SB 11.22.28 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

त्वत्तो ज्ञानं हि जीवानां प्रमोषस्तेऽत्र शक्तित: । त्वमेव ह्यात्ममायाया गतिं वेत्थ न चापर: ॥ २८ ॥

Verse text

tvatto jṣānaṁ hi jīvānāṁ pramoṣas te ’tra śaktitaḥ tvam eva hy ātma-māyāyā gatiṁ vettha na cāparaḥ

Synonyms

tvattaḥ — from You ; jṣānam — knowledge ; hi — indeed ; jīvānām — of the living beings ; pramoṣaḥ — stealing away ; te — Your ; atra — in this knowledge ; śaktitaḥ — by the potency ; tvam — You ; eva — alone ; hi — indeed ; ātma — Your own ; māyāyāḥ — of the illusory potency ; gatim — the real nature ; vettha — You know ; na — not ; ca — and ; aparaḥ — any other person .

Translation

From You alone the knowledge of the living beings arises, and by Your potency that knowledge is stolen away. Indeed, no one but Yourself can understand the real nature of Your illusory potency.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

From you alone through your energy, the jivas’ knowledge arises and disappears. No one but you can understand the real nature of your illusory potency. You give knowledge by vidyā-śakti, and by avidyā steal it away. “Why should it steal knowledge if it is my energy?” You alone know.

Purport

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ smṛtir jṣānam apohanaṁ ca: “From Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.” By the Lord’s causeless mercy one is enlightened with knowledge, and by the Lord’s illusory potency that knowledge vanishes and one is merged into ignorance. Those bewildered by māyā cannot understand the difference between the material body and the spirit soul and thus should hear from the Lord Himself to remove this illusory covering.