Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 8 Chapter 5 Verse 30

Canto 8: Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations | Chapter 5: The Demigods Appeal to the Lord for Protection

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 8.5.30

na yasya kaścātititarti māyāḿ

yayā jano muhyati veda nārtham

taḿ nirjitātmātma-guṇaḿ pareśaḿ

namāma bhūteṣu samaḿ carantam

SYNONYMS

na — not; yasya — of whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); kaśca — anyone; atititarti — is able to overcome; māyām — the illusory energy; yayā — by whom (by the illusory energy); janaḥ — people in general; muhyati — become bewildered; veda — understand; na — not; artham — the aim of life; tam — unto Him (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); nirjita — completely controlling; ātmā — the living entities; ātma-guṇam — and His external energy; para-īśam — the Lord, who is transcendentally situated; namāma — we offer our respectful obeisances; bhūteṣu — unto all living beings; samam — equally situated, or equipoised; carantam — controlling or ruling them.

TRANSLATION

No one can overcome the Supreme Personality of Godhead's illusory energy [māyā], which is so strong that it bewilders everyone, making one lose the sense to understand the aim of life. That same māyā, however, is subdued by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who rules everyone and who is equally disposed toward all living entities. Let us offer our obeisances unto Him.

PURPORT

The prowess of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, certainly controls all living entities, so much so that the living entities have forgotten the aim of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiḿ hi viṣṇum: [SB 7.5.31] the living entities have forgotten that the aim of life is to go back home, back to Godhead. The external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives all conditioned souls what appears to be an opportunity to be happy within this material world, but that is māyā; in other words, it is a dream that is never to be fulfilled. Thus every living being is illusioned by the external energy of the Supreme Lord. That illusory energy is undoubtedly very strong, but she is fully under the control of the transcendental person who is described in this verse as pareśam, the transcendental Lord. The Lord is not a part of the material creation, but is beyond the creation. Therefore, not only does He control the conditioned souls through His external energy, but He also controls the external energy itself. Bhagavad-gītā clearly says that the strong material energy controls everyone and that getting out of her control is extremely difficult. That controlling energy belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and works under His control. The living entities, however, being subdued by the material energy, have forgotten the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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