204
Śrimad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 7, Ch. 9]
animals, but its cubs are not at all afraid of the lion. The water of the sea is certainly dreadful for all living entities on the land, but within the sea even the small fish is unafraid. Why? Because the small fish has taken shelter of the big ocean. It is said that although great elephants are taken away by the flooding waters of the river, the small fish swim opposite the current. Therefore although the Lord sometimes assumes a fierce appearance to kill the  duṣkṛtīs , the devotees worship Him.  Keśava dhṛta-nara-hari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare . The devotee always takes pleasure in worshiping the Lord and glorifying the Lord in any form, either pleasing or fierce.
TEXT 16
त्रस्तोऽस्म्यहं कृपणवत्सल दुःसहोग्र- संसारचक्रकदनाद् ग्रसतां प्रणीतः। बद्धः स्वकर्मभिरुशत्तम तेऽङ्घ्रिमूलं प्रीतोऽपवर्गशरणं ह्वयसे कदा नु ॥१६॥
trasto 'smy aham kṛpaṇa-vatsala duḥsahogra- saṁsāra-cakra-kadanād grasatāṁ praṇītaḥ baddhaḥ sva-karmabhir uśattama te 'ṅghri-mūlaṁ prīto 'pavarga-śaraṇaṁ hvayase kadā nu
trastaḥ —frightened;  asmi —am;  aham —I;  kṛpaṇa-vatsala —O my Lord, who are so kind to the fallen souls (who have no spiritual knowledge);  duḥsaha —intolerable;  ugra —ferocious;  saṁsāra-cakra —of the cycle of birth and death;  kadanāt —from such a miserable condition;  grasatām —among other conditioned souls, who devour one another;  praṇītaḥ —being thrown;  baddhaḥ —bound;  sva-karmabhiḥ —the course by the reactions of my own activities;  uśattama —O great insurmountable;  te —Your;  aṅghri-mūlam —to the soles of the lotus feet;  prītaḥ —being pleased (with me);  apavarga-śaraṇam —which are the shelter meant for liberation from this horrible condition of material existence;  hvayase —You will call (me);  kadā —when;  nu —indeed.
TRANSLATION
O most powerful, insurmountable Lord, who are kind to the fallen souls, I have been put into the association of demons as a