Devanagari
न यं विदन्त्यमी भूपा एकारामाश्च वृष्णय: ।
मायाजवनिकाच्छन्नमात्मानं कालमीश्वरम् ॥ २३ ॥
Verse text
na yaṁ vidanty amī bhū-pā
ekārāmāś ca vṛṣṇayaḥ
māyā-javanikācchannam
ātmānaṁ kālam īśvaram
Synonyms
na
—
not
;
yam
—
whom
;
vidanti
—
know
;
amī
—
these
;
bhū
—
pāḥ — kings
;
eka
—
together
;
ārāmāḥ
—
who enjoy
;
ca
—
and
;
vṛṣṇayaḥ
—
the Vṛṣṇis
;
māyā
—
of the divine power of illusion
;
javanikā
—
by the curtain
;
ācchannam
—
covered
;
ātmānam
—
the Supreme Soul
;
kālam
—
time
;
īśvaram
—
the supreme controller .
Translation
Neither these kings nor even the Vṛṣṇis, who enjoy Your intimate association, know You as the Soul of all existence, the force of time and the supreme controller. For them You are covered by the curtain of Māyā.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Neither these kings nor even the Vṛṣṇis, who enjoy Your intimate association, know You as the Soul of all existence, the force of time and the supreme controller. For them You are covered by the curtain of Māyā.
KB 10.84.23
“Dear Lord, You are enjoying Your pastimes in the role of a human being, concealing Your real character of transcendental opulence; therefore, none of the kings present here, even the members of the Yadu dynasty, who constantly mingle with You, eat with You and sit with You, can understand that You are the original cause of all causes, the soul of everyone, the original cause of all creation.
Purport
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s family, the Vṛṣṇis, were too familiar with Him to realize that He is the Supersoul residing in the heart of every created being. And those kings at Kurukṣetra who were not devotees of Kṛṣṇa could not recognize Him as time, the annihilator of everything. Devotees and nondevotees are both covered by Māyā, but in different ways. For the materialists Māyā is illusion, but for the Vaiṣṇavas she acts as Yoga-māyā, the internal potency who covers their awareness of the Supreme Lord’s majesty and engages them in His eternal pleasure pastimes.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The Vrsnis do not know you, who are the object of the intense affection, as the Lord, having sat on the same seat or bed with you, and the kings do not know you, who destroys them as time, as the Lord. Why? Because you are covered by the screen of maya, a covering of their knowledge. It should be concluded however that it is ignorance which covers the kings and yogamaya which covers the Vrsnis.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Who are we, so far from you? Those who are near you, even the kings, and even the Vṛṣṇis, who take you as their only pleasure, do not know you as Svayam Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. They cannot realize the real extent of your greatness. “What is the cause of their not realizing me, filled with all powers, since I remain in a manifested form?” You are covered by māyā. How can it cover all my powers? It is a screen: those who are your intimate associates can realize your greatness by your desire. They describe his greatness. You are Brahman (ātmanam). You impel all beings (kalayati -kālam) as antaryāmī. You are Svayam Bhagavān (īśvaram).
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
The people gathered here are more fortunate than us sages. They take pleasure only in you (ekārāmāḥ). They do not know you as all pervading Brahman (ātmanam), as fearful time, destroying everything, or as the Lord. They know you as the son of Devakī, protector of everyone, and the dearest. Why? You are covered by a curtain of māyā, since you manifest your unlimited qualities as bhagavān.