In the Bhagavad-gita (10.41) the Lord says, "Anyone specifically powerful
and opulent in wealth, strength, beauty, knowledge and all that is
materially desirable is to be considered but a product of an insignificant
portion of the complete whole of My energy."
No one, therefore, can be independently powerful in any measure without
being endowed by the Lord.
When the Lord descends on the earth along with His eternal ever-liberated
associates, He not only displays the divine energy possessed by Himself, but
also empowers His associate devotees with the required energy to execute His
mission of incarnation.
It is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita (4.5) that the Lord and His eternal
associates descend on the earth many times, but the Lord remembers all the
different roles of incarnations, whereas the associates, by His supreme
will, forget them.
Similarly, the Lord takes away with Him all His associates when He
disappears from the earth.
The power and energy which were bestowed upon Arjuna were required for
fulfillment of the mission of the Lord, but when His mission was fulfilled,
the emergency powers were withdrawn from Arjuna because the astounding
powers of Arjuna, which were astonishing even to the denizens of heaven,
were no longer required, and they were not meant for going back home, back
to Godhead.
If endowment of powers and withdrawal of powers by the Lord are possible
even for a great devotee like Arjuna, or even the demigods in heaven, then
what to speak of the ordinary living beings who are but figs compared to
such great souls.
The lesson is, therefore, that no one should be puffed up for his powers
borrowed from the Lord.
The sane man should rather feel obliged to the Lord for such benefactions
and must utilize such power for the service of the Lord.
Such power can be withdrawn at any time by the Lord, so the best use of such
power and opulence is to engage them in the service of the Lord.
SB 1.15.5 Purport
