Devanagari
सर्गः प्रवर्तते तावत् पौर्वापर्येण नित्यशः ।
महान् गुणविसर्गार्थः स्थित्यन्तो यावदीक्षणम् ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
sargaḥ pravartate tāvat
paurvāparyeṇa nityaśaḥ
mahān guṇa-visargārthaḥ
sthity-anto yāvad īkṣaṇam
Synonyms
sargaḥ
—
the creation
;
pravartate
—
continues to exist
;
tāvat
—
to that extent
;
paurva
—
aparyeṇa — in the form of parents and children
;
nityaśaḥ
—
perpetually
;
mahān
—
bountiful
;
guṇa
—
visarga — of the variegated manifestation of the material modes
;
arthaḥ
—
for the purpose
;
sthiti
—
antaḥ — until the end of its maintenance
;
yāvat
—
as long as
;
īkṣaṇam
—
the glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead .
Translation
As long as the Supreme Personality of Godhead continues to glance upon nature, the material world continues to exist, perpetually manifesting through procreation the great and variegated flow of universal creation.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
As long as the Supreme Lord continues to glance upon prakṛti, the vast material world continues to exist during the period of maintenance, perpetually manifesting through continuous generations for the jīvas’ enjoyment in various bodies.
How long does the creation last? It lasts for the period of maintenance. The multifarious creation with unbroken continuity of generations (paurvāparyena) for the enjoyment of the jīva (arthaḥ) through creation of various bodies (guṇa-visarga) lasts till the end of maintenance or protection by the Lord. When is that end? It lasts as long as the Lord glances, as long as he is desires to protect it.
Purport
Although the
mahat-tattva,
impelled by the force of time, is the ingredient cause of this world, it is clearly explained here that the Supreme Lord is personally the only ultimate cause of all that exists. Time and nature are powerless to act without the glance of the Personality of Godhead. He creates unlimited material variety for the sense gratification of the conditioned souls, who try to enjoy life as the children of particular parents and as the parents of particular children, throughout the 8,400,000 species of life.