Text 14] Vrtrasura’s Glorious Death 229

PURPORT

It is not good to be falsely puffed up, saying that by one’s own effort
one has become opulent, learned, beautiful and so on. All such good for-
tune is achieved through the mercy of the Lord. From another point of
view, no one wants to die, and no one wants to be poor or ugly.
Therefore, why does the living entity, against his will, receive such un-
wanted troubles? It is due to the mercy or chastisement of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead that one gains or loses everything material. No
one is independent; everyone is dependent on the mercy or chastisement
of the Supreme Lord. There is a common saying in Bengal that the Lord
has ten hands. This means that He has control everywhere—in the eight
directions and up and down. If He wants to take everything away from us
with His ten hands, we cannot protect anything with our two hands.
Similarly, if He wants to bestow benedictions upon us with His ten
hands, we cannot factually receive them all with our two hands; in other
words, the benedictions exceed our ambitions. The conclusion is that
even though we do not wish to be separated from our possessions, some-
times the Lord forcibly takes them from us; and sometimes He showers
such benedictions upon us that we are unable to receive them all.
Therefore either in opulence or in distress we are not independent;
everything is dependent on the sweet will of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead.

TEXT 14

TAIN TTTT ATTN ]
AA: AM FASS TI TT TTA? vil

tasmad akirti-yasasor
Jayapajayayor api

samah syat sukha-duhkhabhyam
mrtyu-jivitayos tatha

tasmat—therefore (because of being fully dependent on the pleasure
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead); akirti—of defamation:
yasasoh—and fame; jaya—of victory; apajayayoh—and defeat; api—
even; samah—equal; syaét—one should be; sukha-duhkhabhyam—with
