स हि सर्वसुराध्यक्षो ह्यसुरद्विड् गुहाशय: । तन्मूला देवता: सर्वा: सेश्वरा: सचतुर्मुखा: । अयं वै तद्वधोपायो यदृषीणां विहिंसनम् ॥ ४२ ॥
sa hi sarva-surādhyakṣo hy asura-dviḍ guhā-śayaḥ tan-mūlā devatāḥ sarvāḥ seśvarāḥ sa-catur-mukhāḥ ayaṁ vai tad-vadhopāyo yad ṛṣīṇāṁ vihiṁsanam
- saḥ
- He (Lord Viṣṇu)
- hi
- indeed
- sarva-sura-adhyakṣaḥ
- the leader of all the demigods
- hi
- indeed
- asura-dviṭ
- the enemy of the asuras
- guhā-śayaḥ
- He is the Supersoul within the core of everyone’s heart
- tat-mūlāḥ
- taking shelter at His lotus feet
- devatāḥ
- the demigods exist
- sarvāḥ
- all of them
- sa-īśvarāḥ
- including Lord Śiva
- sa-catuḥ-mukhāḥ
- as well as Lord Brahmā, who has four faces
- ayam
- this is
- vai
- indeed
- tat-vadha-upāyaḥ
- the only means of killing Him (Viṣṇu)
- yat
- which
- ṛṣīṇām
- of great sages, saintly persons, or Vaiṣṇavas
- vihiṁsanam
- suppression with all kinds of persecution
Lord Viṣṇu, the Supersoul within the core of everyone’s heart, is the ultimate enemy of the asuras and is therefore known as asura-dviṭ. He is the leader of all the demigods because all the demigods, including Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā, exist under His protection. The great saintly persons, sages and Vaiṣṇavas also depend upon Him. To persecute the Vaiṣṇavas, therefore, is the only way to kill Viṣṇu.