FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.7.4

अस्राक्षीद्भगवान् विश्वं गुणमय्यात्ममायया । तया संस्थापयत्येतद्भूय: प्रत्यपिधास्यति ॥ ४ ॥
asrākṣīd bhagavān viśvaṁ
[asraaksheed bhagavaan vishvam]
guṇa-mayyātma-māyayā
[guna-mayyaatma-maayayaa]
tayā saṁsthāpayaty etad
[tayaa samsthaapayaty etad]
bhūyaḥ pratyapidhāsyati
[bhooyah pratyapidhaasyati]
Word-for-word
asrākṣīt — caused to create bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead viśvam — the universe guṇa-mayyā — endowed with three modes of material nature ātma — self māyayā — by the potency tayā — by her saṁsthāpayati — maintains etat — all these bhūyaḥ — then again praty-apidhāsyati — conversely dissolves also.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
asrākṣīd bhagavān viśvaṁ
asrākṣīt
caused to create
bhagavān
the Personality of Godhead
viśvam
the universe
guṇa-mayyātma-māyayā
guṇa-mayyā
endowed with three modes of material nature
ātma
self
māyayā
by the potency
tayā saṁsthāpayaty etad
tayā
by her
saṁsthāpayati
maintains
etat
all these
bhūyaḥ pratyapidhāsyati
bhūyaḥ
then again
praty-apidhāsyati
conversely dissolves also.
By His self-sheltered potency of the three modes of material nature, the Lord has caused the creation of this universe. By her He maintains the creation and conversely dissolves it, again and again.
Purport

This cosmic universe is created by the Lord for those living entities who are carried away by the illusory thought of becoming one with Him by imitation. The three modes of material nature are for the further bewilderment of the conditioned souls. The conditioned living entity, bewildered by the illusory energy, considers himself a part of the material creation due to forgetfulness of his spiritual identity, and thus he becomes entangled in material activities life after life. This material world is not for the purpose of the Lord Himself, but is for the conditioned souls who wanted to be controllers due to misuse of their God-gifted minute independence. Thus the conditioned souls are subjected to repeated birth and death.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The Lord creates this universe by māyā composed of the three guṇas, and maintains it by māyā and destroys it by māyā. One cannot hide the fact that the Lord does not have guṇas and actions. It is well known. Pratyapidhāsyati means that he withdraws or destroys the creation.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The verse describes a universe that is not a random stage but an arrangement with a purpose. Our work is not to engineer that purpose but to find our seat within it. The pivot here is modes of material nature.
Reflection Questions
  • What would change in your prayer if you remembered how small your sphere actually is?
  • Which 'cosmic' problem are you trying to solve when your actual task is just to play your small part well?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 7