Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 8.8.20

nunam tapo yasya na manyu-nirjayo

jnanam kvacit tac ca na sanga-varjitam

kascin mahams tasya na kama-nirjayah

sa isvarah kim parato vyapasrayah

SYNONYMS

nunam -- certainly; tapah -- austerity; yasya -- of someone; na -- not; manyu -- anger; nirjayah -- conquered; jnanam -- knowledge; kvacit -- in some saintly person; tat -- that; ca -- also; na -- not; sanga-varjitam -- without the contamination of association; kascit -- someone; mahan -- a very great exalted person; tasya -- his; na -- not; kama -- material desires; nirjayah -- conquered; sah -- such a person; isvarah -- controller; kim -- how can he be; paratah -- of others; vyapasrayah -- under the control.

TRANSLATION

The goddess of fortune, examining the assembly, thought in this way: Someone who has undergone great austerity has not yet conquered anger. Someone possesses knowledge, but he has not conquered material desires. Someone is a very great personality, but he cannot conquer lusty desires. Even a great personality depends on something else. How, then, can he be the supreme controller?

PURPORT

Here is an attempt to find the supreme controller, or isvara. Everyone may be accepted as an isvara, or controller, but still such controllers are controlled by others. For example, one may have undergone severe austerities but still be under the control of anger. By a scrutinizing analysis, we find that everyone is controlled by something else. No one, therefore, can be the true controller but the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. This is supported by the sastras. Isvarah paramah krishnah: [Bs. 5.1] the supreme controller is Krishna. Krishna is never controlled by anyone, for He is the controller of everyone (sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1]).

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