Shloka 38
Pṛthu Mahārāja Meets the Four Kumāras: Bhakti as the Boat Across Saṁsāra
यस्मिन्निदं सदसदात्मतया विभाति माया विवेकविधुति स्रजि वाहिबुद्धि: । तं नित्यमुक्तपरिशुद्धविशुद्धतत्त्वं प्रत्यूढकर्मकलिलप्रकृतिं प्रपद्ये ॥ ३८ ॥
yasminn idaṁ sad-asad-ātmatayā vibhāti māyā viveka-vidhuti sraji vāhi-buddhiḥ taṁ nitya-mukta-pariśuddha-viśuddha-tattvaṁ pratyūḍha-karma-kalila-prakṛtiṁ prapadye
En Él, este universo se manifiesta por māyā como causa y efecto, como si fuera real e irreal; pero quien trasciende la ilusión mediante el discernimiento—como se disipa la idea de una serpiente en una cuerda—comprende que el Paramātmā es eternamente libre, plenamente puro, verdad inmaculada, y no tocado por la contaminación del karma. A Él solo me entrego.
This verse is specifically stated to defy the Māyāvāda conclusion of oneness without differentiation between the individual soul and the Supersoul. The Māyāvāda conclusion is that the living entity and the Supersoul are one; there is no difference. The Māyāvādīs proclaim that there is no separate existence outside the impersonal Brahman and that the feeling of separation is māyā, or an illusion, by which one considers a rope to be a snake. The rope-and-the-snake argument is generally offered by the Māyāvādī philosophers. Therefore these words, which represent vivarta-vāda, are specifically mentioned herein. Actually Paramātmā, the Supersoul, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is eternally liberated. In other words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is living within this body along with the individual soul, and this is confirmed in the Vedas. They are likened to two friends sitting on the same tree. Yet Paramātmā is above the illusory energy. The illusory energy is called bahiraṅgā śakti, or external energy, and the living entity is called taṭasthā śakti, or marginal potency. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the material energy, represented as earth, water, air, fire, sky, etc., and the spiritual energy, the living entity, are both energies of the Supreme Lord. Even though the energies and the energetic are identical, the living entity, individual soul, being prone to be influenced by the external energy, considers the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be one with himself.
FAQs
This verse states that in the Supreme Lord the universe appears as both sat and asat due to māyā, which bewilders the mind and causes misperception—yet the Lord Himself remains the perfectly pure Truth.
While instructing his citizens, Pṛthu Mahārāja emphasizes devotion and surrender to the Supreme, clarifying that liberation comes from taking shelter of the Lord who is untouched by karma and material nature.
Recognize that perception can be distorted by illusion and attachments, and practice steady devotion—taking refuge in the Lord through prayer, remembrance, and right discernment—rather than being driven by karma-centered anxieties.