SB 2.9.27 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.27

यथात्ममायायोगेन नानाशक्त्युपबृंहितम् । विलुम्पन् विसृजन् गृह्णन् बिभ्रदात्मानमात्मना ॥ २७ ॥

yathātma-māyā-yogena

[yathaatma-maayaa-yogena]

nānā-śakty-upabṛṁhitam

[naanaa-shakty-upabrimhitam]

vilumpan visṛjan gṛhṇan

[vilumpan visrijan grihnan]

bibhrad ātmānam ātmanā

[bibhrad aatmaanam aatmanaa]

Word-for-word

yathā — as much as ātma — own māyā — potency yogena — by combination nānā — various śakti — energy upabṛṁhitam — by combination and permutation vilumpan — in the matter of annihilation visṛjan — in the matter of generation gṛhṇan — in the matter of acceptance bibhrat — in the matter of maintenance ātmānam — own self ātmanā — by the self.

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

yathātma-māyā-yogena

yathā

as much as

ātma

own

māyā

potency

yogena

by combination

nānā-śakty-upabṛṁhitam

nānā

various

śakti

energy

upabṛṁhitam

by combination and permutation

vilumpan visṛjan gṛhṇan

vilumpan

in the matter of annihilation

visṛjan

in the matter of generation

gṛhṇan

in the matter of acceptance

bibhrad ātmānam ātmanā

bibhrat

in the matter of maintenance

ātmānam

own self

ātmanā

by the self.

And [please inform me] how You, by Your own Self, manifest different energies for annihilation, generation, acceptance and maintenance by combination and permutation.

Purport

The whole manifestation is the Lord Himself by diffusion of His different energies only, namely the internal, external and marginal, just as the sunlight is the manifestation of the energy of the sun planet. Such energy is simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, just as the sunshine is simultaneously one with and different from the sun planet. The energies are acting by combination and permutation by the indication of the Lord, and the acting agents, like Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, are also different incarnations of the Lord. In other words, there is nothing but the Lord, and still the Lord is different from all such manifestive activities. How it is so will be explained later on.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

O Lord whose desire is never obstructed! O Mādhava! Destroying, creating, and maintaining the material world composed of various energies by your material energy, and, manifesting your spiritual form by your own power, you perform pastimes, just as a spider creates a web. And by your spiritual energy, by hiding or manifesting various forms and maintaining those forms for your devotees, you perform pastimes, like a spider making a web. Give me the intelligence to understand how you do this.

Commentary

Ātma-māyā-yogena means “by your external energy and by your yoga-māyā potency.” The two items are expressed within this one phrase. By the external energy you destroy and create with variety (visṛjan) the universe endowed with dravya, jñāna and kriyā śaktis and maintain it also. By yourself you manifest your svarūpa (ātmānam gṛhṇan) and perform pastimes, just as a spider creates an extended web (ūrṇute). With your yoga-māyā potency, even within the material world, you accept yourself (ātmānam), the real substance, filled with various energies such as the hlādinī-śakti, by yourself, since you are the highest perfection. By yoga-māyā, the internal energy, you slightly decrease that form (vilumpan), hiding it from some devotees, and sometimes manifest it in a variety of ways (visṛjan). And maintaining (bibhrat) that appearance for some time, you perform pastimes. The example of the spider is material, but thus in both cases, one should understand that it indicates that the Lord is the independent cause of all actions, spiritual and material. Let me know all about māyā, yoga-māyā and what is produced by each (mayi dhehi).

Personal Guidance

By His own Self the Lord manifests different energies for annihilation, generation, acceptance, and maintenance — by combination and permutation. He is one with His energies yet also distinct, as the sun is with its sunlight.

Reflection Questions

Do I confuse the Lord with His energies, or do I separate them too sharply?
How could 'one and yet different' steady my view of how He runs my life?

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io