Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 12
Nārāyaṇa’s Impartiality, Absorption in Kṛṣṇa, and the Jaya–Vijaya Descent
Prelude to Prahlāda’s History
य एष राजन्नपि काल ईशिता सत्त्वं सुरानीकमिवैधयत्यत: । तत्प्रत्यनीकानसुरान् सुरप्रियो रजस्तमस्कान् प्रमिणोत्युरुश्रवा: ॥ १२ ॥
ya eṣa rājann api kāla īśitā sattvaṁ surānīkam ivaidhayaty ataḥ tat-pratyanīkān asurān sura-priyo rajas-tamaskān pramiṇoty uruśravāḥ
O König, der Zeitfaktor vermehrt das sattva-guṇa; daher scheint der Herr die Devas zu begünstigen, die meist in sattva stehen. Dann werden die von tamas beeinflussten Dämonen vernichtet. Doch der Herr ist nicht parteiisch; Seine Taten sind ruhmvoll, darum heißt Er Uruśravā.
The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.29) , samo ’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo ’sti na priyaḥ: “I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be partial; He is always equal to everyone. Therefore when the demigods are favored and the demons killed, this is not His partiality but the influence of the time factor. A good example in this regard is that an electrician connects both a heater and a cooler to the same electrical energy. The cause of the heating and cooling is the electrician’s manipulation of the electrical energy according to his desire, but factually the electrician has nothing to do with causing heat or cold, nor with the enjoyment or suffering that results.
FAQs
This verse states that the Supreme Lord is the controller even as Time itself, directing creation and destruction while maintaining cosmic order.
Because the devas are aligned with sattva (goodness) and dharma, the Lord nourishes that goodness and removes opposing forces driven by rajas and tamas.
Cultivate sattva—truthfulness, self-control, and devotion—so that destructive rajas-tamas tendencies (anger, greed, confusion) are reduced and one lives in harmony with dharma.