Canto 8: Withdrawal of the Cosmic CreationsChapter 16: Executing the Payo-vrata Process of Worship

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 8.16.14

tavaiva mārīca manaḥ-śarīrajāḥ

prajā imāḥ sattva-rajas-tamo-juṣaḥ

samo bhavāḿs tāsv asurādiṣu prabho

tathāpi bhaktaḿ bhajate maheśvaraḥ

SYNONYMS

tava — your; eva — indeed; mārīcaO son of Marīci; manaḥ-śarīra-jāḥ — born either of your body or of your mind (all the demons and demigods); prajāḥ — born of you; imāḥ — all of them; sattva-rajaḥ-tamaḥ-juṣaḥ — infected with sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa or tamo-guṇa; samaḥ — equal; bhavān — your good self; tāsuto every one of them; asura-ādiṣu — beginning with the asuras; prabhoO my lord; tathā api — still; bhaktam — unto the devotees; bhajate — takes care of; mahā-īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller.

TRANSLATION

O son of Marīci, because you are a great personality you are equal toward all the demons and demigods, who are born either from your body or from your mind and who possess one or another of the three qualities — sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa or tamo-guṇa. But although the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller, is equal toward all living entities, He is especially favorable to the devotees.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gītā (9.29) the Lord says:

samo 'haḿ sarva-bhūteṣu

na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ

ye bhajanti tu māḿ bhaktyā

mayi te teṣu cāpy aham

Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is equal toward everyone, He is especially inclined toward those who engage in His devotional service. The Lord says, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: "My dear son of Kuntī, please declare that My devotee will never be vanquished." Elsewhere, Kṛṣṇa also says:

ye yathā māḿ prapadyante

tāḿs tathaiva bhajāmy aham

mama vartmānuvartante

manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

(Bg. 4.11)

Actually, everyone is trying to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead in various ways, but according to their methods of approach, the Supreme Lord endows them with different benedictions. Thus Aditi appealed to her husband by saying that since even the supreme controller favors His devotees and since Indra, Kaśyapa's devoted son, was in difficulty, Kaśyapa should bestow his favor upon Indra.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness