Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 11 Chapter 10 Verse 34

Canto 11: General History | Chapter 10: The Nature of Fruitive Activity

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.10.34

kāla ātmāgamo lokaḥ

svabhāvo dharma eva ca

iti māḿ bahudhā prāhur

guṇa-vyatikare sati

SYNONYMS

kālaḥ — time; ātmā — the self; āgamaḥ — Vedic knowledge; lokaḥ — the universe; svabhāvaḥ — different natures of different living entities; dharmaḥ — religious principles; eva — certainly; ca — also; iti — thus; mām — Me; bahudhā — in many ways; prāhuḥ — they call; guṇa — of the modes of nature; vyatikare — agitation; sati — when there is.

TRANSLATION

When there is agitation and interaction of the material modes of nature, the living entities then describe Me in various ways such as all-powerful time, the Self, Vedic knowledge, the universe, one's own nature, religious ceremonies and so on.

PURPORT

One can experience the potency of the Personality of Godhead by observing how different species of life — demigods, human beings, animals, fish, birds, insects, plants, etc. — gradually evolve their natures and activities. Each species of life executes a particular process of sense gratification, and this function is called the dharma of the species. Lacking knowledge of the Personality of Godhead, ordinary persons catch a glimpse of the Lord's potencies in the above-mentioned manifestations. Śrīla Madhvācārya has cited the following information from the Tantra-bhāgavata. The Lord is called kāla, or time, because He is the mover and controller of all material qualities. Because He is complete and perfect, He is called ātmā, or the Self; and He is the personification of all knowledge. The word svabhāva indicates that the Lord fully controls His own destiny; and as the maintainer of everyone He is called dharma. One on the liberated platform can achieve unlimited bliss by worshiping the Personality of Godhead, whereas those who are ignorant of the Lord try to find meaning by concocting other objects of worship. If one stubbornly imagines that anything is independent of the Lord, one will remain in the grip of the illusory network of the Lord's potency. Seeing the inevitability of the destruction of material things, one is constantly fearful and perpetually laments in the darkness of ignorance. In such darkness there is no question of happiness. Therefore, one should never think that anything is independent of the Personality of Godhead. As soon as one considers anything to be independent of the Lord, one is immediately gripped by the Lord's illusory network, called māyā. One should always remain humble and obedient to the Personality of Godhead, even when one is liberated, and thus one will achieve the supreme spiritual happiness.

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