Shloka 19
Varṣā-Śarad Vṛndāvana-Śobha: The Beauty of the Rainy and Autumn Seasons in Vraja
न रराजोडुपश्छन्न: स्वज्योत्स्नाराजितैर्घनै: । अहंमत्या भासितया स्वभासा पुरुषो यथा ॥ १९ ॥
na rarājoḍupaś channaḥ sva-jyotsnā-rājitair ghanaiḥ ahaṁ-matyā bhāsitayā sva-bhāsā puruṣo yathā
In the rainy season the moon did not shine forth, being veiled by clouds that were themselves lit by its rays. Likewise, the jīva in material existence is hidden by the covering of false ego, which is illuminated only by the consciousness of the pure soul.
The analogy given here is excellent. During the rainy season we cannot see the moon in the sky, because the moon is covered by clouds. These clouds, however, are radiant with the glow of the moon’s own rays. Similarly, in our conditioned, material existence we cannot directly perceive the soul, because our consciousness is covered by the false ego, which is the false identification with the material world and the material body. Yet it is the soul’s own consciousness that illumines the false ego.
FAQs
This verse explains that the soul is self-luminous, but its true radiance is obscured when the ‘I’-conception (aham-mati/false ego) covers it—like the moon hidden by clouds brightened by the moon’s own light.
He is narrating the changing seasons around Kṛṣṇa’s Vṛndāvana pastimes and simultaneously teaching spiritual insight through nature—using the moon-cloud scene as an analogy for the self covered by ego.
Notice how the urge to identify as the doer or owner (“I am this”) dims inner clarity; cultivate humility and devotion (bhakti) so the ego-covering thins and the soul’s awareness can shine naturally.