Shloka 20
Kardama Muni’s Penance, Viṣṇu’s Darśana, and the Arrangement of Devahūti’s Marriage
नैतद्बताधीश पदं तवेप्सितं यन्मायया नस्तनुषे भूतसूक्ष्मम् । अनुग्रहायास्त्वपि यर्ही मायया लसत्तुलस्या भगवान् विलक्षित: ॥ २० ॥
naitad batādhīśa padaṁ tavepsitaṁ yan māyayā nas tanuṣe bhūta-sūkṣmam anugrahāyāstv api yarhi māyayā lasat-tulasyā bhagavān vilakṣitaḥ
Ô Seigneur, bien que ce ne soit pas Ton désir, par Ta māyā Tu manifestes cette création d’éléments grossiers et subtils pour la satisfaction de nos sens. Que Ta miséricorde sans cause se répande sur nous, car Tu es apparu devant nous dans Ta forme éternelle, parée d’une splendide guirlande de feuilles de tulasī.
It is clearly stated here that the material world is not created by the personal will of the Supreme Lord; it is created by His external energy because the living entities want to enjoy it. This material world is not created for those who do not want to enjoy sense gratification, who constantly remain in transcendental loving service and who are eternally Kṛṣṇa conscious. For them, the spiritual world is eternally existing, and they enjoy there. Elsewhere in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that for those who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this material world is useless; because this material world is full of danger at every step, it is not meant for the devotees but for living entities who want to lord it over the material energy at their own risk. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He allows the sense-enjoying living entities a separate world created by Him to enjoy as they like, yet at the same time He appears in His personal form. The Lord unwillingly creates this material world, but He descends in His personal form or sends one of His reliable sons or a servant or a reliable author like Vyāsadeva to give instruction. He Himself also instructs in His speeches of Bhagavad-gītā. This propaganda work goes on side by side with the creation to convince the misguided living entities who are rotting in this material world to come back to Him and surrender unto Him. Therefore the last instruction of Bhagavad-gītā is this: “Give up all your manufactured engagements in the material world and just surrender unto Me. I shall protect you from all sinful reactions.”
FAQs
This verse says that even when the Lord operates through māyā, He is still distinctly known as Bhagavān—especially by devotional signs like tulasī offered to Him—because His actions are ultimately meant to bestow grace.
In the context of Kardama Muni and Devahūti’s marriage and forthcoming divine arrangement, Manu emphasizes that devotees do not seek mere material refinement (a subtle body), but the Lord’s merciful, recognizable presence and blessing.
Prioritize devotional acts that mark remembrance of Bhagavān (e.g., tulasī-sevā, sincere prayer, and service) and treat material improvements—gross or subtle—as secondary to seeking divine grace and clarity of devotion.