24. Cutting Off
Ties of Affection

atha visvesa viSvatman
viSva-murte svakesu me

sneha-pasam imam chindhi
drdham pandusu vrsnisu

O Lord of the universe, soul of the
universe, O personality of the form of
the universe, please, therefore, sever
my tie of affection for my kinsmen, the
Pandavas and the Vrsnis.

—Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.41

A pure devotee of the Lord is ashamed’to ask anything in self-interest
from the Lord. But the householders are sometimes obliged to ask favors
from the Lord, being bound by the tie of family affection. Srimati
Kuntidevi was conscious of this fact, and therefore she prayed to the
Lord to cut off the affectionate tie from her own kinsmen, the Pandavas
and the Vrsnis. The Pandavas are her own sons, and the Vrsnis are the
members of her paternal family. Krsna was equally related to both
families. Both the families required the Lord’s help because both were
dependent devotees of the Lord. Srimati Kuntidevi wished $ri Krsna to
remain with her sons, the Pandavas, but by His doing so her paternal

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