Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 12

The Killing of Keśī and Vyomāsura; Nārada’s Prophetic Praise of Kṛṣṇa

Devanagari script

आत्मनात्माश्रय: पूर्वं मायया ससृजे गुणान् । तैरिदं सत्यसङ्कल्प: सृजस्यत्स्यवसीश्वर: ॥ १२ ॥

Transliteration

ātmanātmāśrayaḥ pūrvaṁ māyayā sasṛje guṇān tair idaṁ satya-saṅkalpaḥ sṛjasy atsy avasīśvaraḥ

Translation

You are the shelter of all souls, and being the supreme controller, You fulfill Your desires simply by Your will. By Your personal creative potency You manifested in the beginning the primal modes of material nature, and through their agency You create, maintain and then destroy this universe.

Synonyms

• ātmanā: by/with the Self
• ātmanā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (Masculine), Tṛtīyā-vibhakti (Instrumental/3rd), Ekavacana (Singular)

• ātmāśrayaḥ: self-dependent
• ātmāśrayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ātman + āśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa sense: ‘ātmani āśrayaḥ’ = having refuge in oneself/self-dependent

• pūrvam: formerly/at first
• pūrvam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable adverb)

• māyayā: by (His) māyā
• māyayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Tṛtīyā-vibhakti (Instrumental/3rd), Ekavacana

• sasṛje: created
• sasṛje: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (Imperfect/Past), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana

• guṇān: the qualities (guṇas)
• guṇān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti (Accusative/2nd), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• taiḥ: by them
• taiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Tṛtīyā-vibhakti (Instrumental/3rd), Bahuvacana; pronoun referring to guṇas

• idam: this (world)
• idam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṁsakaliṅga (Neuter), Prathamā/Dvitīyā (Nom/Acc), Ekavacana; here as object with implied ‘(jagat)’

• satya-saṅkalpaḥ: He whose resolve is true
• satya-saṅkalpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya + saṅkalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: ‘satyaḥ saṅkalpaḥ yasya’ (also used adjectivally as epithet)

• sṛjasi: you create
• sṛjasi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Parasmaipada, Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana

• atsi: you consume (devour)
• atsi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ad (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Parasmaipada, Madhyama-puruṣa, Ekavacana

• avasī-īśvaraḥ: the controlling Lord
• avasī-īśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avasī + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; sandhi: avasīśvaraḥ = avasī-īśvaraḥ; karmadhāraya: ‘avasī (controller) who is īśvara (lord)’

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa (the Supreme Lord)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about māyā and the three guṇas?

This verse says the Lord first manifests the guṇas through His māyā, and then the universe functions through those modes—yet He remains completely independent and untouched by them.

Who is the independent controller beyond material nature in Bhagavatam?

The verse identifies the Supreme Lord (understood here as Kṛṣṇa) as avaśa-īśvaraḥ—never controlled by the guṇas, even while using them to create and withdraw the cosmos.

Practical application of being 'unaffected by the guṇas' in modern life?

By remembering the Lord as the ultimate controller and cultivating devotion, one learns to act responsibly within material conditions without becoming internally driven by passion, ignorance, or even pride in goodness.