Devanagari
न यत्र श्रवणादीनि रक्षोघ्नानि स्वकर्मसु ।
कुर्वन्ति सात्वतां भर्तुर्यातुधान्यश्च तत्र हि ॥ ३ ॥
Verse text
na yatra śravaṇādīni
rakṣo-ghnāni sva-karmasu
kurvanti sātvatāṁ bhartur
yātudhānyaś ca tatra hi
Synonyms
na
—
not
;
yatra
—
wherever
;
śravaṇa
—
ādīni — the activities of bhakti-yoga, beginning with hearing and chanting
;
rakṣaḥ
—
ghnāni — the sound vibration to kill all danger and bad elements
;
sva
—
karmasu — if one is engaged in his own occupational duty
;
kurvanti
—
such things are done
;
sātvatām bhartuḥ
—
of the protector of the devotees
;
yātudhānyaḥ
—
disturbing elements, bad elements
;
ca
—
also
;
tatra hi
—
there must be .
Translation
My dear King, wherever people in any position perform their occupational duties of devotional service by chanting and hearing [śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ], there cannot be any danger from bad elements. Therefore there was no need for anxiety about Gokula while the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally present.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
My dear King, wherever people in any position perform their occupational duties of devotional service by chanting and hearing [śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ SB 7.5.23], there cannot be any danger from bad elements. Therefore there was no need for anxiety about Gokula while the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally present.
KB 10.6.3
Such witches can play their black art only where there is no chanting or hearing of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. It is said that wherever the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is done, even negligently, all bad elements—witches, ghosts and dangerous calamities—immediately disappear. And this is certainly true of the place where the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is done seriously—especially in Vṛndāvana when the Supreme Lord was personally present. Therefore, the doubts of Nanda Mahārāja were certainly based on affection for Kṛṣṇa. Actually there was no danger from the activities of Pūtanā, despite her powers.
Purport
Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke this verse to mitigate the anxiety of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore when he understood that Pūtanā was causing disturbances in Gokula, he was somewhat perturbed. Śukadeva Gosvāmī therefore assured him that there was no danger in Gokula. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung:
nāmāśraya kari’ yatane tumi, thākaha āpana kāje.
Everyone is thus advised to seek shelter in the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa
mahā-mantra
and remain engaged in his own occupational duty. There is no loss in this, and the gain is tremendous. Even from a material point of view, everyone should take to chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa
mantra
to be saved from all kinds of danger. This world is full of danger (
padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām
). Therefore we should be encouraged to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa
mahā-mantra
so that in our family, society, neighborhood and nation, everything will be smooth and free from danger.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This verse is spoken to allay the fears of Maharaja Pariksit for Krsna’s safety. In those places where people engage in scriptural duties like sacrifices without devotional acts such as hearing stories of the Lord, who is the life of the devotees, the raksasis become powerful. Then what to speak of places where these devotional acts are the primary means? There the raksasis can have no influence. And what to speak of the place where the Lord is personally present?
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
It was said that Pūtanā killed children in the towns and villages. What happened to Nanda’s boys? This verse answers. Where there is no hearing during sacrifices and other duties (sva-karmasu) mainly for attaining one’s material goals, what to speak of no having hearing as the main item, the demons will afflict. Hearing about the devotees (sātvatām) destroys the demons, what to speak of hearing about the Lord (bhartuḥ). The word ca means tu (but) or can mean other wicked persons. Certainly (hi) such persons will be strong (these words should be supplied) in those places.
Or it is an answer to the question “Did she kill all the babies?” The answer is the same. Others who were inimical to the Lord were killed by him. Thus it is shown that Kaṁsa was foolish. This was all arranged by the Lord. The coming of the demons was for the purpose of increasing the pastimes of the Lord, which produce bliss for all people. These disturbances arranged by the Lord were produced by the Lord’s līlā-śakti according to the Lord’s rasas, in order to increase Yaśodā’s prema for Kṛṣṇa. The līlā-śakti is composed of Śrī, Bhū and Līlā. These three śaktis of Vaikuṇṭha are well known in the Padma Purāṇa. This śakti is described as Tulasī and Vṛndā in the Kārtika-māhātmya of Padma Purāṇa.
She is called Vṛndā in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and lives in Vṛndāvana.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
It was said that Pūtanā killed children in the towns and villages. What happened to Nanda’s boys? This verse answers. Where there is no hearing during sacrifices and other duties (sva-karmasu) mainly for attaining one’s material goals, what to speak of not having hearing as the main item, the demons cause affliction. Hearing about the devotees (sātvatām) destroys the demons, what to speak of hearing about the Lord (bhartuḥ). The word ca means tu (but) or can mean other wicked persons. Certainly (hi) such persons will be strong (these words should be supplied) in those places.
Or it is an answer to the question “Did she kill all the babies?” The answer is the same. All the children were safe who lived where there was hearing about the Lord. Because of the spread of bhakti everywhere with the appearance of the Lord, at that time the children could not be killed.
Or where there is hearing about the Lord the demons do not exist. Since the Lord lived personally in Gokula, there was always glorification of the Lord and all auspiciousness. This is explained in verse 7.