Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.70.27
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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avatīrṇaḥ
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descended
Avatāra — the descent. The kings invoke the doctrine of avatāra at the precise moment when they need it most. The Gauḍīya understanding: every avatāra is for sat-rakṣaṇa and khala-nigraha, the verse's exact two phrases.
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sat-rakṣaṇāya
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for the protection of the saintly
Sat — the truthful, the real, the devoted. Bhagavān's first descent-purpose is to protect them. The kings, naming themselves implicitly as sat, claim a place under that protection.
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khala-nigrahaṇāya
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for the subduing of the wicked
Khala — the malicious. The second descent-purpose. The kings name Jarāsandha as khala, asking Bhagavān to fulfil the second clause of His own promise.
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kalayā
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by an expansion (Baladeva, or time potency)
Bhagavān descends with His kalā — partial manifestation. The Gauḍīya reading: even when 'descending,' Bhagavān is in fact undiminished; only His outer manifestation appears partial.
Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that the kings were bewildered by the suffering that had come upon them. They state here that since the Lord has descended to this world to protect the pious and punish the wicked, how is it that Jarāsandha, who brazenly transgressed the order of the Lord, continued to perform his wicked activities, whereas the kings were put into a miserable condition? Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura similarly states that the kings could not understand how Jarāsandha, who harassed the saintly devotees and nourished the envious, could continue to prosper, whereas the kings were being tormented by the wicked Jarāsandha. Similarly Śrīla Prabhupāda quotes the kings as follows in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “My dear Lord, You are the proprietor of all the worlds, and You have incarnated Yourself along with Your plenary expansion Lord Balarāma. It is said that Your appearance in this incarnation is for the purpose of protecting the faithful and destroying the miscreants. Under the circumstances, how is it possible that miscreants like Jarāsandha can put us into such deplorable conditions of life against Your authority? We are puzzled at the situation and cannot understand how it is possible. It may be that Jarāsandha has been deputed to give us such trouble because of our past misdeeds, but we have heard from revealed scriptures that anyone who surrenders unto Your lotus feet immediately becomes immune to the reactions of sinful life… [We] therefore… wholeheartedly offer ourselves unto Your shelter, and we hope that Your Lordship will now give us full protection.”
It is greatly astonishing to us why anyone who hates you or your devotees is not destroyed. The lord of the universe (jagad inah) has appeared at a certain time (kalaya) or with his portion Baladeva, for protecting the pious and destroying the evil. However, other wicked men, such as Jarasandha, surpass your law and persecute the devotees and protect the wicked. Though you appear to destroy the evil men, are they prospering and happy due to past pious acts? Though you appear to protect the devotees, are they suffering now due to their past sins? It is not possible for us to understand this. It should not be that dull material karma should be more powerful than you.
You are directly the Lord of the universe (jagad-inaḥ) and have appeared with your expansion Baladeva in this world. By what cause can others, the wicked who have not been suppressed, disregard your laws? O Lord, even Jarāsandha is under your control. He is under the control of karma. We do not know how anyone can surpass your law.
- Where does the success of the unscrupulous shake my faith?
- What patience does it take to wait for the longer arc of justice?
Bhagavān descends to protect the saintly and subdue the wicked — the kings cannot understand how Jarāsandha still rampages. It is as if the sun has risen and yet shadows persist; the kings rightly suspect that the shadow is not stronger than the sun but is being permitted, for some purpose, to remain.
Kṛṣṇa's own classic statement: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati … paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. The verse the kings paraphrase here is from BG 4.7-8, where Bhagavān states the law of His descent.
The kings effectively quote Him back to Himself — a beautiful bhakti move. They ask Him to act on His own self-stated promise. The Gauḍīya commentators note: this is the proper way to pray, by reminding Bhagavān of His own scripture.
My note
Source: vedabase.io