The Devotee and the Sage's Wrath

The sages told the Pandavas of King Ambarisha, who was both a mighty emperor and a supreme devotee of the Lord, and of how his devotion protected him even against the wrath of the most terrible of sages - teaching that the Lord himself is bound by the love of his devotees.

Ambarisha was a great king, ruler of a vast and prosperous empire, but his greatness as a ruler was nothing beside his greatness as a devotee. His whole heart was given to the Lord Vishnu. He ruled justly and well, but his mind was always fixed upon God; he used his hands for service, his speech for praise, his every act for the Lord. So pure and complete was his devotion that the Lord was pleased with him beyond measure, and granted him a special protection: the Sudarshana chakra, the Lord's own discus, the invincible weapon of Vishnu, was set to guard Ambarisha and to protect him from every harm.