Study a Verse

• Therefore, although Durvāsā Muni was a great mystic yogī, he first mistook Mahārāja Ambarīṣa for an ordinary human being and wanted to punish him.
• Durvāsā Muni was certainly a great yogī and a very learned brāhmaṇa, but despite his being a real yogī he was unable to understand the influence of a Vaiṣṇava.
• Therefore it is said, vaiṣṇavera kriyā mudrā vijñeha nā bujhaya: even the most learned person cannot understand the value of a Vaiṣṇava.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Peril and anger → Faith and mercy. The contrast between pride and steadiness becomes clear.

Chapters 4–5 of Canto 9: Ambarīṣa's devotion and Durvāsā's anger. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 5: Durvāsā Muni’s Life Spared

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Sudarśana cakra, which is the origin of creation and is most dear to the Lord, has thousands of spokes. This Sudarśana cakra is the killer of the prowess of all other weapons, the killer of darkness, and the manifester of the prowess of devotional service; it is the means of establishing religious principles, and it is the killer of all irreligious activities.