Shloka 45
Brahmā Counsels the Demigods; Journey to Kailāsa; Śiva’s Tranquility and Brahmā’s Praise
त्वं कर्मणां मङ्गल मङ्गलानां कर्तु: स्वलोकं तनुषे स्व: परं वा । अमङ्गलानां च तमिस्रमुल्बणं विपर्यय: केन तदेव कस्यचित् ॥ ४५ ॥
tvaṁ karmaṇāṁ maṅgala maṅgalānāṁ kartuḥ sva-lokaṁ tanuṣe svaḥ paraṁ vā amaṅgalānāṁ ca tamisram ulbaṇaṁ viparyayaḥ kena tad eva kasyacit
O most auspicious Lord, You have ordained heaven, the supreme Vaikuṇṭha worlds, and the Brahman sphere as the destinations of those who perform auspicious deeds. For the wicked You have appointed dreadful hells; yet at times the result appears reversed, and its cause is hard to discern.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is called the supreme will. It is by the supreme will that everything is happening. It is said, therefore, that not a blade of grass moves without the supreme will. Generally it is prescribed that performers of pious activities are promoted to the higher planetary systems, devotees are promoted to the Vaikuṇṭhas, or spiritual worlds, and impersonal speculators are promoted to the impersonal Brahman effulgence; but it sometimes so happens that a miscreant like Ajāmila is immediately promoted to the Vaikuṇṭhaloka simply by chanting the name of Nārāyaṇa. Although when Ajāmila uttered this vibration he intended to call his son Nārāyaṇa, Lord Nārāyaṇa took it seriously and immediately gave him promotion to Vaikuṇṭhaloka, despite his background, which was full of sinful activities. Similarly King Dakṣa was always engaged in the pious activities of performing sacrifices, yet simply because of creating a little misunderstanding with Lord Śiva, he was severely taken to task. The conclusion, therefore, is that the supreme will is the ultimate judgment; no one can argue upon this. A pure devotee therefore submits in all circumstances to the supreme will of the Lord, accepting it as all-auspicious.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord rightly awards results according to one’s actions—higher realms for auspicious deeds and dark hellish conditions for harmful deeds—so calling the divine arrangement “unfair” is itself mistaken.
In the aftermath of Daksha’s disrupted sacrifice, Brahma pacifies and honors Shiva, emphasizing that outcomes follow karma under the Lord’s order; therefore Shiva (and the divine system) should not be accused of injustice.
Take responsibility for choices: cultivate auspicious actions (truthfulness, non-harm, devotion) and avoid harmful deeds, trusting that results—seen or unseen—follow a moral order rather than random favoritism.