SB 1.18.48
नास्य तत्प्रतिकुर्वन्ति तद्भक्ताः प्रभवोऽपि हि ॥ ४८ ॥
nāsya tat pratikurvanti tad-bhaktāḥ prabhavo’pi hi
Synonyms
[Śamīka’s son then conjectures, “If the king were to utter a countercurse, then we too would be acquitted of wrongdoing” (rājā cet pratiśāpaṁ dadyāt tarhi niṣkritir bhaved api). This, however, is impossible, as expressed by the sage in the following verse (tat tu na sambhavati).383]; tiraḥ-kṛtāḥ [api384] — [although] abused [ninditāḥ]; vipralabdhāḥ — cheated [vañcitāḥ]; śaptāḥ — cursed [made the object of a curse (śāpa-viṣayī-kṛtāḥ)385]; kṣiptāḥ — disregarded [avajñātāḥ]; api — [or] even; hatāḥ — beaten [tāḍitāḥ]; tat-bhaktāḥ — Bhagavān’s devotees [bhagavad-bhaktāḥ386]; prabhavaḥ api — although powerful enough to do so [(samarthā api); although competent to exact retribution (praty apakartuṁ samarthā api)387]; na hi pratikurvanti — certainly never retaliate in like manner [never become wrongdoers in turn by inflicting corresponding abuse (na tiraskārādi-kartṝn pratikurvanti)388]; tat — to the affront [to those wrongful acts of abuse and so on (tat-kṛta-tiraskārādi)389]; asya — of the perpetrator [tiraskārādi kartuḥ].
Translation
Although abused, cheated, cursed, disregarded, or even beaten, Bhagavān’s devotees, although powerful enough to do so, certainly never retaliate in like manner to the affront of the perpetrator.