Devanagari
श्रीमुनय ऊचु:
यन्मायया तत्त्वविदुत्तमा वयं
विमोहिता विश्वसृजामधीश्वरा: ।
यदीशितव्यायति गूढ ईहया
अहो विचित्रं भगवद्विचेष्टितम् ॥ १६ ॥
Verse text
śrī-munaya ūcuḥ
yan-māyayā tattva-vid-uttamā vayaṁ
vimohitā viśva-sṛjām adhīśvarāḥ
yad īśitavyāyati gūḍha īhayā
aho vicitram bhagavad-viceṣṭitam
Synonyms
śrī
—
munayaḥ ūcuḥ — the great sages said
;
yat
—
whose
;
māyayā
—
by the power of illusion
;
tattva
—
of the truth
;
vit
—
knowers
;
uttamāḥ
—
best
;
vayam
—
we
;
vimohitāḥ
—
confused
;
viśva
—
of the universe
;
sṛjām
—
of creators
;
adhīśvaraḥ
—
chief
;
yat
—
the fact that
;
īśitavyāyati
—
(the Supreme Lord) pretends to be subject to higher control
;
gūḍhaḥ
—
hidden
;
īhayā
—
by His activities
;
aho
—
ah
;
vicitram
—
amazing
;
bhagavat
—
of the Supreme Lord
;
viceṣṭitam
—
the activity .
Translation
The great sages said: Your power of illusion has totally bewildered us, the most exalted knowers of the truth and leaders among the universal creators. Ah, how amazing is the behavior of the Supreme Lord! He covers Himself with His humanlike activities and pretends to be subject to superior control.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The great sages said: Your power of illusion has totally bewildered us, the most exalted knowers of the truth and leaders among the universal creators. Ah, how amazing is the behavior of the Supreme Lord! He covers Himself with His humanlike activities and pretends to be subject to superior control.
KB 10.84.16
“Dear Lord, we, the leaders of human society, are supposed to possess the proper philosophy of life, yet we are bewildered by the spell of Your external energy. We are surprised to see Your behavior, which is just like that of an ordinary human being and which conceals Your real identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we therefore consider Your pastimes to be all-wonderful.
Purport
The sages have characterized the Lord’s statements as inscrutable (
duranvayam
). How this is so is stated here: His words and activities bewilder even the most learned when He plays at subordinating Himself to His own servants.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Though you are the supreme lord, you are bhagavan, who acts as if you were a controlled jiva, being difficult to perceive (gudha) because of your human activities (ihaya). But these actions produce your fame (bhagavat vicestitam).
According to the amara kosa bhaga means wealth, desire, glory, courage, effort the sun and fame.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Again it is said that they spoke (munayaḥ ucuḥ). Five verses describe their words. Two verses explain how his words were incoherent. We are bewildered by his inconceivable śakti (māyayā), his activities (viceṣṭitam), even though we know all about how he takes various forms (tattva-vid-uttamāḥ). You hide yourself by your human actions and act as if you were not the Lord. Or, though he is difficult to understand through the Vedas, the Lord acts like a jīva in his various pastimes (ihayā). Parasmaipada verb form of īśitavyāyati is poetic license.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
They speak in five verses. How amazing are activities of the Lord. By his (yat) māyā, we, Brahmā and others, lords of prajāpatis like Marīci (viśva-sṛjām), are bewildered even more than their subjects since they think they are great knowers of the truth. Or because they are bewildered the controllers of creators of the universe think themselves great Prajāpatis. How amazing (aho)!
Though not understood easily by the Vedas you act like a jīva (īśatavyāyati), with various pastimes (īhayā). Or covered by many matters, acting like a jīva by your māyā, people are bewildered. “Why do cover you with māyā?” Oh (aho)! They lament and recite the verse.