Pradyumna:
- mātā śiśūnāṁ nidhanaṁ sutānāṁ
- niśamya ghoraṁ paritapyamānā
- tadārudad vāṣpa-kalākulākṣī
- tāṁ sāntvayann āha kirīṭamālī
- (SB 1.7.15)
"Draupadī, the mother of the five children of the Pāṇḍavas, after hearing of the massacre of her sons, began to cry in distress with eyes full of tears. Trying to pacify her in her great loss, Arjuna spoke to her thus."
Prabhupāda:
- mātā śiśūnāṁ nidhanaṁ sutānāṁ
- niśamya ghoraṁ paritapyamānā
- tadārudad vāṣpa-kalākulākṣī
- tāṁ sāntvayann āha kirīṭamālī
- (SB 1.7.15)
So Draupadī's five sons were killed—five sons by five husbands. You know the history of Draupadī. She had five husbands, which is forbidden nowadays. Although in some hilly districts still this system is current, that one woman has got five or six husbands—this practice was there even in high circle—that is now forbidden. Devareṇa sutotpattiṁ kalau pañca vivarjayet. Don't try to imitate Draupadī. That is not allowed in this age.
- aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ
- sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam
- devareṇa sutotpattiṁ
- kalau pañca vivarjayet
- (CC Adi 17.164)
So when Draupadī was gained by Arjuna, the five Pāṇḍavas were in the forest incognito. So when they came to their mother in jubilation, they exclaimed, "Mother, we have got a very nice jewel." So mother said, "All right, my dear sons, enjoy it, all of you, five." So on the order of mother they accepted Draupadī as a common wife. But that does not mean she had many sons. Only five sons. By the five husbands, one son. That is also another system. Not competition that each husband will produce dozens of children. No.
So when the mother understood that her sons were killed, certainly she was very, very unhappy. Mātā śiśūnāṁ nidhanaṁ sutānāṁ niśamya ghoraṁ paritapyamānā. Lamenting. That is natural. So tadārudad vāṣpa-kalākulākṣī. With tears, she was crying, and tāṁ sāntvayan, pacifying, āha kirīṭamālī. Kirīṭamālī is Arjuna. So they were directly connected with Kṛṣṇa. Draupadī's another name is Kṛṣṇā. And still they had to suffer the material pangs. Not that because one is Kṛṣṇa conscious there will be no material suffering. Actually, those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they have no material suffering. Although it appears that they are suffering, they are not suffering. They can accept any so-called suffering and accept it as mercy of Kṛṣṇa. They never take it as suffering. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam (SB 10.14.8). A devotee, when he's in suffering, so-called suffering, he accepts it as the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Tat te 'nukampām. And he rather thanks Kṛṣṇa, that "I had to suffer many more times, but You have minimized it, giving me little suffering. So it is Your mercy." And if anyone lives on that attitude, everything taken as Kṛṣṇa's mercy, then he is guaranteed to go back home, back to Godhead. Mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk. Dāya-bhāk means his going back to home, back to Godhead, is exactly like the inheritance of property by the son. Mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk. So we should learn from the Pāṇḍavas that Kṛṣṇa was always present with them, still they had to suffer so much material tribulations. So they were never unhappy, neither they requested Kṛṣṇa that "My dear friend Kṛṣṇa, You were always with us. Still we had to suffer." Never expressed that. That is pure devotion. Never try to take any benefit from Kṛṣṇa. Simply try to give benefit to Kṛṣṇa. Do not take any benefit from Kṛṣṇa. This is pure devotion.