SB 5.17.19

SB 5.17.19

Devanagari

न यस्य मायागुणचित्तवृत्तिभि-र्निरीक्षतो ह्यण्वपि द‍ृष्टिरज्यते ईशे यथा नोऽजितमन्युरंहसांकस्तं न मन्येत जिगीषुरात्मन: ॥ १९ ॥

Verse text

na yasya māyā-guṇa-citta-vṛttibhir nirīkṣato hy aṇv api dṛṣṭir ajyate īśe yathā no ’jita-manyu-raṁhasāṁ kas taṁ na manyeta jigīṣur ātmanaḥ

Synonyms

na never ; yasya whose ; māyā of the illusory energy ; guṇa in the qualities ; citta of the heart ; vṛttibhiḥ by the activities (thinking, feeling and willing) ; nirīkṣataḥ of Him who is glancing ; hi certainly ; aṇu slightly ; api even ; dṛṣṭiḥ vision ; ajyate is affected ; īśe for the purpose of regulating ; yathā as ; naḥ of us ; ajita who have not conquered ; manyu of anger ; raṁhasām the force ; kaḥ who ; tam unto Him (the Supreme Lord) ; na not ; manyeta would worship ; jigīṣuḥ aspiring to conquer ; ātmanaḥ the senses .

Translation

We cannot control the force of our anger. Therefore when we look at material things, we cannot avoid feeling attraction or repulsion for them. But the Supreme Lord is never affected in this way. Although He glances over the material world for the purpose of creating, maintaining and destroying it, He is not affected, even to the slightest degree. Therefore, one who desires to conquer the force of the senses must take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Then he will be victorious.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

What person, desiring to conquer the senses, will not worship the Lord whose vision is not affected by the actions of the mind influenced by the guṇas of māyā when he glances in order to regulate matter, though we, having the force of uncontrolled anger, are affected by when we glance at matter. This verse describes the Lord’s inconceivable power. Though the Lord glances for controlling (īśe), his glance is not affected by the actions of the guṇas, by the forms and qualities of māyā, by the actions of the senses and by the sense objects. Īśe comes from the verb īṭ, meaning to control. As an abstract noun it takes the form īś. An opposite example is given. We are affected the impulse of uncontrolled anger. Our glance is affected. You are not like that. Who, desiring to control the senses, would not worship the Lord?

Purport

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always equipped with inconceivable potencies. Although creation takes place by His glancing over the material energy, He is not affected by the modes of material nature. Because of His eternally transcendental position, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in this material world, the modes of material nature cannot affect Him. Therefore the Supreme Lord is called Transcendence, and anyone who wants to be secure from the influence of the modes of material nature must take shelter of Him.