Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 25
Nārāyaṇa’s Impartiality, Absorption in Kṛṣṇa, and the Jaya–Vijaya Descent
Prelude to Prahlāda’s History
यन्निबद्धोऽभिमानोऽयं तद्वधात्प्राणिनां वध: । तथा न यस्य कैवल्यादभिमानोऽखिलात्मन: । परस्य दमकर्तुर्हि हिंसा केनास्य कल्प्यते ॥ २५ ॥
yan-nibaddho ’bhimāno ’yaṁ tad-vadhāt prāṇināṁ vadhaḥ tathā na yasya kaivalyād abhimāno ’khilātmanaḥ parasya dama-kartur hi hiṁsā kenāsya kalpyate
Bound by bodily ego, the conditioned soul thinks that when the body is destroyed the living being is destroyed. But Lord Viṣṇu—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller and Paramātmā of all—has no material body and thus no false sense of “I and mine.” Therefore it is wrong to imagine that He feels pleasure or pain from prayers or blasphemy. He has neither enemy nor friend: when He chastises the asuras it is for their good, and when He accepts the devotees’ prayers it is for their good. He is touched by neither praise nor insult.
Because of being covered by material bodies, the conditioned souls, including even greatly learned scholars and falsely educated professors, all think that as soon as the body is finished, everything is finished. This is due to their bodily conception of life. Kṛṣṇa has no such bodily conception, nor is His body different from His self. Therefore, since Kṛṣṇa has no material conception of life, how can He be affected by material prayers and accusations? Kṛṣṇa’s body is described herewith as kaivalya, nondifferent from Himself. Since everyone has a material bodily conception of life, if Kṛṣṇa had such a conception what would be the difference between Kṛṣṇa and the conditioned soul? Kṛṣṇa’s instructions in Bhagavad-gītā are accepted as final because He does not possess a material body. As soon as one has a material body he has four deficiencies, but since Kṛṣṇa does not possess a material body, He has no deficiencies. He is always spiritually conscious and blissful. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ: His form is eternal, blissful knowledge. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, ānanda-cinmaya-rasa and kaivalya are the same.
FAQs
This verse explains that violence is attributed only where there is bodily identification; the Supreme Lord, being the Self of all and free from false ego, cannot be truly charged with violence.
In the context of defending the Lord’s actions and establishing spiritual truth, Prahlāda contrasts conditioned souls’ bodily ego with the Lord’s transcendence, showing why the Lord’s chastisement is not material cruelty.
Reduce bodily ego by practicing devotion and self-awareness; then conflicts and fear lessen, and you learn to see discipline and correction as meant for upliftment rather than hatred.