SB 07.09.27 naisa paravara-matir bhavato nanu syaj... cited

Expressions researched:
"jantor yathatma-suhrdo jagatas tathapi" |"naisa paravara-matir bhavato nanu syaj" |"samsevaya surataror iva te prasadah" |"sevanurupam udayo na paravaratvam"

SB Canto 7

SB 7.9.27, Translation and Purport:

Unlike an ordinary living entity, my Lord, You do not discriminate between friends and enemies, the favorable and the unfavorable, because for You there is no conception of higher and lower. Nonetheless, You offer Your benedictions according to the level of one's service, exactly as a desire tree delivers fruits according to one's desires and makes no distinction between the lower and the higher.

In Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) the Lord clearly says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: "As one surrenders to Me, I reward him accordingly." As stated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, jīvera 'svarūpa' haya-kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa': (CC Madhya 20.108) every living being is an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. According to the service the living entity renders, he automatically receives benedictions from Kṛṣṇa, who does not make distinctions, thinking, "Here is a person in an intimate relationship with Me, and here is a person I dislike." Kṛṣṇa advises everyone to surrender to Him (sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66)). One's relationship with the Supreme Lord is in proportion to that surrender and the service one renders unto the Lord. Thus throughout the entire world the higher or lower positions of the living entities are selected by the living entities themselves. If one is inclined to dictate that the Lord grant something, one receives benedictions according to his desires. If one wants to be elevated to the higher planetary systems, the heavenly planets, he can be promoted to the place he desires, and if one wants to remain a hog or a pig on earth, the Lord fulfills that desire also. Therefore, one's position is determined by one's desires; the Lord is not responsible for the higher or lower grades of our existence. This is further explained quite definitely in Bhagavad-gītā (9.25) by the Lord Himself:

yānti deva-vratā devān

pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ

bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā

yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām

Some people want to be promoted to the heavenly planets, some want to be promoted to Pitṛloka, and some want to remain on earth, but if one is interested in returning home, back to Godhead, he can be promoted there also. According to the demands of a particular devotee, he receives a result by the grace of the Lord. The Lord does not discriminate, thinking, "Here is a person favorable to Me, and here is a person who is not favorable." Rather, He fulfills the desires of everyone. Therefore the śāstras enjoin:

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā

mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ

tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena

yajeta puruṣaṁ param

"Whether one is without desire (the condition of the devotees), or is desirous of all fruitive results, or is after liberation, one should with all efforts try to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead for complete perfection, culminating in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." (SB 2.3.10) According to one's position, whether as a devotee, a karmī or a jñānī, whatever one wants one can get if one fully engages in the service of the Lord.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 7.9.27 -- Mayapur, March 5, 1976:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: "Like the ordinary living entity, my Lord, You have no such discrimination, thinking like 'He is my friend; he is my enemy; he is favorable; he is unfavorable.' Such conception of low grade and high grade You have not got. But according to one's gradation of service, You offer them benediction exactly like the desire tree offers fruits according to the desire of the person. The desire tree has no distinction of low grade and high grade position of the beggar."

Prabhupāda:

naiṣā parāvara-matir bhavato nanu syāt

jantor yathātmā-suhṛdo jagatas tathāpi

saṁsevayā surataror iva te prasādaḥ

sevānurūpam udayo na parāvaratvam

(SB 7.9.27)

It is very important verse. Discrimination. Sometimes the atheist class demons, they say, "Why God has made somebody so opulent and why somebody so poor?" This is the general question. Perhaps you have met, eh? So that is being solved. Parāvaratvam. Para means better, and apara means inferior. Superior and inferior. There are two things, superior and inferior, everywhere, but in the eyes of God, Kṛṣṇa, there is no such thing, superior or inferior. He's superior, and everything is superior. This should be understood. There is no such discrimination that "Here is a devotee, so he's superior, and here is a nondevotee, he's inferior." That is not God's discrimination. That is your discrimination. If you like to remain as inferior, you can remain. God has given you independence. And if you like to become superior, you can become superior. It is not God's discrimination; it is your discrimination. Mind this verse very carefully. Kṛṣṇa says that "You fully become dependent upon Me, and I shall give you full protection." This is superiority. As soon as I fully surrender to the supreme superior, Kṛṣṇa, then my position is immediately superior. And if I don't do that, then I remain inferior.

Lecture on SB 7.9.27 -- Mayapur, March 5, 1976:

So Kṛṣṇa has no discrimination, but it is up to us to know how to take from Kṛṣṇa. Just like the example is given here that saṁsevayā surataror iva. Surataror iva. Surataroḥ means the desire tree. It is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā, desire tree. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa (Bs. 5.29). That is kalpa-vṛkṣa. Kalpa-vṛkṣa means... You have no experience. We have no experience. Kalpa-vṛkṣa, there is in the higher planetary system and especially in the Vaikuṇṭha world. There are, trees are kalpa-vṛkṣa, because everything is spiritual; nothing is dead. Here you can take some fruits or flower from a particular tree, but there, if you like, you ask kachori and samosa from a tree—you get. But we have no idea what is surataroḥ, what is kalpa-vṛkṣa. Whatever you desire, you'll get it. Surabhīh, surabhīr abhipāl... The cows are surabhī. Here you have got limitation. You can milk morning and evening to a certain extent, but there the cows are surabhī. Surabhī means you can milk as many times as you like, and as much milk as you want, you can take it. But these things are there. But we have no information. We are struggling here. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). Because we are fools and rascals, we are trying to make some adjustment here. That is not possible. It is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This is māyā. We are trying to be happy in this material... It will never be possible. But these fools and rascals, they do not know. They are making big, big plans how to become happy, how to become, "In our country, in our home, in our society, in our family," and so on, so on, so on. This means we are simply becoming entangled. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam, ahaṁ moha (SB 5.5.8), illusion. It will never be possible. Therefore, the conclusion is, we should fully surrender, cent percent to Kṛṣṇa, and then we become happy. Saṁsevayā surataror iva te prasādaḥ.

Lecture on SB 7.9.27 -- Mayapur, March 5, 1976:

We go here and there for fulfilling our desire, but if we are fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, all our desires will be fulfilled sitting at home. We haven't got to go here and there. Therefore it is said, surataror iva te prasādaḥ. And how it is? Sevānurūpa. This is... This is the secret. If you are engaged cent percent in service, sevānu..., anurūpam. It is proportion to your service. You cannot order Kṛṣṇa, "Give me this." That is not possible. He is not your servant. Kṛṣṇa cannot become anyone's servant, "Kṛṣṇa, give me this, give me that." Kṛṣṇa's not your servant. He's not order-supplier. His order you should supply. Then you can take. You don't make Kṛṣṇa your order supplier. That is mistake. Therefore anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), pure devotion means first of all you learn not to order Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, give me this, give me that, give me that." Don't bother Kṛṣṇa. That is the beginning of spiritual life. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (CC Madhya 19.167). You prepare to carry out every order of Kṛṣṇa. Then it is spiritual life. Don't make Kṛṣṇa your order-supplier. You become order-supplier of Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore it is said that sevānurūpa. If you learn how to give service to Kṛṣṇa cent percent, then you get everything, everything, without asking. Kṛṣṇa knows everything, what is required for you. Just like a father knows what is the necessity of the child. The child never begs, "Father, give me this, give me that." No. He's simply dependent on parents. The parent knows. Similarly, if we become cent percent dependent and serve Him faithfully under His order or His representative's order, then the success is sure. Sevānurūpa. Sevānurūpam udayo. Udayo: "It becomes manifest." Just like the sun is rising in the sky. It is not by your order. It is rising by his own way. You cannot say that "My dear sun, please immediately come to the medium (meridian?) and make it noon." "No, I am not your servant. I shall rise according to my principle." So similarly, if you cannot order even the sun, a creation of God, or anything according to your order, then how you can order Kṛṣṇa? This is foolishness. Don't order Kṛṣṇa. Try to serve Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be successful. Sevānurūpam udayo na parāvaratvam. Kṛṣṇa has no discrimination that you are inferior; therefore His favor is not bestowed upon you. This is foolishness. Don't become envious of somebody who is getting Kṛṣṇa's favor. Kṛṣṇa is favoring him because he has served. You serve; you'll get favor. This is God. Kṛṣṇa has no discrimination that one is getting more opulence, more success; another is rotting. That is not Kṛṣṇa's; it is your discrimination. You wanted some rotten things; you get it. You wanted some stone and wood, you take it. But if somebody wanted to serve—"I have given Him service"—all right, you serve. This is parāvara... Not parāvaratvam, it is foolishness, that "Kṛṣṇa has favored him so much. I not favored." You become just eligible to be favored, then you'll be favored. This is the process. Na parāvaratvam. He has no such discrimination. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234).