Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.41.47
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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suhṛdoḥ
—
who are well-wishing friends
Genitive dual of suhṛt — friend without expectation of return. Echoes BG 5.29 (suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām). Sudāmā places suhṛt-bhāva at the universal level — Bhagavān as the impartial friend of every jīva.
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samayoḥ
—
equal
Genitive dual of sama — even, equal. The verse names Kṛṣṇa as sama — equally disposed. Pairs precisely with the next pada (bhajantaṁ bhajatoḥ). Sama-dṛṣṭi at the universal level; preferential reciprocity at the bhakta level.
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bhajantam-bhajatoḥ
—
reciprocating with those who worship
Echo-pair: bhajantam (the worshipper, acc.) + bhajatoḥ (the worshipped two, gen.). The signature Gauḍīya formula: ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). Bhagavān reciprocates in the exact key of the bhakta's bhajana — the doctrinal hinge of the entire chapter.
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viṣamā
—
biased
Feminine of viṣama — uneven. The verse denies viṣamatā in Bhagavān's vision. Gauḍīyas reconcile this with bhakta-vatsalya: the vision is sama; the reciprocation is bhāva-graded. No contradiction — only two simultaneous levels of relation.
"Though you are equal to all, you show special mercy to your devotees (bhajantam bhajator api). As Krsna says in Gita, samo’ham sarva bhutesu, but ye bhajanti to mam bhaktya, mayi ye tesu capy aham. Actually, you are merciful to that person who worships you , whether he is brahmana or dog eater, without regard for birth or caste. Because of this, you have satisfied me, a garland maker, and the weaver."
You two are the friends since you assist all beings by bestowing jñāna-śakti and kriya-śakti to them and are the soul of all conscious and unconscious things (jagad-ātmanoḥ), since you are the root cause of all consciousness. Or in spreading over the universe you are the friends and souls of all beings. The word api indicates all beings. You respond to all those who worship you. You are the shelter of anyone from brāhmaṇa to caṇḍāla who surrenders to you. Therefore you do not have prejudiced vision since, having equal vision, you are the friend of all and the soul of all. Though you are merciful to those who worship you, you do not have prejudiced vision, since you are equal in material happiness and distress. The sun is not affected by darkness and the owl’s eye does not see light. Similarly material happiness and sorrow cannot affect the consciousness of you two. samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ | ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham || I am equal to all living beings. I do not hate anyone nor do I favor anyone. To whatever extent a person worships me with devotion, I am attached to him in a similar way. BG 9.29 sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham mad-anyat te na jānanti nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api The pure devotee is my very heart: what pains him pains me. I am the heart of the pure devotee: what pleases him pleases me. My devotees do not know anything else but me, and I do not know more than they do. SB 9.4.68 In both the above verses, the Lord’s heart is affected by bhakti and nothing else. Or, Sudāmā speaks out of humility. The two Lords, by coming to the house of a low person devoid of bhakti, show equal vision to all beings. You do not have prejudiced vision (na hi vāṁ viṣamā dṛṣṭiḥ) thinking “This person deserves mercy and that person does not” since you two have unconditional mercy (suhṛdoḥ). Moreover, you have affection for the universe (jagad-ātmanoḥ). Though you show mercy to those who worship you, you are equal to all beings high or low since you are Lords of the universe and affectionate to the fallen.
- Where do you fear that being special to Kṛṣṇa requires Him to be unfair to others?
- How does universal equality actually free your particular relationship?
The Lord is the friend of all beings — and yet He reciprocates particularly with those who worship Him. Like the sun that shines on every field equally, but only the open lotus drinks the light. Sama-dṛṣṭi and bhakta-vatsalya are not in conflict; they are different faces of the same gaze.
My note
Source: vedabase.io