FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.26.21

य एतस्मिन् महाभागे प्रीतिं कुर्वन्ति मानवा: । नारयोऽभिभवन्त्येतान् विष्णुपक्षानिवासुरा: ॥ २१ ॥
ya etasmin mahā-bhāge
[ya etasmin mahaa-bhaage]
prītiṁ kurvanti mānavāḥ
[preetim kurvanti maanavaah]
nārayo ’bhibhavanty etān
[naarayo ’bhibhavanty etaan]
viṣṇu-pakṣān ivāsurāḥ
[vishnu-pakshaan ivaasuraah]
Word-for-word
ye — those persons who etasmin — unto this child mahā - bhāge — most auspicious prītim — affection kurvanti — execute mānavāḥ — such persons na — not arayaḥ — their enemies abhibhavanti — do overcome etān — those who are attached to Kṛṣṇa viṣṇu - pakṣān — the demigods, who always have Lord Viṣṇu on their side iva — like asurāḥ — the demons .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ya etasmin mahā-bhāge
prītiṁ kurvanti mānavāḥ
nārayo ’bhibhavanty etān
ye
those persons who
etasmin
unto this child
mahā - bhāge
most auspicious
prītim
affection
kurvanti
execute
mānavāḥ
such persons
na
not
arayaḥ
their enemies
abhibhavanti
do overcome
etān
those who are attached to Kṛṣṇa
viṣṇu-pakṣān ivāsurāḥ
viṣṇu - pakṣān
the demigods, who always have Lord Viṣṇu on their side
iva
like
asurāḥ
the demons .
Important Words
  • prītim — affection
    Prīti — loving regard. In Rūpa Gosvāmī's rasa-śāstra, prīti is closely allied with bhāva; Gauḻīyas often render bhakti as prīti when emphasizing its affectionate texture rather than its ritual side.
  • mahā-bhāge — most auspicious
    Mahā (great) + bhāga (fortune, share). Locative — directed toward 'the most fortunate One.' Kṛṣṇa is mahā-bhāga because He is the fortune Himself; bhakti is the act of taking shelter in that fortune.
  • viṣṇu-pakṣān — the demigods, who always have Lord Viṣṇu on their side
    Viṣṇu + pakṣa (side, party). The devatās are 'Viṣṇu-side'; the asuras are not. Bhakti is membership in viṣṇu-pakṣa — an alignment, not merely an affection. Gauḻīyas teach prapatti as enlistment.
  • abhibhavanti — do overcome
    Abhi (over) + √bhū — to overpower. The negation (na ... abhibhavanti) is doctrinal: those aligned with Viṣṇu cannot ultimately be defeated. Govardhana the next day will be the empirical demonstration.
  • mānavāḥ — such persons
    Mānava — human being. Garga deliberately includes Vraja's humans within the same protective frame normally reserved for devatās. The chapter's quiet democratic note: human bhakti suffices.
Demons cannot harm the demigods, who always have Lord Viṣṇu on their side. Similarly, any person or group attached to all-auspicious Kṛṣṇa cannot be defeated by enemies.
Purport

Śrīla Prabhupāda has especially indicated in this connection that just as Lord Kṛṣṇa’s associates could not be defeated by Kaṁsa, so His modern-day devotees will not be defeated by their demoniac opponents, nor will the Lord’s devotees be defeated by the internal enemies — the lusty, materialistic senses.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Demons cannot harm the demigods, who always have Lord Viṣṇu on their side. Similarly, any person or group attached to all-auspicious Kṛṣṇa cannot be defeated by enemies
Related values & verses
Related values
Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Hrih (Modesty / Sense of Shame)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)
Related verses
BG 5.8 BG 15.7 BG 10.4 BG 12.3 BG 16.1 BG 12.2 BG 6.17 BG 2.60 BG 13.8 BG 7.8 BG 6.4 BG 13.1 BG 6.1 BG 3.13
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
'Demons can't harm demigods who have Viṣṇu; no group attached to Kṛṣṇa can be defeated.' The promise of invincibility applies to the group, not the individual ego — collective devotion is sturdier than solo virtue.
Reflection Questions
  • Which group am I attached to that grounds my invincibility, and am I maintaining the bond?
  • Where am I trying to be solo-invincible when collective alignment is the real shield?
Analogy

Soldiers fighting alongside an indestructible commander find that the swords meant for them either break or miss — the commander's presence is itself their armor. The gopas who love Kṛṣṇa are these soldiers; demons aimed at them slide past, as asuras' weapons slide past Viṣṇu-pakṣa devatās.

Stories
Prahlāda among the asuras

Hiraṇyakaśipu and his followers tried every method to kill Prahlāda — poison, fire, snakes, weapons, mountains, elephants (SB 7.5-7). Each attempt failed because Prahlāda was a viṣṇu-pakṣa-jīva, ranged on Viṣṇu's side; he could not be overcome.

Garga's promise to Nanda generalizes this: prīti toward Kṛṣṇa places the devotee within Viṣṇu's protection. Gauḻīyas treat Prahlāda as the archetypal proof — even within an asura household, the Vaiṣṇava is invulnerable.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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