SB 4.17.32 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

नूनं बतेशस्य समीहितं जनै- स्तन्मायया दुर्जययाकृतात्मभि: । न लक्ष्यते यस्त्वकरोदकारयद् योऽनेक एक: परतश्च ईश्वर: ॥ ३२ ॥

Verse text

nūnaṁ bateśasya samīhitaṁ janais tan-māyayā durjayayākṛtātmabhiḥ na lakṣyate yas tv akarod akārayad yo ’neka ekaḥ parataś ca īśvaraḥ

Synonyms

nūnam — surely ; bata — certainly ; īśasya — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; samīhitam — activities, plan ; janaiḥ — by people ; tat — māyayā — by His potency ; durjayayā — which is unconquerable ; akṛta — ātmabhiḥ — who are not sufficiently experienced ; na — never ; lakṣyate — are seen ; yaḥ — he who ; tu — then ; akarot — created ; akārayat — caused to create ; yaḥ — one who ; anekaḥ — many ; ekaḥ — one ; parataḥ — by His inconceivable potencies ; ca — and ; īśvaraḥ — controller .

Translation

My dear Lord, although You are one, by Your inconceivable potencies You have expanded Yourself in many forms. Through the agency of Brahmā, You have created this universe. You are therefore directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those who are not sufficiently experienced cannot understand Your transcendental activities because these persons are covered by Your illusory energy.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The plan of the Lord, who carries out primary creation and engages others in secondary creation, who is one through himself and is many through māyā, cannot be understood by people whose minds are bewildered by his unconquerable māyā. “You are saying that I am irreligious.” No, not at all! But your powers are hard to understand. Akṛtātmabhiḥ means “by persons with bewildered minds. The Lord who carried out primary creation has made Brahmā carry out secondary creation (akārayat). He is one alone, and many by māyā (parataḥ).

Purport

God is one, but He expands Himself in a variety of energies — the material energy, the spiritual energy, the marginal energy and so forth. Unless one is favored and especially endowed with grace, he cannot understand how the one Supreme Personality of Godhead acts through His different energies. The living entities are also the marginal energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brahmā is also one of these living entities, but he is especially empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although Brahmā is supposed to be the creator of this universe, actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead is its ultimate creator. In this verse the word māyayā is significant. Māyā means “energy.” Lord Brahmā is not the energetic but is one of the manifestations of the Lord’s marginal energy. In other words, Lord Brahmā is only an instrument. Although sometimes plans appear contradictory, there is a definite plan behind all action. One who is experienced and is favored by the Lord can understand that everything is being done according to the Lord’s supreme plan.