TEACHINGS OF QUEEN KUNTI
Chapter Seven:

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.24
vishan mahagneh purushada-darsanad
asat-sabhaya vana-vasa-kricchratah
mridhe mridhe 'neka-maharathastrato
drauny-astratas casma hare 'bhirakshitah

TRANSLATION

My dear Krishna, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest, and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Asvatthama.

JOURNAL:

In this chapter Srila Prabhupada gives a short description of each of the dangers that the family of Queen Kunti had faced. The most famous of these was the attempted stripping of Draupadi. Srila Prabhupada writes; At first, Draupadi had tried to hold on to her sari. But what could she do? After all, she was a woman, and the Kurus were trying to strip her naked. So she cried and prayed to Krishna, "Save my honor," but she also tried to save herself by holding on to her sari. Then she thought, "It is impossible to save my honor in this way," and she let go and simply raised her arms and prayed, "Krishna, if You like You can save me." Thus the Lord responded to her prayers.

Therefore, it is not very good to try to save oneself. Rather, one should simply depend on Krishna: "Krishna, if You save me, that is all right. Otherwise, kill me. You may do as You like."

On this topic of full surrender to the Lord he goes on to write; A devotee of Krishna surrenders unto Krishna without reservation, and therefore he is called akincana. The word kincana refers to something one reserves for oneself, and akincana means that one does not keep anything for oneself. Of course, although actually one should surrender in this way, in the material world one should not artificially imitate those who are fully surrendered.

We also find in this chapter a brief description of the Mahabharata, the book that contains the entire Bhagavada Gita:

These incidents are all recorded in the book known as the Mahabharata. The word maha means "great" or "greater," and bharata refers to India. Thus the Mahabharata is the history of greater India. Sometimes people regard these accounts as stories or mythology, but that is nonsense. The Mahabharata and the Puranas are histories, although they are not chronological. If the history of such a vast period of time was recorded chronologically, how many pages would it have to be? Therefore, only the most important incidents are selected and described in the Mahabharata.

Srila Prabhupada ends the chapter, as any good writer would, with a "teaser" of things to come. He writes; Many great misfortunes befell the Pandavas, but in all circumstances they simply depended on Krishna, who always saved them. Queen Kunti's response to these misfortunes is recorded in the next verse.

Hari Bol Prabhus!