FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.11.21

आयुषोऽपचयं जन्तोस्तथैवोपचयं विभु: । उभाभ्यां रहित: स्वस्थो दु:स्थस्य विदधात्यसौ ॥ २१ ॥
āyuṣo ’pacayaṁ jantos
[aayusho ’pachayam jantos]
tathaivopacayaṁ vibhuḥ
[tathaivopachayam vibhuh]
ubhābhyāṁ rahitaḥ sva-stho
[ubhaabhyaam rahitah sva-stho]
duḥsthasya vidadhāty asau
[duhsthasya vidadhaaty asau]
āyuṣaḥ — of duration of life apacayam — diminution jantoḥ — of the living entities tathā — similarly eva — also upacayam — increase vibhuḥ — the Supreme Personality of Godhead ubhābhyām — from both of them rahitaḥ — free sva-sthaḥ — always situated in His transcendental position duḥsthasya — of the living entities under the laws of karma vidadhāti — awards asau — He.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
āyuṣo ’pacayaṁ jantos
āyuṣaḥ
of duration of life
apacayam
diminution
jantoḥ
of the living entities
tathaivopacayaṁ vibhuḥ
tathā
similarly
eva
also
upacayam
increase
vibhuḥ
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
ubhābhyāṁ rahitaḥ sva-stho
ubhābhyām
from both of them
rahitaḥ
free
sva-sthaḥ
always situated in His transcendental position
duḥsthasya vidadhāty asau
duḥsthasya
of the living entities under the laws of karma
vidadhāti
awards
asau
He.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, is all-powerful, and He awards the results of one’s fruitive activities. Thus, although one living entity’s duration of life is very small whereas that of another is very great, He is always in His transcendental position, and there is no question of lessening or increasing His duration of life.

Both the mosquito and Lord Brahmā are living entities in the material world; both are minute sparks and are part of the Supreme Lord. The very short duration of the life of the mosquito and the very long lifetime of Lord Brahmā are both awarded by the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the results of their karma. But in the Brahma-saṁhitā we find it said, karmāṇi nirdahati: the Lord diminishes or vanquishes the reactions of devotees. The same fact is explained in Bhagavad-gītā . Yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra: one should perform karma only for the purpose of satisfying the Supreme Lord; otherwise one is bound by the action and reaction of karma. Under the laws of karma a living entity wanders within the universe under the rule of eternal time, and sometimes he becomes a mosquito and sometimes Lord Brahmā. To a sane man this business is not very fruitful. Bhagavad-gītā (9.25) gives a warning to the living entities: yānti deva-vratā devān — those who are addicted to the worship of the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, and those who are addicted to worship of the Pitās, forefathers, go to the Pitās. Those who are inclined to material activities remain in the material sphere. But persons who engage in devotional service reach the abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, where there is neither birth nor death nor different varieties of life under the influence of the law of karma. The best interest of the living entity is to engage himself in devotional service and go back home, back to Godhead. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura advised: “My friend, you are being washed away in material nature’s waves of time. Please try to understand that you are the eternal servant of the Lord. Then everything will stop, and you will be eternally happy.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Living beings have short or long lives. The Lord is free of both. He awards these results to those dependent on karma. Flies have short life and devatās have long life. Duḥsthasya means dependent on karma.
Lifespans differ from mosquito to Brahmā, but the Lord, in His own transcendence, neither extends nor shortens. Whatever the duration of your scene, the Director isn't shrinking or stretching in response.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I exhausting myself trying to extend a duration that's not mine to set?
  • What if I treated my lifespan as exactly the right size for my role?
📝 My note

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