Shloka 36
The Lord’s Apology to the Kumāras and the Fall of Jaya and Vijaya
तयोरसुरयोरद्य तेजसा यमयोर्हि व: । आक्षिप्तं तेज एतर्हि भगवांस्तद्विधित्सति ॥ ३६ ॥
tayor asurayor adya tejasā yamayor hi vaḥ ākṣiptaṁ teja etarhi bhagavāṁs tad vidhitsati
Today the prowess of those twin asuras has disturbed you, for it has diminished your power. Yet I have no remedy within my reach, because Bhagavān Himself desires to bring all this to pass.
Although Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa, formerly Jaya and Vijaya, became asuras, the demigods of this material world could not control them, and therefore Lord Brahmā said that neither he nor all the demigods could counteract the disturbance they created. They came within the material world by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He alone could counteract such disturbances. In other words, although Jaya and Vijaya assumed the bodies of asuras, they remained more powerful than anyone, thus proving that the Supreme Personality of Godhead desired to fight because the fighting spirit is also within Him. He is the original in everything, but when He desires to fight He must fight with a devotee. Therefore by His desire only were Jaya and Vijaya cursed by the Kumāras. The Lord ordered the gatekeepers to go down to the material world to become His enemies so that He could fight with them and His fighting desires would be satisfied by the service of His personal devotees.
FAQs
This verse indicates that even a disturbance affecting exalted beings can occur by the Lord’s arrangement, and Bhagavān Himself sets the situation right according to His divine purpose.
In the narrative, the Four Kumāras’ spiritual potency is momentarily checked by the gatekeepers; Śukadeva points to the Lord’s supreme control—He alone determines the ultimate outcome of the curse and its purpose.
When faced with sudden opposition or setbacks, a devotee can cultivate steadiness and humility, trusting that the Supreme Lord can transform conflict into a spiritually meaningful outcome.