Devanagari
सैषा विष्णोर्महामायाबाध्ययालक्षणा यया ।
मुह्यन्त्यस्यैवात्मभूता भूतेषु गुणवृत्तिभि: ॥ २९ ॥
Verse text
saiṣā viṣṇor mahā-māyā-
bādhyayālakṣaṇā yayā
muhyanty asyaivātma-bhūtā
bhūteṣu guṇa-vṛttibhiḥ
Synonyms
sā eṣā
—
this very
;
viṣṇoḥ
—
of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu
;
mahā
—
māyā — the illusory material energy
;
abādhyayā
—
by her who cannot be checked
;
alakṣaṇā
—
indiscernible
;
yayā
—
by whom
;
muhyanti
—
become bewildered
;
asya
—
of the Lord
;
eva
—
indeed
;
ātma
—
bhūtāḥ — the part-and-parcel spirit souls
;
bhūteṣu
—
within their material bodies
;
guṇa
—
of the modes of nature
;
vṛttibhiḥ
—
by the functions .
Translation
This is indeed the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu’s illusory energy, which is unstoppable and difficult to perceive. Although the individual spirit souls are part and parcel of the Lord, through the influence of this illusory energy they are bewildered by their identification with various material bodies.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This is the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu's illusory energy, which is unstoppable and difficult to perceive. By this illusory energy the souls, portions of the Lord, are bewildered concerning other living beings by the functions of the guṇas.
How can even learned persons be so bewildered? Because of the anger of Janmejaya, the brāhmaṇas who were learned were engaged in a sacrifice to kill the snakes. The power of māyā is shown. Māyā is invisible. By māyā, which cannot be stopped even by learned people, everyone is bewildered. Who is bewildered? The living entities who are aṁśas of Viṣṇu are bewildered concerning living beings and objects by the functions of the guṇas such as anger and hatred.
Purport
The illusory energy of Lord Viṣṇu is so powerful that even the illustrious son of King Parīkṣit was temporarily misdirected. Because he was a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, however, his bewilderment was quickly rectified. On the other hand, an ordinary, materialistic person without the special protection of the Lord plummets to the depths of material ignorance. Factually, materialistic persons are not interested in the protection of Lord Viṣṇu. Therefore their complete ruination is inevitable.