Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.8.7

śrī-prahrāda uvāca

na kevalaḿ me bhavataś ca rājan

sa vai balaḿ balināḿ cāpareṣām

pare 'vare 'mī sthira-jańgamā ye

brahmādayo yena vaśaḿ praṇītāḥ

SYNONYMS

śrī-prahrādaḥ uvāca — Prahlāda Mahārāja replied; na — not; kevalam — only; me — of me; bhavataḥ — of yourself; ca — and; rājan — O great King; saḥ — he; vai — indeed; balam — strength; balinām — of the strong; ca — and; apareṣām — of others; pare — exalted; avare — subordinate; amī — those; sthira-jańgamāḥ — moving or nonmoving living entities; ye — who; brahma-ādayaḥ — beginning from Lord Brahmā; yena — by whom; vaśam — under control; praṇītāḥ — brought.

TRANSLATION

Prahlāda Mahārāja said: My dear King, the source of my strength, of which you are asking, is also the source of yours. Indeed, the original source of all kinds of strength is one. He is not only your strength or mine, but the only strength for everyone. Without Him, no one can get any strength. Whether moving or not moving, superior or inferior, everyone, including Lord Brahmā, is controlled by the strength of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.41):

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaḿ

śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā

tat tad evāvagaccha tvaḿ

mama tejo-'ḿśa-sambhavam

"Know that all beautiful, glorious and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor." This is confirmed by Prahlāda Mahārāja. If one sees extraordinary strength or power anywhere, it is derived from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To give an example, there are different grades of fire, but all of them derive heat and light from the sun. Similarly, all living entities, big or small, are dependent on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One's only duty is to surrender, for one is a servant and cannot independently attain the position of master. One can attain the position of master only by the mercy of the master, not independently. Unless one understands this philosophy, he is still a mūḍha; in other words, he is not very intelligent. The mūḍhas, the asses who do not have this intelligence, cannot surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Understanding the subordinate position of the living entity takes millions of births, but when one is actually wise he surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.19):

bahūnāḿ janmanām ante

jñānavān māḿ prapadyate

vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti

sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ

"After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare." Prahlāda Mahārāja was a great soul, a mahātmā, and therefore he completely surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord. He was confident that Kṛṣṇa would give him protection under all circumstances.

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