Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.48

tiraskṛtā vipralabdhāḥ

śaptāḥ kṣiptā hatā api

nāsya tat pratikurvanti

tad-bhaktāḥ prabhavo 'pi hi

SYNONYMS

tiraḥ-kṛtāḥ — being defamed; vipralabdhāḥ — being cheated; śaptāḥ — being cursed; kṣiptāḥ — disturbed by negligence; hatāḥ — or even being killed; api — also; na — never; asya — for all these acts; tat — them; pratikurvanti — counteract; tat — the Lord's; bhaktāḥ — devotees; prabhavaḥ — powerful; api — although; hi — certainly.

TRANSLATION

The devotees of the Lord are so forbearing that even though they are defamed, cheated, cursed, disturbed, neglected or even killed, they are never inclined to avenge themselves.

PURPORT

Ṛṣi Śamīka also knew that the Lord does not forgive a person who has committed an offense at the feet of a devotee. The Lord can only give direction to take shelter of the devotee. He thought within himself that if Mahārāja Parīkṣit would countercurse the boy, he might be saved. But he knew also that a pure devotee is callous about worldly advantages or reverses. As such, the devotees are never inclined to counteract personal defamation, curses, negligence, etc. As far as such things are concerned, in personal affairs the devotees do not care for them. But in the case of their being performed against the Lord and His devotees, then the devotees take very strong action. It was a personal affair, and therefore Śamīka Ṛṣi knew that the King would not take counteraction. Thus there was no alternative than to place an appeal to the Lord for the immature boy.

It is not that only the brāhmaṇas are powerful enough to award curses or blessings upon the subordinates; the devotee of the Lord, even though he may not be a brāhmaṇa, is more powerful than a brāhmaṇa. But a powerful devotee never misuses the power for personal benefit. Whatever power the devotee may have is always utilized in service towards the Lord and His devotees only.