FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.27.16

మామైశ్వర్యశ్రీమదాన్ధో దణ్డపాణిం న పశ్యతి । తం భ్రంశయామి సమ్పద్‌భ్యో యస్య చేచ్ఛామ్యనుగ్రహమ్ ॥ ౧౬ ॥
mām aiśvarya-śrī-madāndho
[maam aishvarya-shree-madaandho]
daṇḍa pāṇiṁ na paśyati
[danda paanim na pashyati]
taṁ bhraṁśayāmi sampadbhyo
[tam bhramshayaami sampadbhyo]
yasya cecchāmy anugraham
[yasya chechchaamy anugraham]
mām — Me aiśvarya — of his power śrī — and opulence mada — by the intoxication andhaḥ — rendered blind daṇḍa — with the rod of punishment pāṇim — in My hand na paśyati — one does not see tam — him bhraṁśayāmi — I make fall sampadbhyaḥ — from his material assets yasya — for whom ca — and icchāmi — I desire anugraham — benefit .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
mām aiśvarya-śrī-madāndho
mām
Me
aiśvarya
of his power
śrī
and opulence
mada
by the intoxication
andhaḥ
rendered blind
daṇḍa pāṇiṁ na paśyati
daṇḍa
with the rod of punishment
pāṇim
in My hand
na paśyati
one does not see
taṁ bhraṁśayāmi sampadbhyo
tam
him
bhraṁśayāmi
I make fall
sampadbhyaḥ
from his material assets
yasya cecchāmy anugraham
yasya
for whom
ca
and
icchāmi
I desire
anugraham
benefit .
  • aiśvarya-śrī-mada-andhaḥ — blinded by the intoxication of power and opulence
    Compound: aiśvarya (power) + śrī (opulence) + mada (intoxication) + andha (blind). The Bhāgavatam's four-step diagnosis of the proud — what they possess produces drunkenness, and drunkenness produces blindness.
  • daṇḍa-pāṇim — holding the rod in My hand
    Compound: daṇḍa (rod) + pāṇi (hand). Kṛṣṇa names Himself as wielding the rod — gently, in His own voice. Gauḍīyas note that the rod is in His hand, not in His heart; nigraha is a tool, not His essence.
  • bhraṁśayāmi-sampadbhyaḥ — I make him fall from his material assets
    Verb bhraṁś (causative) + ablative sampad (assets). Kṛṣṇa Himself causes the fall. No detour through karma — the Lord's direct hand. The Bhāgavata's personalism is uncompromising.
  • yasya-ca-icchāmi-anugraham — and for whom I desire benefit
    Phrase: yasya (for whom) + ca (and) + icchāmi (I desire) + anugraha (favor). The conditional clause that flips the entire verse: removal is favor only for those Bhagavān has chosen to favor. Pure Gauḍīya doctrine of grace.
  • na paśyati — he does not see
    Verb of perception in the negative. The Bhāgavatam's repeated theme — the proud are not punished for lacking power, but for failing to see the One who stands beside them. Bhakti is, finally, a matter of darśana.
A man blinded by intoxication with his power and opulence cannot see Me nearby with the rod of punishment in My hand. If I desire his real welfare, I drag him down from his materially fortunate position.

One may argue, “God should desire everyone’s real welfare; therefore why should Lord Kṛṣṇa state in this verse that He removes the intoxicating opulence of one who is about to receive His mercy, rather than simply stating that He will remove everyone’s opulence and bless everyone?” On the other hand, we may point out that irrevocable death occurs for everyone, and thus Lord Kṛṣṇa does take away everyone’s opulence and everyone’s false pride. However, if we apply the Lord’s statement to events within one’s immediate life, before death, we may refer to Kṛṣṇa’s statement in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) : ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham. “As people surrender to Me, I reward them accordingly.” Lord Kṛṣṇa desires everyone’s welfare, but when He says here yasya cecchāmy anugraham, “for one whose welfare I desire,” it is understood that the Lord refers to those who by their own activities and thoughts have manifested a desire to achieve spiritual benefit. Lord Kṛṣṇa wants everyone to be happy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but when He sees that a specific person also desires spiritual happiness, the Lord especially desires it for that person. This is a natural act of reciprocation consistent with the Lord’s statement samo ’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu : “I am equal in My attitude to all living beings.” ( Bg. 9.29 )

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
A man blinded by intoxication with his power and opulence cannot see Me nearby with the rod of punishment in My hand. If I desire his real welfare, I drag him down from his materially fortunate position.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Otherwise you would go astray since you became devoid of unlimited knowledge or blind by intoxication with power and wealth. Such a person does not see me with a cow stick in my hand (for the worshippers of Kṛṣṇa) or does not realize me with the stick of punishment in my hand (for people like you). Speaking of his lordship in cowherd pastimes, he teaches bhakti found in the internal associates such as Nanda. Since that person does not see this, I desire to give him mercy. Thus I take away his wealth which causes his power. But seeing that this would be intolerable to you, I do not do this. Instead, I only destroyed your sacrifice.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

A person blinded with the intoxication of wealth does not know (paśyat) the punishment in the form of time. Another version has aiśvarya-śrī-madāndhaḥ: he is blinded by intoxication with power and wealth. If I desire to show him mercy I destroy his power by his wealth. Wealth is the cause of his power.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Udyama (Industriousness / Effort)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses

A man wearing a blindfold cannot see the cliff edge an inch from his feet; the only mercy left is to push him back. Mada is the blindfold; the rod in Kṛṣṇa's hand goes unseen by the proud. So when He wills the man's real welfare, He pushes — strips the sampat — that the eyes might open again.

Nārada to Yudhiṣṭhira on the fall of the proud

In SB 1.9 and again in the eleventh canto, the pattern is named: those Bhagavān loves He often impoverishes (yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tat-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ — SB 10.88.8). Kṛṣṇa says elsewhere that the wealthy do not seek Him while the wealth still holds.

This verse is the doctrine spoken plainly to the king of heaven. Gauḍīyas read it as the master-pattern of bhakti-pedagogy: Bhagavān removes what blinds, even when removal looks like loss.

📝 My note

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