Shloka 6
Ambarīṣa’s Prayers to Sudarśana and the Deliverance of Durvāsā
नम: सुनाभाखिलधर्मसेतवे ह्यधर्मशीलासुरधूमकेतवे । त्रैलोक्यगोपाय विशुद्धवर्चसे मनोजवायाद्भुतकर्मणे गृणे ॥ ६ ॥
namaḥ sunābhākhila-dharma-setave hy adharma-śīlāsura-dhūma-ketave trailokya-gopāya viśuddha-varcase mano-javāyādbhuta-karmaṇe gṛṇe
Ô Sudarśana, je t’offre mon « namaḥ » : toi dont le moyeu est de bon augure, tu soutiens le pont de tout dharma. Pour les asuras impies, tu es tel un comète funeste. Gardien des trois mondes, plein d’une splendeur pure, rapide comme la pensée et auteur d’œuvres prodigieuses, je ne puis que te saluer.
The disc of the Lord is called Sudarśana because he does not discriminate between high and low criminals or demons. Durvāsā Muni was certainly a powerful brāhmaṇa, but his acts against the pure devotee Mahārāja Ambarīṣa were no better than the activities of asuras. As stated in the śāstras, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: the word dharma refers to the orders or laws given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: real dharma is surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore real dharma means bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord. The Sudarśana cakra is here addressed as dharma-setave, the protector of dharma. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was a truly religious person, and consequently for his protection the Sudarśana cakra was ready to punish even such a strict brāhmaṇa as Durvāsā Muni because he had acted like a demon. There are demons even in the form of brāhmaṇas. Therefore the Sudarśana cakra does not discriminate between brāhmaṇa demons and śūdra demons. Anyone against the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees is called a demon. In the śāstras we find many brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas who acted as demons and have been described as demons. According to the verdict of the śāstras, one has to be understood according to his symptoms. If one is born of a brāhmaṇa father but his symptoms are demoniac, he is regarded as a demon. The Sudarśana cakra is always concerned with annihilating the demons. Therefore he is described as adharma-śīlāsura-dhūma-ketave. Those who are not devotees are called adharma-śīla. The Sudarśana cakra is just like an inauspicious comet for all such demons.
FAQs
This verse praises Viṣṇu as “trailokya-gopa,” the guardian of the three worlds, whose pure radiance and wondrous acts preserve dharma and shield creation.
In the narrative of Canto 9, Ambarīṣa is portrayed as a steadfast devotee; this prayer glorifies the Lord as the support of dharma and the destroyer of demoniac irreligion, reflecting the king’s exclusive refuge in Viṣṇu.
Take the Lord as the standard of right conduct—choose actions that protect truth, self-control, and compassion, and rely on devotion to stay steady when pressured by unethical influences.