Shloka 42
Yoga-māyā Appears as Durgā; Kaṁsa’s Repentance and the Demonic Policy of Persecuting Vaiṣṇavas
स हि सर्वसुराध्यक्षो ह्यसुरद्विड् गुहाशय: । तन्मूला देवता: सर्वा: सेश्वरा: सचतुर्मुखा: । अयं वै तद्वधोपायो यदृषीणां विहिंसनम् ॥ ४२ ॥
sa hi sarva-surādhyakṣo hy asura-dviḍ guhā-śayaḥ tan-mūlā devatāḥ sarvāḥ seśvarāḥ sa-catur-mukhāḥ ayaṁ vai tad-vadhopāyo yad ṛṣīṇāṁ vihiṁsanam
El Señor Vishnu es el líder de todos los semidioses, enemigo de los asuras y reside en el corazón de todos. Todos los semidioses, incluidos Shiva y Brahma, dependen de Él. Por lo tanto, perseguir a los sabios es la única forma de matar a Vishnu.
The demigods and the Vaiṣṇavas especially are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, because they are always obedient to His orders ( oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ ). The demoniac followers of Kaṁsa thought that if the Vaiṣṇavas, saintly persons and sages were persecuted, the original body of Viṣṇu would naturally be destroyed. Thus they decided to suppress Vaiṣṇavism. The asuras perpetually struggle to persecute the Vaiṣṇavas because they do not want Vaiṣṇavism to spread. Vaiṣṇavas preach only devotional service, not encouraging karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs, because if one must liberate oneself from material, conditional life, one must ultimately become a Vaiṣṇava. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is directed with this understanding, and therefore the asuras always try to suppress it.
FAQs
This verse shows the demonic mindset that targets sages; in the Bhagavatam, violence or offense toward ṛṣis and devotees is treated as a grave sin that leads to spiritual and worldly ruin.
Kaṁsa recognizes the Supreme Lord as the root of all gods, yet, being deluded, he imagines he can weaken divine protection by attacking the saintly class who sustain dharma and invoke the Lord’s shelter.
Respect saintly persons, teachers, and sincere devotees; avoid envy and offense, because hostility toward goodness and spiritual culture ultimately destroys one’s own peace and progress.