Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 11
Lord Śiva Bewildered by Mohinī
Viṣṇu’s Yoga-māyā and the Limits of Ascetic Power
स त्वं समीहितमद: स्थितिजन्मनाशंभूतेहितं च जगतो भवबन्धमोक्षौ । वायुर्यथा विशति खं च चराचराख्यंसर्वं तदात्मकतयावगमोऽवरुन्त्से ॥ ११ ॥
sa tvaṁ samīhitam adaḥ sthiti-janma-nāśaṁ bhūtehitaṁ ca jagato bhava-bandha-mokṣau vāyur yathā viśati khaṁ ca carācarākhyaṁ sarvaṁ tad-ātmakatayāvagamo ’varuntse
My Lord, You are supreme knowledge personified: You know the creation—its beginning, maintenance, and dissolution—and You know every endeavor of the living beings by which they become bound in saṁsāra or attain liberation. As air enters the vast sky and also enters the bodies of all moving and unmoving beings, so You pervade everything; therefore, as the Self of all, You know all.
As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā:
FAQs
This verse says the Lord is the source of both material bondage (bhava-bandha) and liberation (mokṣa), because He governs the entire cosmic process and grants results according to one’s consciousness and surrender.
In the Mohinī-mūrti episode, Lord Śiva offers prayers recognizing Viṣṇu’s supreme position—creator, maintainer, and dissolver—and admits that although the Lord pervades everything, His full nature is difficult to comprehend.
See life’s changes—creation, maintenance, and loss—as governed by the Lord, and seek freedom by aligning your will with His through devotion, humility, and steady spiritual practice rather than trying to control outcomes.