Shloka 43
Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent
Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear
ज्योतिर्यथैवोदकपार्थिवेष्वद:समीरवेगानुगतं विभाव्यते । एवं स्वमायारचितेष्वसौ पुमान्गुणेषु रागानुगतो विमुह्यति ॥ ४३ ॥
jyotir yathaivodaka-pārthiveṣv adaḥ samīra-vegānugataṁ vibhāvyate evaṁ sva-māyā-raciteṣv asau pumān guṇeṣu rāgānugato vimuhyati
As the light of the moon, sun, and stars, reflected in oil or water, appears sometimes round and sometimes elongated due to the wind’s agitation, so the jīva, absorbed in the guṇas fashioned by his own māyā, follows attachment and, through ignorance, becomes bewildered—taking many manifestations to be his very self.
This verse gives a very good example by which to understand the different positions of the eternal spiritual soul in the material world and how the soul takes on different bodies ( dehāntara-prāptiḥ ). The moon is stationary and is one, but when it is reflected in water or oil, it appears to take different shapes because of the movements of the wind. Similarly, the soul is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but when put into the material modes of nature, it takes different bodies, sometimes as a demigod, sometimes a man, a dog, a tree and so on. By the influence of māyā, the illusory potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the living entity thinks that he is this person, that person, American, Indian, cat, dog, tree or whatever. This is called māyā. When one is freed from this bewilderment and understands that the soul does not belong to any shape of this material world, one is situated on the spiritual platform ( brahma-bhūta ).
FAQs
This verse explains that the jīva becomes bewildered by the guṇas produced by the Lord’s māyā, especially when the mind follows attachment (rāga), mistaking shifting material appearances for the self.
He uses an analogy: a reflection seems to move due to external disturbance, though light itself is unchanged—similarly, the soul appears bound and tossed about because of identification with māyā’s guṇas.
Notice how emotions and identity shift with circumstances like a reflection on disturbed water; reduce rāga through sādhana (hearing, chanting, remembrance) and make choices that increase sattva and devotion.