Shloka 4
The Lord’s Apology to the Kumāras and the Fall of Jaya and Vijaya
तद्व: प्रसादयाम्यद्य ब्रह्म दैवं परं हि मे । तद्धीत्यात्मकृतं मन्ये यत्स्वपुम्भिरसत्कृता: ॥ ४ ॥
tad vaḥ prasādayāmy adya brahma daivaṁ paraṁ hi me tad dhīty ātma-kṛtaṁ manye yat sva-pumbhir asat-kṛtāḥ
Aujourd’hui je sollicite votre grâce ; pour Moi, le brāhmana est la divinité la plus haute et la plus chère. L’irrespect de Mes serviteurs, je le tiens pour Ma propre faute ; ainsi je vous demande pardon pour cet incident.
The Lord is always in favor of the brāhmaṇas and the cows, and therefore it is said, go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is also the worshipable Deity of the brāhmaṇas. In the Vedic literature, in the ṛg-mantra hymns of the Ṛg Veda, it is stated that those who are actually brāhmaṇas always look to the lotus feet of Viṣṇu: oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Those who are qualified brāhmaṇas worship only the Viṣṇu form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which means Kṛṣṇa, Rāma and all Viṣṇu expansions. A so-called brāhmaṇa who is born in the family of brāhmaṇas but performs activities aimed against the Vaiṣṇavas cannot be accepted as a brāhmaṇa, because brāhmaṇa means Vaiṣṇava and Vaiṣṇava means brāhmaṇa. One who has become a devotee of the Lord is also a brāhmaṇa. The formula is brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. A brāhmaṇa is one who has understood Brahman, and a Vaiṣṇava is one who has understood the Personality of Godhead. Brahman realization is the beginning of realization of the Personality of Godhead. One who understands the Personality of Godhead also knows the impersonal feature of the Supreme, which is Brahman. Therefore one who becomes a Vaiṣṇava is already a brāhmaṇa. It should be noted that the glories of the brāhmaṇa described in this chapter by the Lord Himself refer to His devotee- brāhmaṇa, or the Vaiṣṇava. It should never be misunderstood that the so-called brāhmaṇas who are born in brāhmaṇa families but have no brahminical qualifications are referred to in this connection.
FAQs
This verse shows that even in Vaikuṇṭha, disrespect toward saintly persons is treated as a serious fault, and the Lord Himself prioritizes appeasing the offended sages.
Because His gatekeepers (Jaya and Vijaya) had stopped the Kumāras and behaved disrespectfully, Viṣṇu accepted responsibility through His servants and sought the sages’ forgiveness to uphold dharma and honor the devotees.
When harm is done by “our side” (family, team, followers), take responsibility, apologize quickly, and repair the relationship—especially with spiritually minded people—rather than defending the offense.