Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.69.17

sri-narada uvaca

naivadbhutam tvayi vibho 'khila-loka-nathe

maitri janeshu sakaleshu damah khalanam

nihsreyasaya hi jagat-sthiti-rakshanabhyam

svairavatara urugaya vidama sushthu

SYNONYMS

sri-naradah uvaca -- Sri Narada said; na -- not; eva -- at all; adbhutam -- surprising; tvayi -- for You; vibho -- O almighty one; akhila -- of all; loka -- worlds; nathe -- for the ruler; maitri -- friendship; janeshu -- toward people; sakaleshu -- all; damah -- the subduing; khalanam -- of the envious; nihsreyasaya -- for the highest benefit; hi -- indeed; jagat -- of the universe; sthiti -- by maintenance; rakshanabhyam -- and protection; svaira -- freely chosen; avatarah -- descent; uru-gaya -- O You who are praised universally; vidama -- we know; sushthu -- well.

TRANSLATION

Sri Narada said: O almighty Lord, it is no surprise that You, the ruler of all worlds, show friendship for all people and yet subdue the envious. As we well know, You descend by Your sweet will in order to bestow the highest good on this universe by maintaining and protecting it. Thus Your glories are widely sung.

PURPORT

As pointed out by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, all living beings are in fact servants of the Lord. The acarya quotes the following verse from the Padma Purana to elucidate:

a-karenocyate vishnuh

srir u-karena kathyate

ma-karas tu tayor dasah

panca-vimsah prakirtitah

"[In the mantra om] the letter a signifies Lord Vishnu, the letter u signifies the goddess Sri, and the letter m refers to their servant, who is the twenty-fifth element." The twenty-fifth element is the jiva, the living being. Every living being is a servant of the Lord, and the Lord is the true friend of every living being. Thus even when the Lord chastises envious persons like Jarasandha, such punishment amounts to real friendship, since both the Lord's chastisement and His blessing are for the benefit of the living being.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari