Fourteen Worlds
FOURTEEN WORLDSVedic Cosmology

SB 10.58.4

Devanāgarī

युधिष्ठिरस्य भीमस्य कृत्वा पादाभिवन्दनम् । फाल्गुनं परिरभ्याथ यमाभ्यां चाभिवन्दित: ॥ ४ ॥

Text

yudhiṣṭhirasya bhīmasya kṛtvā pādābhivandanam phālgunaṁ parirabhyātha yamābhyāṁ cābhivanditaḥ

Synonyms

yudhiṣṭhirasyabhīmasya—to Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma;kṛtvā—after offering;pāda—at their feet;abhivandanam—obeisances;phālgunam—Arjuna;parirabhya—firmly embracing;atha—then;yamābhyām—by the twin brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva;ca—and;abhivanditaḥ—greeted respectfully.

Translation

After the Lord bowed down at the feet of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma and firmly embraced Arjuna, He accepted obeisances from the twin brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva.

Purport

Externally Kṛṣṇa was the Pāṇḍavas’ cousin, and their relationship was just like that between cousin-brothers. Because Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma were externally senior to Kṛṣṇa, the Lord bowed down at their feet, whereas He embraced His peer Arjuna and accepted obeisances from the younger brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva. Sometimes inexperienced devotees think it is sinful to honor or bow down to an elder brother in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But from Lord Kṛṣṇa’s example here we may conclude that offering all respects to a senior brother in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not sinful.
← SB 10.58.3Chapter 58SB 10.58.5