Hare Krsna,
One thing that stands out for me from the prayers by the demigods is of that fearful nature. Most of the time the demigods pray to the Supreme Lord for protection. This is the case elsewhere in Srimad Bhagavatam too. In the first prayer (SB 10.2.26), the demigods pray “Therefore, offering our obeisances, we surrender unto You. Kindly give us protection.”
Demigods are, in general, intelligent species. More intelligent than human beings. I am, therefore, surprised why they always pray for protection and not for pure devotional service. As we can see from their prayers, they understand the tattva (philosophical conclusions) of the Supreme Truth very well. They understand that Krsna is the cause of all causes. They pray that the Supreme Lord is
- Always truthful to His perfect vows
- The Supreme Absolute Truth
- Present in all the three phases of cosmos (creation, maintenance & annihilation)
- Cause of all relative truths
- The inner force within all elements
- The truth of all truths
- The origin of all pleasing truths
- Everything pertaining to His is Truth
Since the demigods themselves approach the Supreme Lord for protection and surrender, it must be asked why common human beings pray to the demigods. Therefore Krsna says in BG 7.23 that “Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary.”
“Worship of demigods may be useful for a limited time, but the result is antavat, perishable. This material world is impermanent, the demigods are impermanent, and the benedictions derived from the demigods are also impermanent, whereas the living entity is eternal (nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13)). Every living entity, therefore, must search for eternal happiness, not temporary happiness. The words satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi indicate that one should search for the Absolute Truth, not the relative truth.” (SB 10.2.26 Purport)
Therefore Lord Krsna’s final declaration in Bhagavad Gita is so deep and conclusive.
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (BG 18.66)
This is Krsna’s vow that He will give all protection at all times. That Krsna always fulfills his vow is declared by the demigods themselves in this section of the prayers. They prayed: “O Lord, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone.”
“If one surrenders unto Me sincerely, saying, ‘My Lord, from today I will fully surrendered unto You,’ I will always give him protection. That is My vow.” (Rämäyaëa, Yuddha-käëòa 18.33)
This is a matter of great reassurance and comfort for us. Krsna is always there for us, looking after us, and ensuring our well-being and spiritual progress. If we decide to take one step towards Him, He takes ten steps towards us. The protection given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be compared to the protection given by the demigods.
Therefore devotional service unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna is “the universal remedy.” From all angles of vision, therefore, in all circumstances, if one fully surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no question of one’s struggling for existence.
BG 9.22: “For those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form, I carry to them what they lack and preserve what they have.”
“Because the pure devotee engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service of the Supreme Lord achieves eternal blissful existence that is full of knowledge, his achievements and those of the common worshiper of the demigods are different. The Supreme Lord is unlimited; His favor is unlimited; His mercy is unlimited. Therefore the mercy of the Supreme Lord upon His pure devotees is unlimited.” (BG 7.23 Purport)
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 
Hari bol! Your grace is very clear in your perspective. You have mentioned BG 9.22, but I am always confused by this verse when compared with SB 10. 88.8. My confusion is about the stage of sadhana, whether 10.88.8 comes before and then the Lord steps in to secure, or its other way around?
Please spare some time.
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Hari bol prabhu! Thank you for reading my post and posting your comment.
Your question is wonderful and thought provoking. My simple realization is that both verse BG 9.22 and SB 10.88.8 need not come in sequence in a devotee’s life. BG 9.22 is Krsna’s general assurance that He will do whatever is needed to maintain devotee’s bhakti. If the devotee has material distress that creates obstacles in his/her bhakti, Krsna will remove those distress. At the same time, Krsna will preserve whatever is needed to continue to perform bhakti. He will not take away one’s ability to chant or hear Krsna katha.
SB 10.88.8 is a special mercy of Krsna. This mercy can be bestowed equally on a beginner devotee or an advanced devotee. Krsna bestowed this special mercy on Srila Prabhupada. He took everything material away from Srila Prabhupada so that he could take sannyasa and preach Krsna consciousness to the world. Krsna even did something similar with the Pandavas; they were deprived of their wealth and kingdom. But still their surrender unto Krsna did not waver.
Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport to SB 10.88.8 that ” In other words, to strengthen his devotees’ mood of dependence on Him and longing for Him, the Lord arranges for His devotees to go through some suffering, and when He appears in order to deliver them, their gratitude and transcendental pleasure are boundless.”
Another way to look at these two verses. Both verses apply together. Krsna may take away everything material from a devotee (SB 10.88.8), but He will still preserve what they lack and carry what they have (like bhakti, devotion, faith, surrender, etc. – BG 9.22)
Hope this helps!
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