Shloka 16
The Appearance of Lord Viṣṇu (Kṛṣṇa) and the Divine Exchange with Yoga-māyā
यथेमेऽविकृता भावास्तथा ते विकृतै: सह । नानावीर्या: पृथग्भूता विराजं जनयन्ति हि ॥ १५ ॥ सन्निपत्य समुत्पाद्य दृश्यन्तेऽनुगता इव । प्रागेव विद्यमानत्वान्न तेषामिह सम्भव: ॥ १६ ॥ एवं भवान् बुद्ध्यनुमेयलक्षणै- र्ग्राह्यैर्गुणै: सन्नपि तद्गुणाग्रह: । अनावृतत्वाद् बहिरन्तरं न ते सर्वस्य सर्वात्मन आत्मवस्तुन: ॥ १७ ॥
yatheme ’vikṛtā bhāvās tathā te vikṛtaiḥ saha nānā-vīryāḥ pṛthag-bhūtā virājaṁ janayanti hi
Seperti mahat-tattva yang pada hakikatnya tak terbagi namun oleh perubahan tiga guṇa tampak terpisah menjadi unsur-unsur dan menampakkan wujud kosmis; unsur-unsur itu terlihat seolah-olah baru muncul ketika bergabung, padahal telah ada sebelum penciptaan, sehingga tidak sungguh-sungguh ‘lahir’ di sini. Demikian pula Engkau, meski tampak melalui tanda-tanda yang dapat disimpulkan oleh budi dan melalui kualitas yang ditangkap indra, tetap tak tersentuh oleh guṇa; sebagai Ātman segala sesuatu yang tak terselubung, bagi-Mu tiada beda luar dan dalam.
This same understanding is explained by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4) :
FAQs
This verse indicates that when the principles/elements with varied potencies become distinctly arranged, they manifest the Virāṭ—an intelligible cosmic form of the universe.
In this chapter the narrative reveals the Supreme Lord’s appearance; Śukadeva also points to how the cosmos depends on higher reality, preparing the listener to understand Krishna as the source beyond material manifestations.
It trains one to see the world as an ordered manifestation of higher governance, reducing ego and fostering reverence and responsibility in action.