Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 55
Akrūra’s Mission: The Departure from Vraja and the Yamunā Vision of Viṣṇu-Ananta
सुनन्दनन्दप्रमुखै: पर्षदै: सनकादिभि: । सुरेशैर्ब्रह्मरुद्राद्यैर्नवभिश्च द्विजोत्तमै: ॥ ५३ ॥ प्रह्रादनारदवसुप्रमुखैर्भागवतोत्तमै: । स्तूयमानं पृथग्भावैर्वचोभिरमलात्मभि: ॥ ५४ ॥ श्रिया पुष्ट्या गिरा कान्त्या कीर्त्या तुष्ट्येलयोर्जया । विद्ययाविद्यया शक्त्या मायया च निषेवितम् ॥ ५५ ॥
sunanda-nanda-pramukhaiḥ parṣadaiḥ sanakādibhiḥ sureśair brahma-rudrādyair navabhiś ca dvijottamaiḥ
Encircling the Lord and worshiping Him were Nanda, Sunanda and His other personal attendants; Sanaka and the other Kumāras; Brahmā, Rudra and other chief demigods; the nine chief brāhmaṇas; and the best of the saintly devotees, headed by Prahlāda, Nārada and Uparicara Vasu. Each of these great personalities was worshiping the Lord by chanting sanctified words of praise in his own unique mood. Also in attendance were the Lord’s principal internal potencies — Śrī, Puṣṭi, Gīr, Kānti, Kīrti, Tuṣṭi, Ilā and Ūrjā — as were His material potencies Vidyā, Avidyā and Māyā, and His internal pleasure potency, Śakti.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains the Lord’s potencies mentioned in these verses: “Śrī is the potency of wealth; Puṣṭi that of strength; Gīr, knowledge; Kānti, beauty; Kīrti, fame; and Tuṣṭi, renunciation. These are the Lord’s six opulences. Ilā is His bhū-śakti, also known as sandhinī, the internal potency of whom the element earth is an expansion. Ūrjā is His internal potency for performing pastimes; she expands as the tulasī plant in this world. Vidyā and Avidyā [knowledge and ignorance] are external potencies who cause the living entities’ liberation and bondage, respectively. Śakti is His internal pleasure potency, hlādinī, and Māyā is an internal potency who is the basis of Vidyā and Avidyā. The word ca implies the presence of the Lord’s marginal energy, the jīva-śakti, who is subordinate to Māyā. Lord Viṣṇu was being served by all these personified potencies.”
FAQs
This verse shows that even Māyā and Śakti are not independent powers—they are personified energies that serve the Supreme Lord, who remains their master.
Because both knowledge and ignorance operate under His supreme control: Vidyā leads souls toward Him, while Avidyā binds those who turn away—yet neither exists outside His sovereignty.
See prosperity, talent, fame, power, and even confusion as energies to be offered back in service; this shifts life from ego-centered control to devotion-centered surrender.