674 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 16

yoga-isvaruih—by the masters of yoga ;api—even; duratyaya—cannot be
easily understood; yoga-mayah—lis yoga-maya potency; ksemam—good;
vidhasyati—will do; sah— He; nah—of us; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality
of Godhead; tri-adhisah—the controller of the three modes of material
nature; tatra—there;asmadiya—by our; vimysena—deliberation; kiyan—what;
tha—on this subject; arthah—purpose.

TRANSLATION

My dear sons, the Lord is the controller of the three modes of nature
and is responsible for the creation, preservation and dissolution of the
universe. His wonderful creative power, yoga-maya, cannot be easily
understood even by the masters of yoga, and that most ancient person, the
Personality of Godhead, will alone come to our rescue. What purpose can
we serve on His behalf by deliberating on the subject?

PURPORT

When something is arranged by the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
one should not be disturbed by it, even if it appears to be a reverse
according to his calculation. For example, sometimes we see that a
powerful preacher is killed, or sometimes he is put into difficulty, just as
Haridasa Thakura was. He was a great devotee who came into this material
world to execute the will of the Lord by preaching the Lord’s glories. But
Haridasa was punished at the hands of the Kazi by being beaten in twenty-
two marketplaces. Similarly, Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, and Prahlada
Maharaja was put through so many tribulations. The Pandavas, who were
direct friends of Krsna, lost their kingdom; their wife was insulted, and
they had to undergo many severe tribulations. Seeing all these reverses
affect devotees, one should not be disturbed; one should simply understand
that in these matters there must be some plan of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. The Bhagavatam’s conclusion is that a devotee is never
disturbed by such reverses. He accepts even reverse conditions as the grace
of the Lord. One who continues to serve the Lord even in reverse
conditions is assured that he will go back to Godhead, back to the
Vaikuntha planets. Lord Brahma assured the demigods that there was no
use in talking about how the disturbing situation of darkness was taking
place, since the actual fact was that it was ordered by the Supreme Lord.
Brahma knew this because he was a great devotee; it was possible for him
to understand the plan of the Lord.
