pitā gurus tvaḿ jagatām adhīśo
duratyayaḥ kāla upātta-daṇḍaḥ
hitāya cecchā-tanubhiḥ samīhase
mānaḿ vidhunvan jagad-īśa-māninām
pita -- the father; guruh -- the spiritual master; tvam -- You; jagatam -- of the entire universe; adhisah -- the supreme controller; duratyayah -- insurmountable; kalah -- time; upatta -- wielding; dandah -- punishment; hitaya -- for the benefit; ca -- and; iccha -- assumed by Your own free will; tanubhih -- by Your transcendental forms; samihase -- You endeavor; manam -- the false pride; vidhunvan -- eradicating; jagat-isa -- lords of the universe; maninam -- of those who presume themselves to be.
You are the father and spiritual master of this entire universe, and also its supreme controller. You are insurmountable time, imposing punishment upon the sinful for their own benefit. Indeed, in Your various incarnations, selected by Your own free will, You act decisively to remove the false pride of those who presume themselves masters of this world.
The word hitaya is significant here. Lord Krishna protects religion and chastises the wicked for the benefit of the entire universe. Foolish and faithless pseudopriests criticize God for punishing the living entities through the actions of nature. But whether Lord Krishna punishes them indirectly through nature or directly in His incarnations, as mentioned here, He has a perfect right to do so because He is the father, spiritual master and supreme ruler of the entire universe. Another way He curbs down the false attempts of the conditioned souls to establish the kingdom of God without God is through His feature as insurmountable time. It is said, "Spare the rod and spoil the child." That is a fact, and it is actually the Lord's mercy that He takes the trouble to rectify our misbehavior, although faithless persons criticize the Lord's fatherly vigilance.
