Devanagari
लोका: सपाला यस्येमे श्वसन्ति विवशा वशे ।
द्विजा इव शिचा बद्धा: स काल इह कारणम् ॥ ८ ॥
Verse text
lokāḥ sapālā yasyeme
śvasanti vivaśā vaśe
dvijā iva śicā baddhāḥ
sa kāla iha kāraṇam
Synonyms
lokāḥ
—
the worlds
;
sa
—
pālāḥ — with their chief deities or controllers
;
yasya
—
of whom
;
ime
—
all these
;
śvasanti
—
live
;
vivaśāḥ
—
fully dependent
;
vaśe
—
under the control
;
dvijāḥ
—
birds
;
iva
—
like
;
śicā
—
by a net
;
baddhāḥ
—
bound
;
saḥ
—
that
;
kālaḥ
—
time factor
;
iha
—
in this
;
kāraṇam
—
the cause .
Translation
All living beings in all the planets of this universe, including the presiding deities of all the planets, are fully under the control of the Lord. They work like birds caught in a net, who cannot move independently.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Time, under whose control all planets and their devatās operate helplessly, like birds caught in a net, is the cause of your victory or defeat.
Time, operating according to good or bad karmas, is the cause of defeat or victory for you, who are dependent on karma. Time, under whose control all persons move, like birds caught in a net (śicā), is the cause.
Purport
The difference between the
suras
and the
asuras
is that the
suras
know that nothing can happen without the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas the
asuras
cannot understand the supreme will of the Lord. In this fight, Vṛtrāsura is actually the
sura,
whereas Indra is the
asura.
No one can act independently; rather, everyone acts under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore victory and defeat come according to the results of one’s
karma,
and the judgment is given by the Supreme Lord (
karmaṇā-daiva-netreṇa
). Since we act under the control of the Supreme according to our
karma,
no one is independent, from Brahmā down to the insignificant ant. Whether we are defeated or victorious, the Supreme Lord is always victorious because everyone acts under His directions.