SB 10.24.23 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

रजसा चोदिता मेघा वर्षन्त्यम्बूनि सर्वत: प्रजास्तैरेव सिध्यन्ति महेन्द्र: किं करिष्यति ॥ २३ ॥

Verse text

rajasā coditā meghā varṣanty ambūni sarvataḥ prajās tair eva sidhyanti mahendraḥ kiṁ kariṣyati

Synonyms

rajasā — by passion ; coditāḥ — impelled ; meghāḥ — the clouds ; varṣanti — pour down ; ambūni — their water ; sarvataḥ — everywhere ; prajāḥ — the population ; taiḥ — by that water ; eva — simply ; sidhyanti — maintain their existence ; mahā — indraḥ — the great Indra ; kim — what ; kariṣyati — can do .

Translation

Impelled by the material mode of passion, the clouds pour down their rain everywhere, and by this rain all creatures gain their sustenance. What has the great Indra to do with this arrangement?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Impelled by the material mode of passion, the clouds pour down their rain everywhere, and by this rain all creatures gain their sustenance. What has the great Indra to do with this arrangement? KB 10.24.23 “The cloud is caused by the action of the mode of passion; therefore it is the mode of passion which causes the rainfall. And after the rainfall, the living entities derive the result—success in agricultural work. What, then, has Indra to do with this affair? Even if you do not please Indra, what can he do? We do not derive any special benefit from Indra. Even if he is there, he pours water on the ocean also, where there is no need of water. So he is pouring water on the ocean or on the land; it does not depend on our worshiping him.

Purport

Lord Kṛṣṇa continues His mechanistic explanation of existence, concluding mahendraḥ kiṁ kariṣyati: “Who needs the great Indra, since the rain, sent by the clouds, which in turn are impelled by the mode of passion, is actually producing everyone’s food?” The word sarvataḥ indicates that the clouds magnanimously send their rain even on the ocean, rocks and barren land, where there is no apparent necessity for such sweet water.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

As the clouds by the influence of the mode of passion disperse water everywhere-on the ocean, rocks, and desert—the dispersal is not dependent on anything else.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Kṛṣṇa calls Indra by the name Mahendra (great Indra) as a joke, since the clouds and Indra are dependent on rajas.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

What can Indra, the lord of all devatās and clouds do? Nothing at all. He and the clouds are dependent on rajas. Or though he is lord of the three worlds how does he assist in this? Rajas is the protector of the people. Rajas uses the clouds, so what use is Indra? In verse 9 Nanda said, “Indra is the lord and master of the rain-giving clouds.” That is rejected in this verse.