Devanagari
मया कालात्मना धात्रा कर्मयुक्तमिदं जगत् ।
गुणप्रवाह एतस्मिन्नुन्मज्जति निमज्जति ॥ १५ ॥
Verse text
mayā kālātmanā dhātrā
karma-yuktam idaṁ jagat
guṇa-pravāha etasminn
unmajjati nimajjati
Synonyms
mayā
—
by Me
;
kāla
—
ātmanā — who contains the energy of time
;
dhātrā
—
the creator
;
karma
—
yuktam — full of fruitive activities
;
idam
—
this
;
jagat
—
world
;
guṇa
—
pravāhe — in the mighty current of the modes
;
etasmin
—
in this
;
unmajjati
—
one rises up
;
nimajjati
—
one drowns .
Translation
All results of fruitive work have been arranged within this world by Me, the supreme creator acting as the force of time. Thus one sometimes rises up toward the surface of this mighty river of the modes of nature and sometimes again submerges.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This world, endowed with karma, has been arranged by me, the Supreme Lord who acts as the force of time. Thus one sometimes rises up to Satyaloka and then sinks down to take birth as a plant.
All the destinations made of the guṇas are temporary. This universe is created by me, the Supreme Lord (dhātrā), in the form of my kāla-śakti, giving results of karma. A person rises up in saṁsāra (gunā-pravāhe) to Satyaloka and again sinks down to low destinations like plants.
Purport
Unmajjati
refers to one’s promotion to the higher planetary systems, as mentioned in previous verses, and
nimajjati
refers to being submerged in a miserable condition of life by impious activities. In both cases one is drowning within the mighty river of material existence, which carries one far away from one’s real home in the kingdom of God.