SB 2.6.31

SB 2.6.31

Devanagari

नारायणे भगवति तदिदं विश्वमाहितम् । गृहीतमायोरुगुण: सर्गादावगुण: स्वत: ॥ ३१ ॥

Verse text

nārāyaṇe bhagavati tad idaṁ viśvam āhitam gṛhīta-māyoru-guṇaḥ sargādāv aguṇaḥ svataḥ

Synonyms

nārāyaṇe unto Nārāyaṇa ; bhagavati the Personality of Godhead ; tat idam all these material manifestations ; viśvam all the universes ; āhitam situated ; gṛhīta having accepted ; māyā material energies ; uru guṇaḥ — greatly powerful ; sarga ādau — in creation, maintenance and destruction ; aguṇaḥ without affinity for the material modes ; svataḥ self-sufficiently .

Translation

All the material manifestations of the universes are therefore situated in His powerful material energies, which He accepts self-sufficiently, although He is eternally without affinity for the material modes.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The universe is situated in Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Lord. By nature the Lord is beyond the guṇas of prakṛti, but for creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe, he has many guṇas by accepting māyā through the forms of the devatās.

Purport

The question put by Nārada before Brahmā concerning the sustenance of the material creation is thus answered. Material actions and reactions, as the material scientist can superficially observe, are not basically ultimate truth in regard to creation, maintenance and destruction. The material energy is a potency of the Lord which is displayed in time, accepting the three qualities of goodness, passion and ignorance in the forms of Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva. The material energy thus works under the supreme spell of His Lordship, although He is always transcendental to all such material activities. A rich man constructs a big house by spending his energy in the shape of resources, and similarly he destroys a big house by his resources, but the maintenance is always under his personal care. The Lord is the richest of the rich because He is always fully complete in six opulences. Therefore He is not required to do anything personally, but everything in the material world is carried out by His wishes and direction; therefore, the entire material manifestation is situated in Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The impersonal conception of the supreme truth is due to lack of knowledge only, and this fact is clearly explained by Brahmājī, who is supposed to be the creator of the universal affairs. Brahmājī is the highest authority in Vedic wisdom, and his assertion in this connection is therefore the supreme information.

Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This verse summarizes the answer to the question given in SB 2.5.2 yad adhiṣthānam: what is shelter of the universe. Āhitam means situated. The Lord naturally has no guṇas but has many guṇas by accepting māyā in the form of devatās like Brahmā and Śiva.