Shloka 17
Kurukṣetra Pilgrimage: Sages Praise Kṛṣṇa; Vasudeva Inquires on Karma; Viṣṇu-yajña Performed
अनीह एतद् बहुधैक आत्मना सृजत्यवत्यत्ति न बध्यते यथा । भौमैर्हि भूमिर्बहुनामरूपिणी अहो विभूम्नश्चरितं विडम्बनम् ॥ १७ ॥
anīha etad bahudhaika ātmanā sṛjaty avaty atti na badhyate yathā bhaumair hi bhūmir bahu-nāma-rūpiṇī aho vibhūmnaś caritaṁ viḍambanam
Indeed, the humanlike pastimes of the Almighty are only a pretense. Effortlessly, He alone brings forth from His own Self this variegated creation, sustains it, and then swallows it again, yet never becomes bound—just as the element earth assumes many names and forms in its transformations. Ah, how wondrous is the Vibhū’s playful conduct!
The one Supreme expands Himself as many without diminishing His completeness. He does this effortlessly, without depending on anyone or anything else. This mystic process of the Lord’s self-expansion is incomprehensible to all but Himself, but the example of the substance earth and its manifold products bears enough resemblance to provide some idea. The same example is also presented in an often-cited passage of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (6.1), vācārambhaṇaṁ vikāro nāmadheyaṁ mṛttikety eva satyam: “Earth’s transformations are merely verbal creations of the process of naming; the substance earth itself is alone real.”
FAQs
This verse states that the Supreme Self creates, maintains, and withdraws the cosmos, yet remains unbound—His actions are not karmic reactions but expressions of His independent divine potency.
He illustrates how one underlying reality can be labeled in many ways due to its products; similarly, the one Lord appears as many forms and functions through His energies without losing His oneness.
It helps devotees cultivate surrender and steadiness: seeing life’s changes as governed by the Lord’s higher order, one practices devotion without anxiety and avoids false ego about being the ultimate controller.