तमसो यक्षरक्षांसि तत्कालानुगुणोऽभजत् ॥ ८ ॥
devarṣīn rajaso 'surān
tamaso yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi
tat-kālānuguṇo 'bhajat
yatra ca prākṛtā guṇāḥ
sa śuddhaḥ sarva-śuddhebhyaḥ
pumān ādhyaḥ prasīdatu
tvayy ekā sarva-saṁsthitau
hlāda-tāpa-karī miśrā
tvayi no guṇa-varjite
prakāśa upajāyate
jñānaṁ yadā tadā vidyād
vivṛddhaṁ sattvam ity uta
karmaṇām aśamaḥ spṛhā
rajasy etāni jāyante
vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha
pramādo moha eva ca
tamasy etāni jāyante
vivṛddhe kuru-nandana
SYNONYMS
jaya-kāle—in the time of prominence; tu—indeed; sattvasya—of goodness; deva—the demigods; ṛṣīn—and the sages; rajasaḥ—of passion; asurān—the demons; tamasaḥ—of ignorance; yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi—the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas; tat-kāla-anuguṇaḥ—according to the particular time; abhajat—fostered.
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 Yakṣas and Rākṣasas flourish. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is present in everyone's heart, fostering the reactions of sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa.
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-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa are reactions of these modes, not of the Supreme Lord's partiality. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, in the Bhāgavata-sandarbha, has clearly said:
yatra ca prākṛtā guṇāḥ
sa śuddhaḥ sarva-śuddhebhyaḥ
pumān ādhyaḥ prasīdatu
tvayy ekā sarva-saṁsthitau
hlāda-tāpa-karī miśrā
tvayi no guṇa-varjite
Everyone enjoys the fruits of his qualitative activities. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (14.11–13):
prakāśa upajāyate
jñānaṁ yadā tadā vidyād
vivṛddhaṁ sattvam ity uta
karmaṇām aśamaḥ spṛhā
rajasy etāni jāyante
vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha
pramādo moha eva ca
tamasy etāni jāyante
vivṛddhe kuru-nandana
"O chief of the Bhāratas, 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-guṇa, sometimes of tamo-guṇa and sometimes sattva-guṇa. Generally the demigods are surcharged with sattva-guṇa, and therefore when the demons and the demigods fight, the demigods are victorious because of the prominence of their sattva-guṇa qualities. However, this is not the partiality of the Supreme Lord.