FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.70.38

तवेहितं कोऽर्हति साधु वेदितुं स्वमाययेदं सृजतो नियच्छत: । यद् विद्यमानात्मतयावभासते तस्मै नमस्ते स्वविलक्षणात्मने ॥ ३८ ॥
tavehitaṁ ko ’rhati sādhu vedituṁ
[tavehitam ko ’rhati saadhu veditum]
sva-māyayedaṁ sṛjato niyacchataḥ
[sva-maayayedam srijato niyachchatah]
yad vidyamānātmatayāvabhāsate
[yad vidyamaanaatmatayaavabhaasate]
tasmai namas te sva-vilakṣaṇātmane
[tasmai namas te sva-vilakshanaatmane]
tava — Your īhitam — purpose kaḥ — who arhati — is able sādhu — properly veditum — to understand sva — by Your own māyayā — material energy idam — this (universe) sṛjataḥ — who creates niyacchataḥ — and withdraws yat — which vidyamāna — to exist ātmatayā — by relation to You, the Supersoul avabhāsate — appears tasmai — to Him namaḥ — obeisances te — to You sva — by Your own nature vilakṣaṇa - ātmane — inconceivable .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tavehitaṁ ko ’rhati sādhu vedituṁ
tava
Your
īhitam
purpose
kaḥ
who
arhati
is able
sādhu
properly
veditum
to understand
sva-māyayedaṁ sṛjato niyacchataḥ
sva
by Your own
māyayā
material energy
yad vidyamānātmatayāvabhāsate
idam
this (universe)
sṛjataḥ
who creates
niyacchataḥ
and withdraws
yat
which
tasmai namas te sva-vilakṣaṇātmane
vidyamāna
to exist
ātmatayā
by relation to You, the Supersoul
avabhāsate
appears
tasmai
to Him
namaḥ
obeisances
te
to You
sva
by Your own nature
vilakṣaṇa - ātmane
inconceivable .
  • sva-vilakṣaṇa-ātmane — to Him whose self is inconceivable by its own nature
    Sva-vilakṣaṇa — uniquely-distinguished. Bhagavān's nature is not approachable by any analogy from the created order. The Gauḍīya term acintya (inconceivable) is in this compound's bones.
  • sṛjataḥ niyacchataḥ — creating and withdrawing
    The same Bhagavān performs both sṛṣṭi and saṁhāra (Brahmā's and Śiva's offices) — through His own kalās, but originating from Him. The verse compresses cosmology into two participles.
  • vidyamāna-ātmatayā — by appearing-to-exist-as-self
    Creation appears to have substantial self-existence — but the appearance is His māyā. Gauḍīya: this is not Māyāvāda — the world is real, but its independent self-substance is illusion; its dependent reality on Him is true.
  • tava īhitam — Your purpose
    Īhita — what is willed. Bhagavān's līlā has internal purpose, never random. The whole second half of the chapter (the Rājasūya, the Jarāsandha rescue) will be revealed as His īhita coming to expression.
Who can properly understand Your purpose? With Your material energy You expand and also withdraw this creation, which thus appears to have substantial existence. Obeisances to You, whose transcendental position is inconceivable.

Śrīla Prabhupāda explains Nārada’s realization as follows: “My dear Lord, by Your inconceivable potencies You create this cosmic manifestation, maintain it and again dissolve it. It is by dint of Your inconceivable potency only that this material world, although a shadow representation of the spiritual world, appears to be factual. No one can understand what You plan to do in the future. Your transcendental position is always inconceivable to everyone. As far as I am concerned, I can simply offer my respectful obeisances unto You again and again.” The word sva-vilakṣaṇātmane also indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa has His own unique nature and characteristics. No one is equal to God or greater than God.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Who can properly understand Your purpose? With Your material energy You expand and also withdraw this creation, which thus appears to have substantial existence. Obeisances to You, whose transcendental position is inconceivable.
Commentary

"Morever, who can understand the intention (ihitam) of you who sometimes create and sometimes destroy the universe which gets its life from you residing as paramatma within it. Therefore I offer my respects to you who are completely inconceivable (sva vilaksanatmane) by your very nature (sva)."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Though you desired to say that I have all knowledge by your question, what person like me, or even a great soul, can really understand your activities, since you either directly or indirectly create and control this whole universe, which was the topic of your question. Therefore I offer respects only to you, who manifest this universe in its present form--like a crystal marble shining in the palm of your hand. You should not deny this statement, since you are completely different from me (sva-vilakṣaṇātmane).

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

“What is my purpose in using māyā?” No one can understand this. Or this question is not only because of māyā but without any purpose. It cannot be understood by anyone. No one can understand well (ṣadhu) your intention. Why? You create and destroy this world by your māyā. Creation and destruction themselves are a contradiction. And sometimes even the māyā is real. Therefore I offer respects to your nature which is completely different from everything else. Or, though your actions are seen by everyone through direct perception (vidyamānātmatayā), who can understand them?

Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomShanti (Peace / Tranquility)Abhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender to God)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
'Who can understand Your purpose? Obeisances to You, whose transcendental position is inconceivable.' Some humility is permanent; the Lord's plans will always exceed our framework. That's a relief, not a problem.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I straining to understand a divine plan I will not see through?
  • What does it free up to simply offer obeisances at the limit of comprehension?

Bhagavān creating and withdrawing the universe by His own māyā is like a poet who composes and erases drafts on the same page — the words appear real to the reader while they stand, dissolve when the poet wills. Creation is His paragraph, not His prison.

📝 My note

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