FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.1.3

इति न: सुमहाभाग नारायणगुणान् प्रति । संशय: सुमहाञ्जातस्तद्भ‍वांश्छेत्तुमर्हति ॥ ३ ॥
iti naḥ sumahā-bhāga
[iti nah sumahaa-bhaaga]
nārāyaṇa-guṇān prati
[naaraayana-gunaan prati]
saṁśayaḥ sumahāṣ jātas
[samshayah sumahaash jaatas]
tad bhavāṁś chettum arhati
[tad bhavaamsh chettum arhati]
iti — thus naḥ — our su-mahā-bhāga — O glorious one nārāyaṇa-guṇān — the qualities of Nārāyaṇa prati — toward saṁśayaḥ — doubt su-mahān — very great jātaḥ — born tat — that bhavān — Your Lordship chettum arhati — please dispel.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
iti naḥ sumahā-bhāga
iti
thus
naḥ
our
su-mahā-bhāga
O glorious one
nārāyaṇa-guṇān prati
nārāyaṇa-guṇān
the qualities of Nārāyaṇa
prati
toward
saṁśayaḥ sumahāṣ jātas
saṁśayaḥ
doubt
su-mahān
very great
jātaḥ
born
tad bhavāṁś chettum arhati
tat
that
bhavān
Your Lordship
chettum arhati
please dispel.
O greatly fortunate and learned brāhmaṇa, whether Nārāyaṇa is partial or impartial has become a subject of great doubt. Kindly dispel my doubt with positive evidence that Nārāyaṇa is always neutral and equal to everyone.

Since Lord Nārāyaṇa is absolute, His transcendental qualities are described as one. Thus His punishments and His offerings of favor are both of the same value. Essentially, His inimical actions are not displays of enmity toward His so-called enemies, but in the material field one thinks that Kṛṣṇa is favorable to devotees and unfavorable to nondevotees. When Kṛṣṇa finally instructs in Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, this is meant not only for Arjuna but for every living entity within this universe.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O greatly fortunate sage! You should dispel this great doubt I have concerning the favoritism and ill-will of Nārāyaṇa. Guṇān means Nārāyaṇa’s displaying of favoring and disfavoring.
Yudhiṣṭhira does not pretend the doubt away — he asks for positive evidence that Nārāyaṇa is truly impartial. Faith matures by seeking real reasons, not by suppressing questions. A sincere devotee wants conviction, not just belief.
Reflection Questions
  • Is there a teaching you accept without ever examining the evidence behind it?
  • What would 'positive evidence' look like for the doubts you carry now?
📝 My note

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