mām aiśvarya-śrī-madāndho
daṇḍa pāṇiḿ na paśyati
taḿ bhraḿśayāmi sampadbhyo
yasya cecchāmy anugraham
mam -- Me; aisvarya -- of his power; sri -- and opulence; mada -- by the intoxication; andhah -- rendered blind; danda -- with the rod of punishment; panim -- in My hand; na pasyati -- one does not see; tam -- him; bhramsayami -- I make fall; sampadbhyah -- from his material assets; yasya -- for whom; ca -- and; icchami -- I desire; anugraham -- benefit.
A man blinded by intoxication with his power and opulence cannot see Me nearby with the rod of punishment in My hand. If I desire his real welfare, I drag him down from his materially fortunate position.
One may argue, "God should desire everyone's real welfare; therefore why should Lord Krishna state in this verse that He removes the intoxicating opulence of one who is about to receive His mercy, rather than simply stating that He will remove everyone's opulence and bless everyone?" On the other hand, we may point out that irrevocable death occurs for everyone, and thus Lord Krishna does take away everyone's opulence and everyone's false pride. However, if we apply the Lord's statement to events within one's immediate life, before death, we may refer to Krishna's statement in the Bhagavad-gita (4.11): ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham. "As people surrender to Me, I reward them accordingly." Lord Krishna desires everyone's welfare, but when He says here yasya cecchamy anugraham, "for one whose welfare I desire," it is understood that the Lord refers to those who by their own activities and thoughts have manifested a desire to achieve spiritual benefit. Lord Krishna wants everyone to be happy in Krishna consciousness, but when He sees that a specific person also desires spiritual happiness, the Lord especially desires it for that person. This is a natural act of reciprocation consistent with the Lord's statement samo 'ham sarva-bhuteshu: "I am equal in My attitude to all living beings." (Bg. 9.29)
