Shloka 39
The Universal Form (Virāṭ-Puruṣa): The Lord’s Entry into the Elements, the Devas, and the Origin of Varṇāśrama
अतो भगवतो माया मायिनामपि मोहिनी । यत्स्वयं चात्मवर्त्मात्मा न वेद किमुतापरे ॥ ३९ ॥
ato bhagavato māyā māyinām api mohinī yat svayaṁ cātma-vartmātmā na veda kim utāpare
Therefore the māyā of Bhagavān bewilders even the masters of illusion. That potency is not known even to the self-sufficient Lord who abides on His own path—how, then, could it be known by others?
The froggish philosophers and mundane wranglers in science and mathematical calculation may not believe in the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but they are sometimes puzzled by the wonderful jugglery of man and nature. Such jugglers and magicians of the mundane world are actually puzzled by the jugglery of the Lord in His transcendental activities, but they try to adjust their bewilderment by saying that it is all mythology. There is, however, nothing impossible or mythological in the Supreme Omnipotent Person. The most wonderful puzzle for the mundane wranglers is that while they remain calculating the length and breadth of the unlimited potency of the Supreme Person, His faithful devotees are set free from the bondage of material encagement simply by appreciating the wonderful jugglery of the Supreme in the practical field. The devotees of the Lord see the wonderful dexterity in everything with which they come in contact in all circumstances of eating, sleeping, working, etc. A small banyan fruit contains thousands of small seeds, and each seed holds the potency of another tree, which again holds the potency of many millions of such fruits as causes and effects. So the trees and seeds engage the devotees in meditation about the activities of the Lord, while the mundane wranglers waste time in dry speculation and mental concoction, which are fruitless in both this life and the next. In spite of their pride in speculation, they can never appreciate the simple activities of the banyan tree’s potency. Such speculators are poor souls destined to remain in matter perpetually.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord’s māyā is so potent that it can bewilder even those who pride themselves on controlling illusion, so no ordinary person should think they can easily overcome it by ego or mere intellect.
He highlights the limits of conditioned understanding: if the individual soul cannot fully grasp the Lord’s illusory potency, then one should seek shelter of Bhagavān through devotion rather than rely on speculative certainty.
It encourages humility and spiritual discipline—recognizing how easily one can be misled by ego, appearances, or misinformation—and turning toward steady bhakti practices (hearing, chanting, and sincere prayer) to gain clarity.