Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 47
Balarāma Humbles the Kurus and Rescues Sāmba
कोपस्तेऽखिलशिक्षार्थं न द्वेषान्न च मत्सरात् । बिभ्रतो भगवन् सत्त्वं स्थितिपालनतत्पर: ॥ ४७ ॥
kopas te ’khila-śikṣārthaṁ na dveṣān na ca matsarāt bibhrato bhagavan sattvaṁ sthiti-pālana-tatparaḥ
Your anger is meant for instructing everyone; it is not a manifestation of hatred or envy. O Supreme Lord, You sustain the pure mode of goodness, and You become angry only to maintain and protect this world.
The Kurus admit that Lord Balarāma’s anger was entirely appropriate and in fact was meant for their benefit. As Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī puts it, the Kurus meant to say, “Because You exhibited this anger, we have now become civilized, whereas previously we were wicked and could not see You, blinded as we were by pride.”
FAQs
This verse explains that the Lord’s anger is corrective and instructive for the good of all, never born from hatred or envy.
In the narrative surrounding King Nṛga’s situation, the brāhmaṇa acknowledges Kṛṣṇa’s divine impartiality—affirming that any sternness from the Lord is meant to restore dharma, not to harm out of malice.
When correcting others, aim for their upliftment rather than acting from resentment—discipline guided by compassion preserves harmony, just as the Lord protects cosmic order.