प्राणस्य देही विवशो यदृच्छया ।
अपारयन्नात्मविमोक्षणे चिरं
दध्याविमां बुद्धिमथाभ्यपद्यत ॥ ३१ ॥
prāṇasya dehī vivaśo yadṛcchayā
apārayann ātma-vimokṣaṇe ciraṁ
dadhyāv imāṁ buddhim athābhyapadyata
janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
SYNONYMS
ittham—in this way; gaja-indraḥ—the King of the elephants; saḥ—he; yadā—when; āpa—obtained; saṅkaṭam—such a dangerous position; prāṇasya—of life; dehī—who is embodied; vivaśaḥ—circumstantially helpless; yadṛcchayā—by the will of providence; apārayan—being unable; ātma-vimokṣaṇe—to save himself; ciram—for a long time; dadhyau—began to think seriously; imām—this; buddhim—decision; atha—thereupon; abhyapadyata—reached.
TRANSLATION
When the King of the elephants saw that he was under the clutches of the crocodile by the will of providence and, being embodied and circumstantially helpless, could not save himself from danger, he was extremely afraid of being killed. He consequently thought for a long time and finally reached the following decision.
PURPORT
Everyone in the material world is engaged in a struggle for existence. Everyone tries to save himself from danger, but when one is unable to save himself, if he is pious, he then takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (7.16):
janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha