SB 7.5.13 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

स एष आत्मा स्वपरेत्यबुद्धिभि- र्दुरत्ययानुक्रमणो निरूप्यते । मुह्यन्ति यद्वर्त्मनि वेदवादिनो ब्रह्मादयो ह्येष भिनत्ति मे मतिम् ॥ १३ ॥

Verse text

sa eṣa ātmā sva-parety abuddhibhir duratyayānukramaṇo nirūpyate muhyanti yad-vartmani veda-vādino brahmādayo hy eṣa bhinatti me matim

Synonyms

saḥ — He ; eṣaḥ — this ; ātmā — Supersoul situated in everyone’s heart ; sva — para — this is my own business, and that is someone else’s ; iti — thus ; abuddhibhiḥ — by those who have such bad intelligence ; duratyaya — very difficult to follow ; anukramaṇaḥ — whose devotional service ; nirūpyate — is ascertained (by scriptures or the instructions of the spiritual master) ; muhyanti — are bewildered ; yat — of whom ; vartmani — on the path ; veda — vādinaḥ — the followers of Vedic instructions ; brahma — ādayaḥ — the demigods, beginning from Lord Brahmā ; hi — indeed ; eṣaḥ — this one ; bhinatti — changes ; me — my ; matim — intelligence .

Translation

Persons who always think in terms of “enemy” and “friend” are unable to ascertain the Supersoul within themselves. Not to speak of them, even such exalted persons as Lord Brahmā, who are fully conversant with the Vedic literature, are sometimes bewildered in following the principles of devotional service. The same Supreme Personality of Godhead who has created this situation has certainly given me the intelligence to take the side of your so-called enemy.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

People with faulty intelligence, thinking in terms of self and others, cannot know Paramātmā. And even the followers of the Vedas such as Brahmā are bewildered about the path to attain him. That Lord has made my intelligence different from yours. The Lord is difficult to understand for people with animal intelligence. Paramātmā is defined as he who cannot be approached by persons with faulty intelligence who think in terms of self and others. But one cannot say that he is easily approached by those who know scriptures. The knowers of the Vedas are also bewildered about the path to attain him, bhakti-yoga. What to speak of you silly fellows! This Lord has diverted my intelligence. He has made my intelligence different from yours.

Purport

Prahlāda Mahārāja admitted frankly, “My dear teachers, you wrongly think that Lord Viṣṇu is your enemy, but because He is favorable toward me, I understand that He is the friend of everyone. You may think that I have taken the side of your enemy, but factually He has bestowed a great favor upon me.”