SB 5.18.27 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

यं लोकपाला: किल मत्सरज्वरा हित्वा यतन्तोऽपि पृथक्समेत्य च । पातुं न शेकुर्द्विपदश्चतुष्पद: सरीसृपं स्थाणु यदत्र द‍ृश्यते ॥ २७ ॥

Verse text

yaṁ loka-pālāḥ kila matsara-jvarā hitvā yatanto ’pi pṛthak sametya ca pātuṁ na śekur dvi-padaś catuṣ-padaḥ sarīsṛpaṁ sthāṇu yad atra dṛśyate

Synonyms

yam — whom (You) ; loka — pālāḥ — the great leaders of the universe, beginning with Lord Brahmā ; kila — what to speak of others ; matsara — jvarāḥ — who are suffering from the fever of envy ; hitvā — leaving aside ; yatantaḥ — endeavoring ; api — although ; pṛthak — separately ; sametya — combined ; ca — also ; pātum — to protect ; na — not ; śekuḥ — able ; dvi — padaḥ — two-legged ; catuḥ — padaḥ — four-legged ; sarīsṛpam — reptiles ; sthāṇu — not moving ; yat — whatever ; atra — within this material world ; dṛśyate — is visible .

Translation

My Lord, from the great leaders of the universe, such as Lord Brahmā and other demigods, down to the political leaders of this world, all are envious of Your authority. Without Your help, however, they could neither separately nor concertedly maintain the innumerable living entities within the universe. You are actually the only maintainer of all human beings, of animals like cows and asses, and of plants, reptiles, birds, mountains and whatever else is visible within this material world.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Giving you up, the protectors of the planets, sick with envy, either alone or together, cannot protect the living beings having two legs, four legs, without legs, or the planets which are seen in the universe. “But Indra and others also control since they are protectors of the universe. They are also independent controllers. What is my significance?” Their control over planets is honorific only. Giving you up, either singly or together, they cannot protect the two legged or four legged creatures, the snakes, or the non-moving beings which are seen here, because they are sick with envy. Śruti says tā ahiṁ santāham u kam asmy aham u kam asmi: the devatās are full of envy; I give shelter to all, and give shelter to no one. You, as life itself, are the protector and Lord.

Purport

It is fashionable for materialistic persons to compete with the power of God. When so-called scientists try to manufacture living entities in their laboratories, their only purpose is to defy the talent and ability of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called illusion. It exists even in the higher planetary systems, where great demigods like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and others reside. In this world everyone is puffed up with false prestige despite the failure of all his endeavors. When so-called philanthropists, who supposedly want to help the poor, are approached by members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they say, “You are simply wasting your time, while I am feeding vast masses of starving people.” Unfortunately, their meager efforts, either singly or together, do not solve anyone’s problems. Sometimes so-called svāmīs are very eager to feed poor people, thinking them to be daridra-nārāyaṇa, the Lord’s incarnations as beggars. They prefer to serve the manufactured daridra-nārāyaṇa than the original, supreme Nārāyaṇa. They say, “Don’t encourage service to Lord Nārāyaṇa. It is better to serve the starving people of the world.” Unfortunately such materialists, either singly or combined in the form of the United Nations, cannot fulfill their plans. The truth is that the many millions of human beings, animals, birds and trees — indeed, all living entities — are maintained solely by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān: one person, the Supreme Lord, is supplying the necessities of life for all other living entities. To challenge the authority of Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the business of asuras (demons). Yet sometimes suras, or devotees, are also bewildered by the illusory energy and falsely claim to be the maintainer of the entire universe. Such incidents are described in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, where Śukadeva Gosvāmī tells how Lord Brahmā and King Indra became puffed up and were eventually chastised by Kṛṣṇa.