SB 3.18.13
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 13
maitreya uvāca
so 'dhikṣipto bhagavatā
pralabdhaś ca ruṣā bhṛśam
ājahārolbaṇaṁ krodhaṁ
krīḍyamāno 'hi-rāḍ iva
SYNONYMS
maitreyaḥ—the great sage Maitreya; uvāca—said; saḥ—the demon; adhikṣiptaḥ—having been insulted; bhagavatā—by the Personality of Godhead; pralabdhaḥ—ridiculed; ca—and; ruṣā—angry; bhṛśam—greatly; ājahāra—collected; ulbaṇam—great; krodham—anger; krīḍyamānaḥ—being played with; ahi-rāṭ—a great cobra; iva—like.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Maitreya said: The demon, being thus challenged by the Personality of Godhead, became angry and agitated, and he trembled in anger like a challenged cobra.
PURPORT
A cobra is very fierce before ordinary persons, but before an enchanter who can play with him, he is a plaything. Similarly, a demon may be very powerful in his own domain, but before the Lord he is insignificant. The demon Rāvaṇa was a fierce figure before the demigods, but when he was before Lord Rāmacandra he trembled and prayed to his deity, Lord Śiva, but to no avail.