FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.28.61

माया ह्येषा मया सृष्टा यत्पुमांसं स्त्रियं सतीम् । मन्यसे नोभयं यद्वै हंसौ पश्यावयोर्गतिम् ॥ ६१ ॥
māyā hy eṣā mayā sṛṣṭā
[maayaa hy eshaa mayaa srishtaa]
yat pumāṁsaṁ striyaṁ satīm
[yat pumaamsam striyam sateem]
manyase nobhayaṁ yad vai
[manyase nobhayam yad vai]
haṁsau paśyāvayor gatim
[hamsau pashyaavayor gatim]
māyā — illusory energy hi — certainly eṣā — this mayā — by Me sṛṣṭā — created yat — from which pumāṁsam — a male striyam — a female satīm — chaste manyase — you think na — not ubhayam — both yat — because vai — certainly haṁsau — freed from material contamination paśya — just see āvayoḥ — our gatim — factual position.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
māyā hy eṣā mayā sṛṣṭā
māyā
illusory energy
hi
certainly
eṣā
this
mayā
by Me
sṛṣṭā
created
yat pumāṁsaṁ striyaṁ satīm
yat
from which
pumāṁsam
a male
striyam
a female
satīm
chaste
manyase nobhayaṁ yad vai
manyase
you think
na
not
ubhayam
both
yat
because
vai
certainly
haṁsau paśyāvayor gatim
haṁsau
freed from material contamination
paśya
just see
āvayoḥ
our
gatim
factual position.
Sometimes you think yourself a man, sometimes a chaste woman and sometimes a neutral eunuch. This is all because of the body, which is created by the illusory energy. This illusory energy is My potency, and actually both of us — you and I — are pure spiritual identities. Now just try to understand this. I am trying to explain our factual position.

The factual position of both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entity is qualitatively one. The Supreme Lord is the Supreme Spirit, the Supersoul, and the living entity is the individual spiritual soul. Even though both of them are original spiritual identities, the living entity forgets his identity when he comes in contact with material nature and becomes conditioned. At such a time he identifies himself as a product of the material nature. Because of the material body, he forgets that he is the eternal ( sanātana ) part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in this way: mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ. The word sanātana is found in several places in Bhagavad-gītā. Both the Lord and the living entity are sanātana (eternal), and there is also a place known as sanātana, beyond this material nature. The real residence of both the living entity and God is the domain of sanātana, not this material world. The material world is the temporary, external energy of the Lord, and the living entity is placed in this material world because he wanted to imitate the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this material world he tries to enjoy his senses to his best capacity. All the activities of the conditioned soul within this material world are perpetually taking place in different types of bodies, but when the living entity acquires developed consciousness, he should try to rectify his situation and again become a member of the spiritual world. The process by which one can return home, back to Godhead, is bhakti-yoga, sometimes called sanātana-dharma. Instead of accepting a temporary occupational duty based on the material body, one should take to the process of sanātana-dharma, or bhakti-yoga, so that he can put an end to this perpetual bondage in material bodies and return home, back to Godhead. As long as human society works on the basis of false material identification, all the so-called advancements of science and philosophy are simply useless. They only serve to mislead human society. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ: in the material world, the blind simply lead the blind.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
This māyā has been created by me. By this māyā, you think you are a pure woman, a man or a eunuch. Therefore, you should see our natures as two pure entities. “If this is so, why am I aware of all this?” It is māyā, because of which (yat) you think your self a man, sometimes a woman, and sometimes a eunuch. This also implies that sometimes you are a human, sometimes a devatā and sometimes an animal. Therefore (yat), certainly, see the svarūpa (gatim) of us two as pure entities (haṁsau).
Sometimes you think yourself man, sometimes woman, sometimes eunuch — all because of the māyā-made body. Gender and identity at the body-level are temporary roles; the spirit is none of them.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I clinging to a gendered or role-based identity as if it were spiritual?
  • What would 'pure spiritual identity' look like in my self-introduction?
📝 My note

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