Shloka 26
Vidura’s Questions on Devotion and Sarga; Maitreya Begins the Account of Creation
कालवृत्त्या तु मायायां गुणमय्यामधोक्षज: । पुरुषेणात्मभूतेन वीर्यमाधत्त वीर्यवान् ॥ २६ ॥
kāla-vṛttyā tu māyāyāṁ guṇa-mayyām adhokṣajaḥ puruṣeṇātma-bhūtena vīryam ādhatta vīryavān
By the turning of eternal time, within māyā composed of the three guṇas, Adhokṣaja, as the puruṣa incarnation—His plenary expansion—places the seed potency; thus the living beings come to manifest.
The offspring of any living being is born after the father impregnates the mother with semen, and the living entity floating in the semen of the father takes the shape of the mother’s form. Similarly, mother material nature cannot produce any living entity from her material elements unless and until she is impregnated with living entities by the Lord Himself. That is the mystery of the generation of the living entities. This impregnating process is performed by the first puruṣa incarnation, Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu. Simply by His glance over material nature, the whole matter is accomplished.
FAQs
This verse explains that when the time-force acts upon material nature (māyā made of the guṇas), the Supreme Lord initiates creation by placing His potency into prakṛti through His Puruṣa expansion (Mahā-Viṣṇu).
Because the Lord remains beyond material perception and unaffected by the guṇas even while empowering māyā to manifest the universe—He directs creation without becoming conditioned by it.
It reminds a seeker that material changes are driven by time and guṇas, while the Lord is the ultimate controller; cultivating devotion and detachment helps one stay steady amid change.