Iva tvam eso 'nta iva trinetrah

SYNONYMS

ajanatam -- to persons who are in ignorance; tvat-padavim -- of Your transcendental position; anatmani -- in the material energy; atma -- Yourself; atmana -- by Yourself; bhasi -- appear; vitatya -- expanding; mayam -- Your inconceivable energy; srstau -- in the matter of creation; iva -- as if; aham -- I, Brahma; jagatah -- of the universe; vidhane -- in the maintenance; iva -- as if; tvam esah -- Yourself; ante -- in the annihilation; iva -- as if; tri-netrah -- Lord Siva.

TRANSLATION

To persons ignorant of Your actual transcendental position, You appear as part of the material world, manifesting Yourself by the expansion of Your inconceivable energy. Thus for the creation of the universe You appear as me [Brahma], for its maintenance You appear as Yourself [Visnu], and for its annihilation You appear as Lord Trinetra [Siva].

TEXT 20

TEXT

suresv rsisv isa tathaiva nrsv api

tiryaksu yadahsv api te 'janasya

janmasatam durmada-nigrahaya

prabho vidhatah sad-anugrahaya ca

SYNONYMS

suresu -- among the demigods; rsisu -- among the great sages; isa -- O Lord; tatha -- as well as; eva -- indeed; nrsu -- among the human beings; api -- and; tiryaksu -- among animals; yadahsu -- among aquatics; api -- also; te -- of You; ajanasya -- who never takes material birth; janma -- the birth; asatam -- of the nondevotees; durmada -- the false pride; nigrahaya -- for the purpose of subduing; prabho -- O master; vidhatah -- O creator; sat -- to the faithful devotees; anugrahaya -- for the purpose of showing mercy; ca -- and.

TRANSLATION

O Lord, O supreme creator and master, You have no material birth, yet to defeat the false pride of the faithless demons and show mercy to Your saintly devotees, You take birth among the demigods, sages, human beings, animals and even the aquatics.

TEXT 21

TEXT

ko vetti bhuman bhagavan paratman

yogesvarotir bhavatas tri-lokyam

kva va katham va kati va kadeti

Vistarayan kridasi yoga-mayam

SYNONYMS

kah -- who; vetti -- knows; bhuman -- O supreme great one; bhagavan -- O Supreme Personality of Godhead; para-atman -- O Supreme Soul; yoga-isvara -- O master of mystic power; utih -- the pastimes; bhavatah -- of Your Lordship; tri-lokyam -- in the three worlds; kva -- where; va -- or; katham -- how; va -- or; kati -- how many; va -- or; kada -- when; iti -- thus; vistarayan -- expanding; kridasi -- You play; yoga-mayam -- Your spiritual energy.

TRANSLATION

O supreme great one! O Supreme Personality of Godhead! O Supersoul, master of all mystic power! Your pastimes are taking place continuously in these three worlds, but who can estimate where, how and when You are employing Your spiritual energy and performing these innumerable pastimes? No one can understand the mystery of how Your spiritual energy acts.

TEXT 22

TEXT

tasmad idam jagad asesam asat-svarupam

svapnabham asta-dhisanam puru-duhkha-duhkham

tvayy eva nitya-sukha-bodha-tanav anante

mayata udyad api yat sad ivavabhati

SYNONYMS

tasmat -- therefore; idam -- this; jagat -- cosmic manifestation; asesam -- entire; asat-svarupam -- whose existence is unreal in the sense of temporary; svapna-abham -- like a dream; asta-dhisanam -- wherein awareness becomes covered over; puru-duhkha-duhkham -- full of repeated miseries; tvayi -- within You; eva -- indeed; nitya -- eternal; sukha -- happy; bodha -- conscious; tanau -- whose personal appearances; anante -- who is unlimited; mayatah -- by the illusory energy; udyat -- coming forth; api -- although; yat -- which; sat -- real; iva -- as if; avabhati -- appears.

TRANSLATION

Therefore this entire universe, which like a dream is by nature unreal, nevertheless appears real, and thus it covers one's consciousness and assails one with repeated miseries. This universe appears real because it is manifested by the potency of illusion emanating from You, whose unlimited transcendental forms are full of eternal happiness and knowledge.

TEXT 23

TEXT

ekas tvam atma purusah puranah

satyah svayam-jyotir ananta adyah

nityo 'ksaro 'jasra-sukho niranjanah

purnadvayo mukta upadhito 'mrtah

SYNONYMS

ekah -- one; tvam -- You; atma -- the Supreme Soul; purusah -- the Supreme Person; puranah -- the oldest; satyah -- the Absolute Truth; svayam-jyotih -- self-manifested; anantah -- without end; adyah -- without beginning; nityah -- eternal; aksarah -- indestructible; ajasra-sukhah -- whose happiness cannot be obstructed; niranjanah -- devoid of contamination; purna -- complete; advayah -- without a second; muktah -- free; upadhitah -- from all material designations; amrtah -- deathless.

TRANSLATION

You are the one Supreme Soul, the primeval Supreme Personality, the Absolute Truth -- self-manifested, endless and beginningless. You are eternal and infallible, perfect and complete, without any rival and free from all material designations. Your happiness can never be obstructed, nor have You any connection with material contamination. Indeed, You are the indestructible nectar of immortality.

TEXT 24

TEXT

evam-vidham tvam sakalatmanam api

svatmanam atmatmataya vicaksate

gurv-arka-labdhopanisat-sucaksusa

ye te tarantiva bhavanrtambudhim

SYNONYMS

evam-vidham -- as thus described; tvam -- You; sakala -- of all; atmanam -- souls; api -- indeed; sva-atmanam -- the very Soul; atma-atmataya -- as the Supersoul; vicaksate -- they see; guru -- from the spiritual master; arka -- who is like the sun; labdha -- received; upanisat -- of confidential knowledge; su-caksusa -- by the perfect eye; ye -- who; te -- they; taranti -- cross over; iva -- easily; bhava -- of material existence; anrta -- which is not real; ambudhim -- the ocean.

TRANSLATION

Those who have received the clear vision of knowledge from the sunlike spiritual master can see You in this way, as the very Soul of all souls, the Supersoul of everyone's own self. Thus understanding Your original personality, they are able to cross over the ocean of illusory material existence.

TEXT 25

TEXT

atmanam evatmatayavijanatam

tenaiva jatam nikhilam prapancitam

jnanena bhuyo 'pi ca tat praliyate

rajjvam aher bhoga-bhavabhavau yatha

SYNONYMS

atmanam -- Yourself; eva -- indeed; atmataya -- as the Supreme Soul; avijanatam -- for those who do not understand; tena -- by that; eva -- alone; jatam -- is generated; nikhilam -- the entire; prapancitam -- material existence; jnanena -- by knowledge; bhuyah api -- once again; ca -- and; tat -- that material existence; praliyate -- disappears; rajjvam -- within a rope; aheh -- of a snake; bhoga -- of the body; bhava-abhavau -- the apparent appearance and disappearance; yatha -- just as.

TRANSLATION

A person who mistakes a rope for a snake becomes fearful, but he then gives up his fear upon realizing that the so-called snake does not exist. Similarly, for those who fail to recognize You as the Supreme Soul of all souls, the expansive illusory material existence arises, but knowledge of You at once causes it to subside.

TEXT 26

TEXT

ajnana-samjnau bhava-bandha-moksau

dvau nama nanyau sta rta-jna-bhavat

ajasra-city atmani kevale pare