Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 6 Chapter 12 Verse 11

Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for Mankind | Chapter 12: Vṛtrāsura's Glorious Death

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.12.11

puruṣaḥ prakṛtir vyaktam

ātmā bhūtendriyāśayāḥ

śaknuvanty asya sargādau

na vinā yad-anugrahāt

SYNONYMS

puruṣaḥ — the generator of the total material energy; prakṛtiḥ — the material energy or material nature; vyaktam — the principles of manifestation (mahat-tattva); ātmā — the false ego; bhūta — the five material elements; indriya — the ten senses; āśayāḥ — the mind, intelligence and consciousness; śaknuvanti — are able; asya — of this universe; sarga-ādau — in the creation, etc.; na — not; vinā — without; yat — of whom; anugrahāt — the mercy.

TRANSLATION

The three puruṣas — Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī-Viṣṇu — the material nature, the total material energy, the false ego, the five material elements, the material senses, the mind, the intelligence and consciousness cannot create the material manifestation without the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

As confirmed in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaḿ jagat: whatever manifestations we experience are nothing but various energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These energies cannot create anything independently. This is also confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10): mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram. "This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving living beings." Only under the direction of the Lord, the Supreme Person, can prakṛti, which is manifested in twenty-four elements, create different situations for the living entity. In the Vedas the Lord says:

madīyaḿ mahimānaḿ ca

parabrahmeti śabditam

vetsyasy anugṛhītaḿ me

sampraśnair vivṛtaḿ hṛdi

"Since everything is a manifestation of My energy, I am known as Parabrahman. Therefore everyone should hear from Me about My glorious activities." The Lord also says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.2), aham ādir hi devānām: "I am the origin of all the demigods." Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the origin of everything, and no one is independent of Him. Śrīla Madhvācārya also says, anīśa jīva-rūpeṇa: the living entity is anīśa, never the controller, but is always controlled. Therefore when a living entity becomes proud of being an independent īśvara, or god, that is his foolishness. Such foolishness is described in the following verse.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness