SB 4.6.48 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

यस्मिन्यदा पुष्करनाभमायया दुरन्तया स्पृष्टधिय: पृथग्दृश: । कुर्वन्ति तत्र ह्यनुकम्पया कृपां न साधवो दैवबलात्कृते क्रमम् ॥ ४८ ॥

Verse text

yasmin yadā puṣkara-nābha-māyayā durantayā spṛṣṭa-dhiyaḥ pṛthag-dṛśaḥ kurvanti tatra hy anukampayā kṛpāṁ na sādhavo daiva-balāt kṛte kramam

Synonyms

yasmin — in some place ; yadā — when ; puṣkara — nābha — māyayā — by the illusory energy of Puṣkaranābha, the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; durantayā — insurmountable ; spṛṣṭa — dhiyaḥ — bewildered ; pṛthak — dṛśaḥ — the same persons who see differently ; kurvanti — do ; tatra — there ; hi — certainly ; anukampayā — out of compassion ; kṛpām — mercy ; na — never ; sādhavaḥ — saintly persons ; daiva — balāt — by providence ; kṛte — being done ; kramam — prowess .

Translation

My dear lord, if in some places materialists, who are already bewildered by the insurmountable illusory energy of the Supreme Godhead, sometimes commit offenses, a saintly person, with compassion, does not take this seriously. Knowing that they commit offenses because they are overpowered by the illusory energy, he does not show his prowess to counteract them.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Whenever and wherever those who see difference, whose intelligence is controlled by Viṣṇu’s māyā, commit offenses to the devotees, the devotees show mercy to them and do not attack them, since karma will act upon them. The devotees, being tolerant of everything, tolerate suffering caused by others. They are merciful even to those who offend them. Whenever and wherever those whose intelligence is controlled by māyā (māyayā spṛṣṭa-dhiyaḥ) commit offense to the devotees (the object is missing and should be supplied), the devotees show mercy to them, since mercy is their nature, and they do not counterattack, since karma bestows suffering on them by force (daiva-balāt).

Purport

It is said that the beauty of a tapasvī, or saintly person, is forgiveness. There are many instances in the spiritual history of the world in which many saintly persons, although unnecessarily harassed, did not take action, although they could have done so. Parīkṣit Mahārāja, for example, was unnecessarily cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy, and this was very much regretted by the boy’s father, but Parīkṣit Mahārāja accepted the curse and agreed to die within a week as the brāhmaṇa boy desired. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was the emperor and was full in power both spiritually and materially, but out of compassion and out of respect for the brāhmaṇa community, he did not counteract the action of the brāhmaṇa boy but agreed to die within seven days. Because it was desired by Kṛṣṇa that Parīkṣit Mahārāja agree to the punishment so that the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam would thus be revealed to the world, Parīkṣit Mahārāja was advised not to take action. A Vaiṣṇava is personally tolerant for the benefit of others. When he does not show his prowess, this does not mean that he is lacking in strength; rather, it indicates that he is tolerant for the welfare of the entire human society.