Canto 9: LiberationChapter 11: Lord Ramacandra Rules the World

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 9.11.20

nedam yaso raghupateh sura-yacnayatta-

lila-tanor adhika-samya-vimukta-dhamnah

raksho-vadho jaladhi-bandhanam astra-pugaih

kim tasya satru-hanane kapayah sahayah

SYNONYMS

na -- not; idam -- all these; yasah -- fame; raghu-pateh -- of Lord Ramacandra; sura-yacnaya -- by the prayers of the demigods; atta-lila-tanoh -- whose spiritual body is always engaged in various pastimes; adhika-samya-vimukta-dhamnah -- no one is greater than or equal to Him; rakshah-vadhah -- killing the Rakshasa (Ravana); jaladhi-bandhanam -- bridging the ocean; astra-pugaih -- with bow and arrows; kim -- whether; tasya -- His; satru-hanane -- in killing the enemies; kapayah -- the monkeys; sahayah -- assistants.

TRANSLATION

Lord Ramacandra's reputation for having killed Ravana with showers of arrows at the request of the demigods and for having built a bridge over the ocean does not constitute the factual glory of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Ramacandra, whose spiritual body is always engaged in various pastimes. Lord Ramacandra has no equal or superior, and therefore He had no need to take help from the monkeys to gain victory over Ravana.

PURPORT

As stated in the Vedas (Svetasvatara Upanishad 6.8):

na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate

na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drisyate

parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate

svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca

"The Supreme Lord has nothing to do, and no one is found to be equal to or greater than Him, for everything is done naturally and systematically by His multifarious energies." The Lord has nothing to do (na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate); whatever He does is His pastime. The Lord has no duty to perform to oblige anyone. Nonetheless, He appears to act to protect His devotees or kill His enemies. Of course, no one can be the Lord's enemy, since who could be more powerful than the Lord? There is actually no question of anyone's being His enemy, but when the Lord wants to take pleasure in pastimes, He comes down to this material world and acts like a human being, thus showing His wonderful, glorious activities to please the devotees. His devotees always want to see the Lord victorious in varied activities, and therefore, to please Himself and them, the Lord sometimes agrees to act as a human being and perform wonderful, uncommon pastimes for the satisfaction of the devotees.

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