Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.20.27
त्वमेक: किल लोकानां क्लिष्टानां
क्लेशनाशन: ।
त्वमेक: क्लेशदस्तेषामनासन्नपदां तव ॥ २७ ॥
tvam ekaḥ kila lokānāṁ
[tvam ekah kila lokaanaam]
kliṣṭānāṁ kleśa-nāśanaḥ
[klishtaanaam klesha-naashanah]
tvam ekaḥ kleśadas teṣām
[tvam ekah kleshadas teshaam]
anāsanna-padāṁ tava
[anaasanna-padaam tava]
Word-for-word
tvam
—
You
ekaḥ
—
alone
kila
—
indeed
lokānām
—
of the people
kliṣṭānām
—
afflicted with miseries
kleśa
—
the distresses
nāśanaḥ
—
relieving
tvam ekaḥ
—
You alone
kleśa-daḥ
—
inflicting distress
teṣām
—
on those
anāsanna
—
not taken shelter
padām
—
feet
tava
—
Your.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tvam ekaḥ kila lokānāṁ
tvam
You
ekaḥ
alone
kila
indeed
lokānām
of the people
kliṣṭānāṁ kleśa-nāśanaḥ
kliṣṭānām
afflicted with miseries
kleśa
the distresses
nāśanaḥ
relieving
tvam ekaḥ kleśadas teṣām
tvam ekaḥ
You alone
kleśa-daḥ
inflicting distress
teṣām
on those
anāsanna-padāṁ tava
anāsanna
not taken shelter
padām
feet
tava
Your.
My Lord, You are the only one capable of ending the affliction of the distressed and inflicting agony on those who never resort to Your feet.
Purport
The words kleśadas teṣām anāsanna-padāṁ tava indicate that the Lord has two concerns. The first is to give protection to persons who take shelter of His lotus feet, and the second is to give trouble to those who are always demoniac and who are inimical toward the Lord. Māyā’s function is to give afflictions to the nondevotees. Here Brahmā said, “You are the protector of the surrendered souls; therefore I surrender unto Your lotus feet. Please give me protection from these demons.”
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
O Lord! You alone are the remover of suffering for devotees who suffer. You alone give suffering to those who do not take shelter of your lotus feet.
You give suffering to the non-devotees, those who do not take shelter of your feet. This implies “You destroy the suffering of the devotees, those who take shelter of your feet.” You alone (ekaḥ) have this nature of being affectionate to your devotees. Others do not have this nature. You alone give suffering to those who do not take shelter of your feet in the form of time, karma and malefic planets. But if they take shelter of your feet suddenly, you immediately destroy their suffering. This means that the devotees are not subject to time and karma. You do not treat the jīvas unequally, since you are like a desire tree.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Taking shelter of the Lord's lotus feet is not a poetic flourish — it names a real reorientation. The verse invites us to test which shelters we currently lean on and to notice when they fail to hold weight.
Reflection Questions
- Which security in your life have you confused with the Lord's protection?
- How would your decisions today change if you actually believed the Lord was your shelter?
My note
Source: vedabase.io