FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.16.2

श्रीभगवानुवाच एतौ तौ पार्षदौ मह्यं जयो विजय एव च । कदर्थीकृत्य मां यद्वो बह्वक्रातामतिक्रमम् ॥ २ ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
[shree-bhagavaan uvaacha]
etau tau pārṣadau mahyaṁ
[etau tau paarshadau mahyam]
jayo vijaya eva ca
[jayo vijaya eva cha]
kadarthī-kṛtya māṁ yad vo
[kadarthee-kritya maam yad vo]
bahv akrātām atikramam
[bahv akraataam atikramam]
śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said etau — these two tau — they pārṣadau — attendants mahyam — of Mine jayaḥ — named Jaya vijayaḥ — named Vijaya eva — certainly ca — and kadarthī-kṛtya — by ignoring mām — Me yat — which vaḥ — against you bahu — great akrātām — have committed atikramam — offense.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
etau tau pārṣadau mahyaṁ
etau
these two
tau
they
pārṣadau
attendants
mahyam
of Mine
jayo vijaya eva ca
jayaḥ
named Jaya
vijayaḥ
named Vijaya
eva
certainly
ca
and
kadarthī-kṛtya māṁ yad vo
kadarthī-kṛtya
by ignoring
mām
Me
yat
which
bahv akrātām atikramam
vaḥ
against you
bahu
great
akrātām
have committed
atikramam
offense.
The Personality of Godhead said: These attendants of Mine, Jaya and Vijaya by name, have committed a great offense against you because of ignoring Me.

To commit an offense at the feet of a devotee of the Lord is a great wrong. Even when a living entity is promoted to Vaikuṇṭha, there is still the chance that he may commit offenses, but the difference is that when one is in a Vaikuṇṭha planet, even if by chance one commits an offense, he is protected by the Lord. This is the remarkable fact in the dealings of the Lord and the servitor, as seen in the present incident concerning Jaya and Vijaya. The word atikramam used herein indicates that in offending a devotee one neglects the Supreme Lord Himself.

By mistake the doormen held the sages from entering Vaikuṇṭhaloka, but because they were engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, their annihilation was not expected by advanced devotees. The Lord’s presence on the spot was very pleasing to the hearts of the devotees. The Lord understood that the trouble was due to His lotus feet not being seen by the sages, and therefore He wanted to please them by personally going there. The Lord is so merciful that even if there is some impediment for the devotee, He Himself manages matters in such a way that the devotee is not bereft of having audience at His lotus feet. There is a very good example in the life of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was residing at Jagannātha purī, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who happened to be Muhammadan by birth, was with Him. In Hindu temples, especially in those days, no one but a Hindu was allowed to enter. Although Haridāsa Ṭhākura was the greatest of all Hindus in his behavior, he considered himself a Muhammadan and did not enter the temple. Lord Caitanya could understand his humility, and since he did not go to see the temple, Lord Caitanya Himself, who is nondifferent from Jagannātha, used to come and sit with Haridāsa Ṭhākura daily. Here in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we also find this same behavior of the Lord. His devotees were prevented from seeing His lotus feet, but the Lord Himself came to see them on the same lotus feet for which they aspired. It is also significant that He was accompanied by the goddess of fortune. The goddess of fortune is not to be seen by ordinary persons, but the Lord was so kind that although the devotees did not aspire for such an honor, He appeared before them with the goddess of fortune.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The Lord said: O sages! Since my two followers Jaya and Vijaya, ignoring me, have seriously offended you, I permit the punishment given by you, who are dedicated in vows to me, since they have committed offense to me. You should not be afraid of having committed offense. That is expressed in eleven verses. Mahyam means “my.” Since (yat) these two, ignoring me (mahyam), have seriously (bahu) committed offense to you, because they have ignored the conduct desired by me, the punishment I should give has been done by you, who have vows dedicated to me (anuvrataiḥ), because they have actually offended me (deva-helanāt).
The lotus feet of the Lord appear here as the one shelter that does not eventually shake. The verse asks us to compare it honestly with the shelters we have built ourselves.
Reflection Questions
  • What worldly 'shelter' have you been quietly trusting, and what happens to you when it shakes?
  • What small act of dependence on the Lord could you practice this week instead of self-reliance?
📝 My note

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