66 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2
living being, they think that they can kill Lord Visnu as one might kill
an ordinary person. Another fact disclosed herein is that demons are
very much fond of sucking blood. Indeed, all of them are meat-eaters
and bloodsuckers.

Hiranyakasipu accused the Supreme Lord of having a restless mind
like that of a small child who can be induced to do anything if simply
offered some cakes and laddus. Indirectly, this indicates the true position
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who says in Bhagavad-gita
(9.26):

patra puspam phalarm toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnadmi prayatatmanah
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I
will accept it.” The Lord accepts the offerings of devotees because of
their transcendental love. Because they are in love with the Supreme
Lord, they do not eat anything without offering it first to the Lord. The
Lord does not hanker for a small leaf or flower; He has enough to eat. In-
deed, He is feeding all living entities. Nonetheless, because He is very
merciful and is bhakta-vatsala, very favorable to the devotees, He cer-
tainly eats whatever they offer Him with love and devotion. This quality
should not be misjudged to be childish. The highest quality of the
Supreme Lord is that He is bhakta-vatsala; in other words, He is always
extremely pleased with His devotees. As for the word maya, when used
in reference to the dealings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
His devotees, this word means “affection.”” The actions of the Lord to
favor His devotees are not disqualifications but signs of His natural
affection.

As for.rudhira, or the blood of Lord Visnu, since there is no possibility
of severing Lord Visnu’s head from His body, there is no question of
blood. But the garland that decorates Visnu’s body is as red as blood.
When the demons achieve sdyujya-mukti and leave behind their sinful
activities, they are blessed by Visnu’s garland, which is red like blood.
After attaining sdyujya-mukti, the demons are sometimes promoted to
the Vaikuntha world, where they receive the reward of the Lord’s gar-
land prasdada.
