Shloka 56
Genealogies of Svāyambhuva Manu, the Appearance of Yajña, and Atri’s Sons
Brahmā–Viṣṇu–Śiva Expansions
देवा ऊचु: यो मायया विरचितं निजयात्मनीदं खे रूपभेदमिव तत्प्रतिचक्षणाय । एतेन धर्मसदने ऋषिमूर्तिनाद्य प्रादुश्चकार पुरुषाय नम: परस्मै ॥ ५६ ॥
devā ūcuḥ yo māyayā viracitaṁ nijayātmanīdaṁ khe rūpa-bhedam iva tat-praticakṣaṇāya etena dharma-sadane ṛṣi-mūrtinādya prāduścakāra puruṣāya namaḥ parasmai
The demigods said: We offer our obeisances to the Supreme Purusha, the transcendental Personality of Godhead, who by His māyā has fashioned this cosmic manifestation and holds it within Himself, as air and clouds rest within space. Now He has appeared in the house of Dharma as the Ṛṣi Nara-Nārāyaṇa.
The universal form of the Lord is the cosmic manifestation, which is an exhibition of the external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In space there are innumerable varieties of planets and also the air, and in the air there are variously colored clouds, and sometimes we see airplanes running from one place to another. Thus the entire cosmic manifestation is full of variety, but actually that variety is a manifestation of the external energy of the Supreme Lord, and that energy is situated in Him. Now the Lord Himself, after manifesting His energy, appeared within the creation of His energy, which is simultaneously one with and different from Himself, and therefore the demigods offered their respects to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who manifests Himself in such varieties. There are some philosophers, called nondualists, who because of their impersonal conception think that varieties are false. In this verse it is specifically stated, yo māyayā viracitam. This indicates that the varieties are a manifestation of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus because the energy is nondifferent from the Godhead, the varieties are also factual. The material varieties may be temporary, but they are not false. They are a reflection of the spiritual varieties. Here the word praticakṣaṇāya, “there are varieties,” announces the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared as Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi and who is the origin of all varieties of material nature.
FAQs
This verse says the Lord, by His own māyā, manifests the cosmos within Himself so it can be perceived, while He remains the transcendental Supreme Person beyond it.
Because the Lord has now manifested in a rishi-like form in the ‘abode of Dharma,’ and the devas recognize this appearance as the Supreme Person’s compassionate revelation.
See changing experiences and identities as appearances within the Lord’s arrangement, and anchor life in devotion and dharma—offering respect to the Supreme Reality behind all perceptions.