Bhagvat: When the quality of goodness is prominent, the sages and demigods flourish with the help of that quality, with which they are infused and surcharged by the Supreme Lord. Similarly, when the mode of passion is prominent the demons flourish, and when ignorance is prominent the Yakshas and Räkshasas flourish. The manifestations of the modes of goodness can be experienced when all the gates of the body are illumined by knowledge. When there is an increase in the mode of passion, the symptoms of great attachment, uncontrollable desire, hankering, and intense endeavor develop. When there is an increase in the mode of ignorance, madness, illusion, inertia and darkness are manifested.
TRANSLATION
My dear King Parikshit, the material qualities—sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna—all belong to the material world and do not even touch the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
These three gunas cannot act by increasing or decreasing simultaneously.
PURPORT
The original position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is one of equality.
There is no question of His being influenced by sattva-guna, rajo-guna or tamo-guna, for these material qualities cannot touch the Supreme Lord.
The Lord is therefore called the supreme isvara.
Isvaraù paramaù krshnaù: He is the supreme controller.
He controls the material qualities (daivi hy eshä guna-mayi mama mäyä).
Mayädhyakshena prakrtiù süyate: material nature (prakrti) works under His order.
How, then, can He be under the qualities of prakrti? Krshna is never influenced by the material qualities.
Therefore there is no question of partiality in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
When the quality of goodness is prominent, the sages and demigods flourish with the help of that quality, with which they are infused and surcharged by the Supreme Lord. Similarly, when the mode of passion is prominent the demons flourish, and when ignorance is prominent the Yakshas and Räkshasas flourish. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is present in everyone's heart, fostering the reactions of sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not partial to anyone. The conditioned soul is under the influence of the various modes of material nature, and behind material nature is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; but one's victory and loss under the influence of sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna are reactions of these modes, not of the Supreme Lord's partiality. Srila Jiva Gosvämi, in the Bhägavata-sandarbha, has clearly said:
According to this statement of the Bhägavata-sandarbha, the Supreme Lord, being always transcendental to the material qualities, is never affected by the influence of these qualities.
This same characteristic is also present in the living being, but because he is conditioned by material nature, even the pleasure potency of the Lord is manifested in the conditioned soul as troublesome. In the material world the pleasure enjoyed by the conditioned soul is followed by many painful conditions. For instance, we have seen that in the two great wars, which were conducted by the rajo-guna and tamo-guna, both parties were actually ruined.
The German people declared war against the English to ruin them, but the result was that both parties were ruined. Although the Allies were apparently victorious, at least on paper, actually neither of them were victorious. Therefore it should be concluded that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not partial to anyone. Everyone works under the influence of various modes of material nature, and when the various modes are prominent, the demigods or demons appear victorious under the influence of these modes.
Everyone enjoys the fruits of his qualitative activities. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gitä (14.11-13):
"The manifestations of the modes of goodness can be experienced when all the gates of the body are illumined by knowledge.
"O chief of the Bhäratas, when there is an increase in the mode of passion, the symptoms of great attachment, uncontrollable desire, hankering, and intense endeavor develop.
"O son of Kuru, when there is an increase in the mode of ignorance, madness, illusion, inertia and darkness are manifested."
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone's heart, simply gives the results of the increase in the various qualities, but He is impartial. He supervises victory and loss, but He does not take part in them.
The various modes of material nature do not work all at once. The interactions of these modes are exactly like seasonal changes. Sometimes there is an increment of rajo-guna, sometimes of tamo-guna and sometimes sattva-guna. Generally the demigods are surcharged with sattva-guna, and therefore when the demons and the demigods fight, the demigods are victorious because of the prominence of their sattva-guna qualities.
However, this is not the partiality of the Supreme Lord.
