Progressive Sympathy from Pity to Compassion

2021-12-09
by Pradyumna Mishra Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty


SB 01.08.02
te ninīyodakaṁ sarve
vilapya ca bhṛśaṁ punaḥ
āplutā hari-pādābja-
rajaḥ-pūta-sarij-jale


Translation:
Having lamented over them and sufficiently offered Ganges water, they bathed in the Ganges, whose water is sanctified due to being mixed with the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord.

SB 01.08.03
tatrāsīnaṁ kuru-patiṁ
dhṛtarāṣṭraṁ sahānujam
gāndhārīṁ putra-śokārtāṁ
pṛthāṁ kṛṣṇāṁ ca mādhavaḥ


Translation:
There sat the King of the Kurus, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his younger brothers and Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, Kuntī and Draupadī, all overwhelmed with grief. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also there.

Purport:
The Battle of Kurukṣetra was fought between family members, and thus all affected persons were also family members like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and brothers, Kuntī, Draupadī, Subhadrā, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī and her daughters-in-law, etc. All the principal dead bodies were in some way or other related with each other, and therefore the family grief was combined. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also one of them as a cousin of the Pāṇḍavas and nephew of Kuntī, as well as brother of Subhadrā, etc. The Lord, therefore, was equally sympathetic toward all of them, and therefore he began to pacify them befittingly.

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