Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 8
Nārāyaṇa’s Impartiality, Absorption in Kṛṣṇa, and the Jaya–Vijaya Descent
Prelude to Prahlāda’s History
जयकाले तु सत्त्वस्य देवर्षीन् रजसोऽसुरान् । तमसो यक्षरक्षांसि तत्कालानुगुणोऽभजत् ॥ ८ ॥
jaya-kāle tu sattvasya devarṣīn rajaso ’surān tamaso yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi tat-kālānuguṇo ’bhajat
Apabila sattva menonjol, para dewa dan resi berkembang; apabila rajas menonjol, para asura berjaya; dan apabila tamas menonjol, Yakṣa serta Rākṣasa menguat. Bhagavān bersemayam di hati, memelihara hasil sesuai waktu dan guṇa yang berkuasa.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not partial to anyone. The conditioned soul is under the influence of the various modes of material nature, and behind material nature is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; but one’s victory and loss under the influence of sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa are reactions of these modes, not of the Supreme Lord’s partiality. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, in the Bhāgavata-sandarbha, has clearly said:
FAQs
This verse explains that beings and outcomes align with the dominant guṇa of the time—goodness supports devas and sages, passion supports asuras, and ignorance supports Yakṣas and Rākṣasas.
He is clarifying how the world’s leadership and influence shift according to the prevailing mode of nature, helping answer how divine justice operates through time and guṇa.
Recognize the pull of sattva, rajas, and tamas in daily choices and deliberately cultivate sattva through discipline and purity, then transcend all three through steady bhakti (devotional service) to the Lord.