Devanagari
न वै स्वपक्षोऽस्य विपक्ष एव वा
परस्य मृत्योर्विशत: समं प्रजा: ।
तं धावमानमनुधावन्त्यनीशा
यथा रजांस्यनिलं भूतसङ्घा: ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
na vai sva-pakṣo ’sya vipakṣa eva vā
parasya mṛtyor viśataḥ samaṁ prajāḥ
taṁ dhāvamānam anudhāvanty anīśā
yathā rajāṁsy anilaṁ bhūta-saṅghāḥ
Synonyms
na
—
not
;
vai
—
however
;
sva
—
pakṣaḥ — ally
;
asya
—
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
vipakṣaḥ
—
enemy
;
eva
—
certainly
;
vā
—
or
;
parasya
—
of the Supreme
;
mṛtyoḥ
—
in the form of time
;
viśataḥ
—
entering
;
samam
—
equally
;
prajāḥ
—
living entities
;
tam
—
Him
;
dhāvamānam
—
moving
;
anudhāvanti
—
follow behind
;
anīśāḥ
—
dependent living entities
;
yathā
—
as
;
rajāṁsi
—
particles of dust
;
anilam
—
the wind
;
bhūta
—
saṅghāḥ — other material elements .
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His feature of eternal time, is present in the material world and is neutral towards everyone. No one is His ally, and no one is His enemy. Within the jurisdiction of the time element, everyone enjoys or suffers the result of his own karma, or fruitive activities. As, when the wind blows, small particles of dust fly in the air, so, according to one’s particular karma, one suffers or enjoys material life.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The Lord has no friend or enemy. He enters all beings as death equally. The jīvas, dependent on karma and associated with matter, follow the Lord as he moves along, just like particles of dust follow the currents of the air.
Though the Lord acts in this way, he cannot be accused of injustice, since he does not show favorites. This is explained in two verses. The Lord enters equally into all beings in the form of death. Though he is equal, there is difference in results for the jīvas because their karmas are not equal. An example is given. The jīvas dependent on karma, associated with the elements, follow after moving time, just like dust particles follow the moving wind. Just as the wind does not see difference, whether dust, causing darkness, or water or fire enter it, so the Lord sees no difference though the jīvas experience different karmas.
Purport
Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original cause of all causes, He is not responsible for anyone’s material sufferings or enjoyment. There is no such partiality on the part of the Supreme Lord. The less intelligent accuse the Supreme Lord of being partial and claim that this is why one enjoys in this material world and another suffers. But this verse specifically says that there is no such partiality on the part of the Supreme Lord. Living entities, however, are never independent. As soon as they declare their independence of the supreme controller, they are immediately put into this material world to try their luck freely, as far as possible. When the material world is created for such misguided living entities, they create their own
karma,
fruitive activities, and take advantage of the time element, and thereby they create their own fortune or misfortune. Everyone is created, everyone is maintained, and everyone is ultimately killed. As far as these three things are concerned, the Lord is equal to everyone; it is according to one’s
karma
that one suffers and enjoys. The living entity’s higher or lower position, his suffering and enjoying, are due to his own
karma.
The exact word used in this connection is
anīśāḥ,
which means “dependent on their own
karma.
” The example is given that the government gives everyone the facilities for governmental action and management, but by one’s own choice one creates a situation which obliges him to exist under different types of consciousness. The example given in this verse is that when the wind blows, particles of dust float in the air. Gradually lightning occurs, and then torrents of rain follow, and thus the rainy season creates a situation of varieties in the forest. God is very kind — He gives everyone an equal chance — but by the resultant actions of one’s own
karma
one suffers or enjoys this material world.