SB 11.28.6 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

आत्मैव तदिदं विश्वं सृज्यते सृजति प्रभु: । त्रायते त्राति विश्वात्मा ह्रियते हरतीश्वर: ॥ ६ ॥ तस्मान्न ह्यात्मनोऽन्यस्मादन्यो भावो निरूपित: । निरूपितेऽयं त्रिविधा निर्मूला भातिरात्मनि । इदं गुणमयं विद्धि त्रिविधं मायया कृतम् ॥ ७ ॥

Verse text

ātmaiva tad idaṁ viśvaṁ sṛjyate sṛjati prabhuḥ trāyate trāti viśvātmā hriyate haratīśvaraḥ tasmān na hy ātmano ’nyasmād anyo bhāvo nirūpitaḥ nirūpite ’yaṁ tri-vidhā nirmūlā bhātir ātmani idaṁ guṇa-mayaṁ viddhi tri-vidhaṁ māyayā kṛtam

Synonyms

ātmā — the Supreme Soul ; eva — alone ; tat idam — this ; viśvam — universe ; sṛjyate — is created ; sṛjati — and creates ; prabhuḥ — the Supreme Lord ; trāyate — is protected ; trāti — protects ; viśva — ātmā — the Soul of all that be ; hriyate — is withdrawn ; harati — withdraws ; īśvaraḥ — the supreme controller ; tasmāt — than Him ; na — no ; hi — indeed ; ātmanaḥ — than the Soul ; anyasmāt — who is distinct ; anyaḥ — other ; bhāvaḥ — entity ; nirūpitaḥ — is ascertained ; nirūpite — thus established ; ayam — this ; tri — vidhā — threefold ; nirmūlā — without basis ; bhātiḥ — appearance ; ātmani — within the Supersoul ; idam — this ; guṇa — mayam — consisting of the modes of nature ; viddhi — you should know ; tri — vidham — threefold ; māyayā — by the illusory energy ; kṛtam — created .

Translation

The Supersoul alone is the ultimate controller and creator of this world, and thus He alone is also the created. Similarly, the Soul of all existence Himself both maintains and is maintained, withdraws and is withdrawn. No other entity can be properly ascertained as separate from Him, the Supreme Soul, who nonetheless is distinct from everything and everyone else. The appearance of the threefold material nature, which is perceived within Him, has no actual basis. Rather, you should understand that this material nature, composed of the three modes, is simply the product of His illusory potency.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The Lord creates the universe and is created. He maintains the universe and is maintained. He destroys the universe and is destroyed. Nothing other than Paramātmā exists but he is different from everything. Perceptions of three types of suffering in Paramātmā are baseless. Know that the universe made of guṇas and three types of suffering are created by my inconceivable energy “How can duality described in the scriptures--which speak of creation-- be considered false?” This is explained in two verses. The Supreme Lord creates the universe, and he is also created. There is no duality. He maintains the universe and is maintained. There is no object other than Paramātmā, who is also different from the objects he creates (anyasmāt). The perception of pain arising from self, others or nature is baseless. If Paramātmā alone is the universe, how can these three factors (self, others, and nature) exist, since Paramātmā by nature is devoid of these three types of suffering? “Why then are these three perceived?” They are created by my inconceivable energy. This is the meaning given by supporters of pariṇāma-vāda. Or, they are created by ignorance. This is the interpretation of vivarta-vāda. [Note: In the vivarta-vāda interpretation, ātmā would mean Brahman. Viśvanātha gives the pariṇāma-vāda interpretation for the verses from verse 6 onwards, though vivarta-vāda interpretation is also possible, as he mentions in the commentary on verse 1.]

Purport

The Absolute Truth, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, expands His external potency and thus creates the material cosmos. As with the sun globe and its expanded rays, the Lord and His expanded potency are simultaneously one and different. Although to conditioned souls material duality seems to be based on the modes of nature, the entire material manifestation is actually nondifferent from the Lord and is of one ultimately spiritual nature. The modes of nature create sense objects, demigods, human beings, animals, friends, enemies and so forth. But in reality, everything is simply an expansion of the potency of the Supreme Lord. Foolishly, the conditioned soul tries to lord it over material nature, but the Lord Himself, being nondifferent from that nature, is its only true proprietor. In several places the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has given the example of the spider spinning its web by expanding thread from its own mouth. Similarly, through His own potency the Lord manifests the material world, maintains it and eventually withdraws it within Himself. Although the Lord is the unique Supreme Personality of Godhead, above everyone and everything, He is simultaneously and inconceivably nondifferent from everything. Therefore it is the Lord Himself who is manifested when the Lord creates, it is the Lord Himself who is maintained when the Lord maintains, and it is the Lord Himself who is withdrawn at the time of annihilation. Although the Lord is nondifferent from both His spiritual abode and His material creation, still the spiritual abode, Vaikuṇṭha, is always superior to the material manifestation. Both matter and spirit are energies of the Lord, yet the spiritual energy is molded into the eternal forms of bliss and knowledge, whereas the temporary forms of matter are symbols of ignorance and frustration for the conditioned souls who covet them. The Supreme Lord is Himself the reservoir of all pleasure and is thus dear to His devotees. The presumption that the Lord cannot give us complete pleasure is due to our misidentifying Him as a product of the material modes of nature. As a result, we pursue false happiness in the deadly embrace of māyā and thus deviate from our eternal loving relationship with Lord Kṛṣṇa.