Shloka 39
Kṛṣṇa Defeats Bāṇāsura and Receives Śiva’s Prayers
The Śoṇitapura Battle and the Jvara Episode
यथैव सूर्य: पिहितश्छायया स्वया छायां च रूपाणि च सञ्चकास्ति । एवं गुणेनापिहितो गुणांस्त्व- मात्मप्रदीपो गुणिनश्च भूमन् ॥ ३९ ॥
yathaiva sūryaḥ pihitaś chāyayā svayā chāyāṁ ca rūpāṇi ca sañcakāsti evaṁ guṇenāpihito guṇāṁs tvam ātma-pradīpo guṇinaś ca bhūman
Ô Tout-Puissant, de même que le soleil, bien que voilé par sa propre ombre (un nuage), éclaire ce nuage et toutes les formes visibles, ainsi Toi, bien que semblant couvert par les guṇas, Tu demeures auto-lumineux et Tu révèles ces qualités ainsi que les êtres qui les portent.
Here Lord Śiva further clarifies the idea expressed in the final two lines of the previous verse. The analogy of the clouds and the sun is appropriate. With its energy the sun creates clouds, which cover our vision of the sun. Yet it is the sun that allows us to see the clouds and all other things as well. Similarly, the Lord expands His illusory potency and thus prevents us from directly seeing Him. Yet it is God alone who reveals to us His covering potency — namely, the material world — and thus the Lord is ātma-pradīpa, “self-luminous.” It is the reality of His existence that makes all things visible.
FAQs
This verse explains that although the Lord may appear associated with material qualities, He remains self-luminous and transcendental—He reveals the gunas and the conditioned beings affected by them, but is not controlled by them.
To show that apparent covering does not limit the source of illumination: like the sun making even shadow visible, Krishna makes the modes and their effects known while remaining untouched by them.
When the mind feels “covered” by mood, stress, or habit (gunas), remember the Lord is not limited by these states; turn toward bhakti—hearing and chanting—to reconnect with the self-illuminating reality beyond changing mental conditions.