vittalobhāt ||
sa prasthitaḥ keśavenānuśiṣṭo; madāturo jñātivadhārditaś ca ||
taṃ vai yāntaṃ saṃnidhau keśavasya; tvarantam ekaṃ sahasaiva babhrum ||
brahmānuśaptam avadhīn mahad vai; kūṭonmuktaṃ musalaṃ lubdhakasya ||
tato dṛṣṭvā nihataṃ babhrum āha; kṛṣṇo vākyaṃ bhrātaram agrajaṃ tu ||
ihaiva tvaṃ māṃ pratīkṣasva rāma; yāvat striyo jñātivaśāḥ karomi ||
Then, when Daruka had departed, Keshava, seeing Babhru nearby, spoke these words: "Protect the women and go quickly, lest brigands harm them out of greed for wealth." He set out as instructed by Keshava, intoxicated and overcome with grief at the death of his kinsmen. Then, as Babhru walked close by Keshava, hastening and alone, the mighty club cursed by the brahmin — loosed by a hunter's hand — struck him down suddenly. Seeing Babhru slain, Krishna then spoke to his elder brother: "Wait for me here, Rama, until I have brought the women under the care of their kinsmen."
ee771d5be0af · published Jun 21, 2026, 1:20:00 AM UTC
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The death of Babhru, struck "suddenly" by a shard of the cursed club at the very feet of the Lord, reveals how inexorably the word of the holy ones is fulfilled: the appointed end reaches the last of the doomed, and even proximity to Krishna does not shield one whose hour has come. Yet the Lord does not annul the course of fate; within it He cares for the defenseless women, entrusting them to protection. The verse teaches that what has been ordained by the supreme will comes to pass completely, sparing none of the condemned even if they stand beside the Lord; and that the Lord, without overturning fate, reveals within its unfolding an unwavering care for the weak and defenseless, arranging their protection before concluding His own earthly mission.