Verse 7.25

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 7.25:

नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमाया-समावृतः ।
मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको माम् अजम् अव्ययम् ॥ २५ ॥

nāhaṃ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ |
mūḍho'yaṃ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam || 25 ||

na–not; aham–I; prakāśaḥ–revealed; sarvasya–to all; yogamāyā–by My internal potency; samāvṛtaḥ–covered; mūḍhaḥ–foolish; ayam–these; na abhijānāti–do not comprehend; lokaḥ–people; mām–Me; ajam–the unborn; avyayam–and imperishable.

I am not manifest to all. To the foolish I am veiled by My yogamāyā potency; therefore, they do not know My unborn and imperishable svarūpa.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

Arjuna may raise a question: “If it is to be accepted that You are eternal and have an eternal form, qualities and pastimes, then why aren’t these pastimes visible at all times?” In response to this, Śrī Bhagavān speaks this verse beginning with the word nāham. “I do not manifest Myself at all times, in every country, and before each and every person. The sun is continuously present in the universe, yet when it is blocked by the Sumeru Mountain, it is not seen by everyone at every moment. Similarly, although I exist eternally, with My qualities, pastimes and associates, I am covered by My yogamāyā, so I am only seen occasionally, in some particular universe. I am not seen everywhere, all the time, by everyone.”

Someone may say, “The sun is always present among the luminaries in this universe, but it is not seen by everyone in all countries at the same time. The sun-god however, can always be seen in his abode. In the same way, like the sun, You are always visible to those in Your abode. Why, then, are You not visible to those now situated in Your abodes such as Mathurā and Dvārakā?” In response, Kṛṣṇa says, “If the Sumeru Mountain is in the midst of the luminaries, the sun will be blocked by it and will not be visible. Similarly, yogamāyā is always present in My abodes such as Mathurā, just like Mount Sumeru in the sun’s abode.” Therefore, Kṛṣṇa, who is like the sun, is not continuously visible. At certain periods, however, everyone can see Him. “That is why those who are foolish are not able to understand Me, Śyāmasundara, the son of Vasudeva, as being materially unborn and immutable. Although I am an ocean of all-auspicious qualities, they eventually give Me up to worship My impersonal nirviśeṣa-svarūpa, brahma.”

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

In Goloka Vṛndāvana, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes are eternally manifest. Through the medium of His yogamāyā potency, He sometimes descends with His eternal associates to manifest His eternal pastimes out of compassion for the living entities in this world. Those who are unaware of this tattva are unable to understand this secret. They think that the unmanifest, impersonal nirviśeṣa-brahma is the only Absolute Truth, and that Bhagavān, whose names, forms, qualities and activities are transcendental, has manifested Himself from that nirviśeṣa-brahma. Such people have been described here as fools (mūḍha) because their intelligence is covered by the deluding potency, mahāmāyā.

Here, it should be understood that Bhagavān has two types of māyā-śakti: yogamāyā (internal) and mahāmāyā (external). Yogamāyā is His internal potency, the svarūpa-śakti, which is expert in making the impossible possible. And the external potency, mahāmāyā is the shadow of this yogamāyā. Yogamāyā arranges yoga, the enactment of the pastimes of Bhagavān, who is omniscient (sarva-jñā) and omnipotent (sarva-śaktimān). Yogamāyā does this by putting Him and His eternal associates in transcendental illusion. She also arranges for the jīvas who are perfect by dint of their devoted practice of sādhana-bhakti to be united (yoga) with Bhagavān. For this reason, this potency is called yogamāyā. On the other hand, mahāmāyā bewitches those jīvas who are averse to Bhagavān and binds them by the results of their various activities. A cloud cannot cover the sun; rather, it is only the eyes of the living entities situated on the Earth that are covered and deprived of seeing the sun. Similarly, mahāmāyā cannot cover Bhagavān but can only cover the knowledge of the living entities and thus prevent them from seeing Him.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura quotes Kṛṣṇa as saying, “Do not think that I was previously unmanifest and that I have now manifested this beautiful sac-cid-ānanda Śyāmasundara form. This form is eternal. Although it is like the self-effulgent spiritual sun of the transcendental realm, it remains hidden from the vision of common men because it is covered by the shadow of yogamāyā. The less intelligent cannot understand My immutable form because of this covering.”