Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 61
Lord Śiva Instructs the Pracetās (Śiva-stuti and the Path of Bhakti)
यो माययेदं पुरुरूपयासृजद् बिभर्ति भूय: क्षपयत्यविक्रिय: । यद्भेदबुद्धि: सदिवात्मदु:स्थया त्वमात्मतन्त्रं भगवन् प्रतीमहि ॥ ६१ ॥
yo māyayedaṁ puru-rūpayāsṛjad bibharti bhūyaḥ kṣapayaty avikriyaḥ yad-bheda-buddhiḥ sad ivātma-duḥsthayā tvam ātma-tantraṁ bhagavan pratīmahi
Wahai Bhagavān, dengan śakti māyā-Mu yang beraneka rupa Engkau mencipta alam semesta ini, memeliharanya seakan tetap, lalu pada akhirnya meleburkannya; namun Engkau tetap tak berubah. Karena derita batinnya, makhluk hidup beranggapan Engkau terpisah dari dunia; tetapi aku memahami Engkau sebagai Paramātmā yang sepenuhnya merdeka.
It is clearly explained that Lord Kṛṣṇa has multienergies, which can be grouped into three, namely the external energy, the internal energy and the marginal energy. There are also different cosmic manifestations — namely the spiritual world and the material world — as well as different types of living entities. Some living entities are conditioned, and others are eternally free. The eternally free living entities are called nitya-mukta, for they never come in contact with the material energy. However, some living entities are conditioned in this material world, and thus they think themselves separated from the Supreme Lord. Due to their contact with the material energy, their existence is always troublesome. Being always in distress, the conditioned soul considers the material energy to be very much disturbing. This fact is explained by a Vaiṣṇava kavi, or poet:
FAQs
This verse says the Lord manifests, maintains, and withdraws the universe through māyā, while the perceived divisions are only “as if real,” arising from the conditioned soul’s disturbed state.
They affirm that cosmic change belongs to the Lord’s energies and māyā, not to His essential nature—He acts as the controller of transformation while remaining unchanged.
By remembering that shifting circumstances are transformations of nature, one can anchor the mind in devotion to the unchanging Lord and reduce anxiety born from temporary dualities.