Devanagari
नैते स्वरूपं विदुरात्मनस्ते
ह्यजादयोऽनात्मतया गृहीता: ।
अजोऽनुबद्ध: स गुणैरजाया
गुणात् परं वेद न ते स्वरूपम् ॥ ३ ॥
Verse text
naite svarūpaṁ vidur ātmanas te
hy ajādayo ’nātmatayā gṛhītaḥ
ajo ’nubaddhaḥ sa guṇair ajāyā
guṇāt paraṁ veda na te svarūpam
Synonyms
na
—
do not
;
ete
—
these (elements of creation)
;
svarūpam
—
the true identity
;
viduḥ
—
know
;
ātmanaḥ
—
of the Supreme Soul
;
te
—
You
;
hi
—
indeed
;
ajā
—
ādayaḥ — headed by the total material nature
;
anātmatayā
—
by the status of being nonliving matter
;
gṛhītāḥ
—
seized
;
ajaḥ
—
Lord Brahmā
;
anubaddhaḥ
—
bound up
;
saḥ
—
he
;
guṇaiḥ
—
by the modes
;
ajāyāḥ
—
of material nature
;
guṇāt
—
to these modes
;
param
—
transcendental
;
veda na
—
he does not know
;
te
—
Your
;
svarūpam
—
true form .
Translation
The total material nature and these other elements of creation certainly cannot know You as You are, for they are manifested in the realm of dull matter. Since You are beyond the modes of nature, even Lord Brahmā, who is bound up in these modes, does not know Your true identity.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The total material nature and these other elements of creation certainly cannot know You as You are, for they are manifested in the realm of dull matter. Since You are beyond the modes of nature, even Lord Brahma, who is bound up in these modes, does not know Your true identity.
KB 10.40.3
“You are the Supersoul of everything, but no one knows Your transcendental form. Everyone within this material world is influenced by the modes of material nature. Even demigods like Lord Brahmā, being covered by the influence of material nature, do not exactly know Your transcendental existence beyond the cosmic manifestation of the three modes of material nature.
Purport
God is transcendental to material nature. Unless we also transcend the limited consciousness of material existence, we cannot know Him. Even the greatest living entity in the universe, Brahmā, cannot understand the Supreme unless he comes to the platform of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"All the causes of the universe from earth to the devatas, arise from you, but they do not know you.
They, including Brahma, their source (ete), do not know your form as paramatma. Why do they not know? Being covered by matter, they do not know."
"The covered jivas may not know me, but the pure jivas know me."
"No, even Brahma does not know you."
"Why?"
"As he is covered by the gunas of matter, he cannot know your real form which is beyond the gunas."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Brahmā does not know your form which is unattached to the guṇas. Matter cannot know you. “Matter is unconscious, but the jīvas should be able to know me.” Even Brahmā does not know you. Or matter cannot know you. The jīvas know matter and themselves, but not your svarūpa. Or, “Why have you not recognized me as the Lord till this time?” Even Brahmā does not know you. Now you are known since you have come as avatāra.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
All these with prakṛti as their origin (ajādayaḥ) do not know you. And though conscious, the jīva, does not know you. Or even Brahmā, constantly bound (anubaddhaḥ), does not know you.
Or “Describing Nārāyaṇa, you praise me. Why do you not describe my two handed form, the joy of Gokula?” The great devotees who are beyond the guṇas know your two handed form, the joy of Gokula, most attractive, and not others. That is explained in this verse.
Materially conscious jīvas (ajadayaḥ) do not know that form of yours, though it is directly present (ātmanaḥ). Only the people of Vraja know that form. “Does this hope not arise in anyone else?” By similar bhakti, someone, sometime, can know that form. Brahmā (ajaḥ) knows this. Going to Vṛndāvana, though bound by the guṇas, offering respect to you (nate), he knows your (te) form. That is described in SB 10.14.1.