Text 3
na yatra śravaṇādīni
rakṣo-ghnāni sva-karmasu
kurvanti sātvatāṁ bhartur
yātudhānyaś ca tatra hi
na — not; yatra — wherever; śravaṇa-ādīni — the activities of bhakti-yoga, beginning with hearing and chanting; rakṣaḥ-ghnāni — the sound vibration to kill all danger and bad elements; sva-karmasu — if one is engaged in his own occupational duty; kurvanti — such things are done; sātvatām bhartuḥ — of the protector of the devotees; yātudhānyaḥ — disturbing elements, bad elements; ca — also; tatra hi — there must be.
My dear King, wherever people in any position perform their occupational duties of devotional service by chanting and hearing [śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ], there cannot be any danger from bad elements. Therefore there was no need for anxiety about Gokula while the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally present.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke this verse to mitigate the anxiety of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore when he understood that Pūtanā was causing disturbances in Gokula, he was somewhat perturbed. Śukadeva Gosvāmī therefore assured him that there was no danger in Gokula. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung: nāmāśraya kari’ yatane tumi, thākaha āpana kāje. Everyone is thus advised to seek shelter in the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and remain engaged in his own occupational duty. There is no loss in this, and the gain is tremendous. Even from a material point of view, everyone should take to chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra to be saved from all kinds of danger. This world is full of danger (padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām). Therefore we should be encouraged to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra so that in our family, society, neighborhood and nation, everything will be smooth and free from danger.