Shloka 25
Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa (Brahmā-stuti) and the Restoration of Vraja’s Lunch Pastime
आत्मानमेवात्मतयाविजानतां तेनैव जातं निखिलं प्रपञ्चितम् । ज्ञानेन भूयोऽपि च तत् प्रलीयते रज्ज्वामहेर्भोगभवाभवौ यथा ॥ २५ ॥
ātmānam evātmatayāvijānatāṁ tenaiva jātaṁ nikhilaṁ prapañcitam jñānena bhūyo ’pi ca tat pralīyate rajjvām aher bhoga-bhavābhavau yathā
Just as one who mistakes a rope for a snake becomes afraid, yet abandons that fear upon realizing it is only a rope, so for those who do not know You as the Supreme Soul of all souls the vast illusory world arises; but knowledge of You makes it subside at once.
Those submerged in illusion see material existence as infinite, just as one who is submerged in water sees only water all around him. For example, material scientists and philosophers, submerged deep within the ocean of material illusion, imagine that material nature extends infinitely in all directions. In fact, the material creation is a finite ocean of ignorance in which foolish living entities, such as material scientists, are unceremoniously dunked by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
FAQs
This verse says the cosmos appears expanded and variegated for those who do not recognize Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Self; when true knowledge arises, the illusion subsides—like mistaking a rope for a snake and then correcting the error.
After being humbled by Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable power in the Brahmā-vimohana episode, Brahmā offers prayers explaining that misidentification causes worldly appearance, and realization of the Supreme Self removes that mistaken perception.
Practice seeing the Lord as the inner Self through sādhana (hearing, chanting, remembrance); as clarity grows, anxiety born of misidentification weakens—like fear vanishing when the “snake” is known to be only a rope.