Devanagari
अथवा देवमायाया नूनं गतिरगोचरा ।
चेतसो वचसश्चापि भूतानामिति निश्चय: ॥ २३ ॥
Verse text
athavā deva-māyāyā
nūnaṁ gatir agocarā
cetaso vacasaś cāpi
bhūtānām iti niścayaḥ
Synonyms
athavā
—
alternatively
;
deva
—
the Lord
;
māyāyāḥ
—
energies
;
nūnam
—
very little
;
gatiḥ
—
movement
;
agocarā
—
inconceivable
;
cetasaḥ
—
either by the mind
;
vacasaḥ
—
by words
;
ca
—
or
;
api
—
also
;
bhūtānām
—
of all living beings
;
iti
—
thus
;
niścayaḥ
—
concluded .
Translation
Thus it is concluded that the Lord’s energies are inconceivable. No one can estimate them by mental speculation or by word jugglery.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
It is certain that the course of the Lord’s māyā is beyond the thought and words of the living entities.
Purport
A question may be raised as to why a devotee should refrain from identifying an actor, although he knows definitely that the Lord is the ultimate doer of everything. Knowing the ultimate doer, one should not pose himself as ignorant of the actual performer. To answer this doubt, the reply is that the Lord is also not directly responsible, for everything is done by His deputed
māyā-śakti,
or material energy. The material energy is always provoking doubts about the supreme authority of the Lord. The personality of religion knew perfectly well that nothing can take place without the sanction of the Supreme Lord, and still he was put into doubts by the deluding energy, and thus he refrained from mentioning the supreme cause. This doubtfulness was due to the contamination of both Kali and the material energy. The whole atmosphere of the Age of Kali is magnified by the deluding energy, and the proportion of measurement is inexplicable.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
You have said everything. What has been said is true. The cause is beyond reasoning (apratarkyād). The course of the Lord’s energy which causes maintenance and destruction of the whole universe (deva-māyāyāḥ) is beyond the mind (cetasaḥ). It is beyond words. Thus it is apratarkya and anirdeśya. Since māyā is only under his control, who can know and say how the Lord arranges happiness and distress in the form of maintenance and destruction for the living entities.