FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.24

स एव जीवलोकस्य मायामोहितचेतस: । विधत्से स्वेन वीर्येण श्रेयो धर्मादिलक्षणम् ॥ २४ ॥
sa eva jīva-lokasya
[sa eva jeeva-lokasya]
māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ
[maayaa-mohita-chetasah]
vidhatse svena vīryeṇa
[vidhatse svena veeryena]
śreyo dharmādi-lakṣaṇam
[shreyo dharmaadi-lakshanam]
saḥ — that Transcendence eva — certainly jīva-lokasya — of the conditioned living beings māyā-mohita — captivated by the illusory energy cetasaḥ — by the heart vidhatse — execute svena — by Your own vīryeṇa — influence śreyaḥ — ultimate good dharma-ādi — four principles of liberation lakṣaṇam — characterized by.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa eva jīva-lokasya
saḥ
that Transcendence
eva
certainly
jīva-lokasya
of the conditioned living beings
māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ
māyā-mohita
captivated by the illusory energy
cetasaḥ
by the heart
vidhatse svena vīryeṇa
vidhatse
execute
svena
by Your own
vīryeṇa
influence
śreyo dharmādi-lakṣaṇam
śreyaḥ
ultimate good
dharma-ādi
four principles of liberation
lakṣaṇam
characterized by.
And yet, though You are beyond the purview of the material energy, You execute the four principles of liberation characterized by religion and so on for the ultimate good of the conditioned souls.

The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy, descends to the manifested world without being influenced by the material modes of nature. He is eternally beyond the material manifestations. He descends out of His causeless mercy only to reclaim the fallen souls who are captivated by the illusory energy. They are attacked by the material energy, and they want to enjoy her under false pretexts, although in essence the living entity is unable to enjoy. One is eternally the servitor of the Lord, and when he forgets this position he thinks of enjoying the material world, but factually he is in illusion. The Lord descends to eradicate this false sense of enjoyment and thus reclaim conditioned souls back to Godhead. That is the all-merciful nature of the Lord for the fallen souls.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Though you are non-different from your spiritual energy, you benefit all the jīvas bewildered by māyā through your power by giving them dharma, artha, and kāma.
Commentary

Saḥ here means “you, even though situated in your spiritual energy.”

Though beyond material energy, the Lord descends to enact dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa for the conditioned souls' good. Even the Transcendent stoops to meet us where we live. We can meet Him in the everyday.
Reflection Questions
  • Where might the Lord be meeting me in a mundane situation I've dismissed?
  • What 'descended' help have I been overlooking because it didn't look spiritual enough?
📝 My note

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