Shloka 25
Vidura’s Questions on Devotion and Sarga; Maitreya Begins the Account of Creation
सा वा एतस्य संद्रष्टु: शक्ति: सदसदात्मिका । माया नाम महाभाग ययेदं निर्ममे विभु: ॥ २५ ॥
sā vā etasya saṁdraṣṭuḥ śaktiḥ sad-asad-ātmikā māyā nāma mahā-bhāga yayedaṁ nirmame vibhuḥ
The Lord is the seer, and the external energy—the seen—acts as both cause and effect within the cosmic manifestation. O greatly fortunate Vidura, this external energy is called māyā, and only through her agency does the entire material manifestation become possible.
The material nature, known as māyā, is both the material and efficient cause of the cosmos, but in the background the Lord is the consciousness for all activities. As in the individual body the consciousness is the source of all energies of the body, so the supreme consciousness of the Lord is the source of all energies in material nature. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10) as follows:
FAQs
In 3.5.25, Māyā is described as the Lord’s own śakti (potency) through which the Supreme Seer manifests the cosmos, appearing as both the manifest and the unmanifest.
Vidura approached Maitreya to understand creation and the Absolute Truth; Maitreya explains that the universe is produced by the Lord’s potency—Māyā—rather than independent material causes.
Seeing the world as dependent on the Supreme helps reduce false ownership and anxiety, encouraging humility, discernment, and devotion (bhakti) instead of being overwhelmed by temporary appearances.