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TEXT 29 samo 'ham sarva-bhutesu
SYNONYMS  samah--equally
disposed; aham--I; sarva-bhutesu--to all living entities;
na--no one; me--Mine; dvesyah--hateful; asti--is;
na--nor; priyah--dear; ye--those; bhajanti--render
transcendental service; tu--yet; mam--unto Me; bhaktya--in
devotion; mayi--unto Me; te--such persons; tesu--in
them; ca--also; api--certainly; aham--I.
TRANSLATION I envy no
one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders
service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend
to him.
PURPORT One may question
here that if Krsna is equal to everyone and no one is His special friend,
then why does He take a special interest in the devotees who are always
engaged in His transcendental service? But this is not discrimination;
it is natural. Any man in this material world may be very charitably disposed,
yet he has a special interest in his own children. The Lord claims that
every living entity--in whatever form--is His son, and as such He provides
everyone with a generous supply of the necessities of life. He is just
like a cloud which pours rain all over, regardless of whether it falls
on rock or land or water. But for His devotees, He gives specific attention.
Such devotees are mentioned here: they are always in Krsna consciousness,
and therefore they are always transcendentally situated in Krsna. The very
phrase "Krsna consciousness" suggests that those who are in such consciousness
are living transcendentalists, situated in Him. The Lord says here distinctly,
"mayi te," "in Me." Naturally, as a result, the Lord is also in
them. This is reciprocal. This also explains the words: asti na priyah/
ye bhajanti: "Whoever surrenders unto Me, proportionately I take care
of him." This transcendental reciprocation exists because both the Lord
and the devotee are conscious. When a diamond is set in a golden ring,
it looks very nice. The gold is glorified, and at the same time the diamond
is glorified. The Lord and the living entity eternally glitter, and when
a living entity becomes inclined to the service of the Supreme Lord he
looks like gold. The Lord is a diamond, and so this combination is very
nice. Living entities in a pure state are called devotees. The Supreme
Lord becomes the devotee of His devotees. If a reciprocal relationship
is not present between the devotee and the Lord, then there is no personalist
philosophy. In the impersonal philosophy there is no reciprocation between
the Supreme and the living entity, but in the personalist philosophy there
is.
The example
is often given that the Lord is like a desire tree, and whatever one wants
from this desire tree, the Lord supplies. But here the explanation is more
complete. The Lord is here stated to be partial to the devotees. This is
the manifestation of the Lord's special mercy to the devotees. The Lord's
reciprocation should not be considered to be under the law of karma.
It belongs to the transcendental situation in which the Lord and His devotees
function. Devotional service of the Lord is not an activity of this material
world; it is part of the spiritual world where eternity, bliss and knowledge
predominate.
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