Bg. 7.25 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

नाहं प्रकाश: सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृत: । मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम् ॥ २५ ॥

Verse text

nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam

Synonyms

na — nor ; aham — I ; prakāśaḥ — manifest ; sarvasya — to everyone ; yoga-māyā — by internal potency ; samāvṛtaḥ — covered ; mūḍhaḥ — foolish ; ayam — these ; na — not ; abhijānāti — can understand ; lokaḥ — persons ; mām — Me ; ajam — unborn ; avyayam — inexhaustible.

Translation

I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

25. Being covered by My yoga-māyā, I am not visible at all times even to My devotees in My spiritual abodes. And the foolish do not understand that I, though appearing as the son of Vasudeva, am without birth and certainly have no material birth.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

25. Being covered by My yogamāyā, I am not visible to all these people. The foolish do not do not know Me, who am without birth and unchanging in qualities.

Purport

It may be argued that since Kṛṣṇa was visible to everyone when He was present on this earth, how can it be said that He is not manifest to everyone? But actually He was not manifest to everyone. When Kṛṣṇa was present there were only a few people who could understand Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the assembly of Kurus, when Śiśupāla spoke against Kṛṣṇa’s being elected president of the assembly, Bhīṣma supported Him and proclaimed Him to be the Supreme God. Similarly, the Pāṇḍavas and a few others knew that He was the Supreme, but not everyone. He was not revealed to the nondevotees and the common man. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says that but for His pure devotees, all men consider Him to be like themselves. He was manifest only to His devotees as the reservoir of all pleasure. But to others, to unintelligent nondevotees, He was covered by His internal potency. In the prayers of Kuntī in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.8.19) it is said that the Lord is covered by the curtain of yoga-māyā and thus ordinary people cannot understand Him. This yoga-māyā curtain is also confirmed in the Īśopaniṣad (Mantra 15), in which the devotee prays: hiraṇmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṁ mukham tat tvaṁ pūṣann apāvṛṇu satya-dharmāya dṛṣṭaye “O my Lord, You are the maintainer of the entire universe, and devotional service to You is the highest religious principle. Therefore, I pray that You will also maintain me. Your transcendental form is covered by the yoga-māyā. The brahma-jyotir is the covering of the internal potency. May You kindly remove this glowing effulgence that impedes my seeing Your sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, Your eternal form of bliss and knowledge.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His transcendental form of bliss and knowledge is covered by the internal potency of the brahma-jyotir, and the less intelligent impersonalists cannot see the Supreme on this account. Also in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.7) there is this prayer by Brahmā: “O Supreme Personality of Godhead, O Supersoul, O master of all mystery, who can calculate Your potency and pastimes in this world? You are always expanding Your internal potency, and therefore no one can understand You. Learned scientists and learned scholars can examine the atomic constitution of the material world or even the planets, but still they are unable to calculate Your energy and potency, although You are present before them.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, is not only unborn but also avyaya, inexhaustible. His eternal form is bliss and knowledge, and His energies are all inexhaustible.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

“If You have eternal form, qualities and pastimes, then why do we not see these things at all times?” “I am not manifest to all people living at all times and places. I am always present with My associates, qualities and pastimes in some universe, at some time, but just as the sun is not visible to all people at all times, but only sometimes, since it gets covered by Mount Meru, I also am not visible at all times, being covered by yoga-māyā. Though the sun is situated within the zodiac and is always present there for all the living beings, it is not visible to all people at all times and places. Similarly I am not visible to all people at all times in the various sections of Bhārata.” “But as the sun is always visible in its own abode, why is Kṛṣṇa not always visible to all the people presently dwelling in His abodes such as Mathurā and Dvārakā?” “Since Meru is present in the middle of the zodiac, then the sun, when covered, is not visible. In the same way, within Kṛṣṇa’s effulgent abodes, yoga-māyā is always present like Meru. Kṛṣṇa, like the sun, covered by that Meru in the form of yoga-māyā, is not visible constantly, but only sometimes. This is all without fault. As well, the foolish people do not understand that I, in My form as Śyāmasundara (mām), though appearing as Vasudeva’s son (ajam), am free from material birth (ajam avyayam). Thus, finally rejecting Me, the ocean of auspicious qualities, they worship My impersonal aspect, Brahman.”

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

“The non-devotees, as well as the devotees, cause your appearance in this world. How is it then that you are visible only out of mercy to the devotees?” I, filled with eternal knowledge and bliss, endowed with infinitely auspicious qualities and activities, am visible to the devotees. But I am not visible to any of the non-devotees at all, because I am covered by yoga māyā, by māyā endowed with a method (yoga) of bewildering those who are opposed to Me. It is said: māyā-javanikācchanna-mahimne brahmaṇe namaḥ [Note: ātma-dyota-guṇaiś channa-mahimne brahmaṇe namaḥ is found in SB 10.10.33. māyā-javanikācchannam ātmānaṁ kālam īśvaram is found in SB 10.84.23.] I offer my respects to the Supreme Lord whose glory is covered by the curtain of māyā. These people (ayam lokaḥ), bewildered by māyā (muḍhaḥ), do not know Me, though I am praised by Brahmā and Śiva and have powers beyond men and devatās. What type of person am I? They do not know Me as a person who has no birth. This is because I am without change (avyayam): My form, powers, omniscience and other qualities are unchanging in their natures.

Surrender Unto Me

This is why they don't understand. Because they are covered by Krsna's internal potency ‑ 'yoga‑maya‑samavrtah'. They are mudhas, they are fools. They receive greater condemnation than the demigods' worshipers. These people cannot see Krsna. There is a covering for them. But is that Krsna cannot see them? [ F . THE BEWILDERMENT OF THE LIVING ENTITY AND HIS FREEDOM THROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF KRSNA (7. 26‑30) 1. The living entity's bewilderment: Krsna, however, knows all and is thus different from these foolish living entities who are born into delusion and are bewildered by dualities arising from desire and hate. (26‑27) ]